From the fields of sports, real estate, law, hospitality—and beyond—we learn the keys to success from some of the Valley’s most respected professionals.
“I owe a lot of my success, I believe, to my leaders and mentors I’ve had along the way. I think they really painted a clear picture of the type of hard work that it takes to become successful in this industry. I was also lucky enough to work for people who were extremely passionate and giving in regards to some life lessons and realities in the business. Moreover, I truly believe I owe a lot of my success to Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain. I couldn’t ask for a better stage or a better group of people to work with; not only my culinary squad, but the management and ownership as well. In this position I’ve felt inspired, supported, challenged and rewarded. One thing is for sure: we’ve always strived to evolve as a restaurant while, at the same time, staying true to our identity. Finally, I attribute the success I’ve had to the local community, who have embraced and supported the restaurant year after year. Our guests, our neighbors, our friends and our audience have allowed the restaurant to grow. Without them, there is no success.” –Beau MacMillan, Executive Chef, elements at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain
“I’m so blessed in that I truly love working with people of all ages and backgrounds to help provide excellent patient care. I try to bring a healthy dose of humor to my patient care responsibilities as well. Laughter can indeed be the best medicine, and it helps lighten the mood and allows people to share more of what and how they are feeling so I can best help them. I’m also grateful for the trust the LGBT community has in me, and I do my best to provide care and guidance on various LGBT health issues. When I wake up each day, I think ‘carpe diem’ and strive to live that philosophy in everything I do.” –Dr. Randy Gelow, Primary Care Physician, Banner Health Center
“Our main goal is to provide a world-class real estate experience for our clients. We do this by focusing on our client’s agenda in every situation, without exception. We have worked tirelessly to create and grow relationships because, ultimately, we are interested in people—where they come from and where they are going. Our goal is to find out what fundamentally drives our clients, how they operate, what makes them happy and where they spend their time. We believe in their aspirations and their dreams, and it’s this connection that builds trust very quickly, separating us from others in our industry. As a result, approximately 95 percent of our business is directly related to referral opportunities introduced to us from current and past clients. The benefit to our clients, inrunning a referral-based business, is that we don’t have to spend valuable time prospecting for new business; therefore, we can allocate a significant amount of time and attention to each client’s personal needs. Building trust, offering confidentiality and tailoring a process unique to each client is paramount in creating an experience that far exceeds their expectations. Our relationship with our clients never ends when the transaction closes; we continue to stay in touch, providing a never-ending lifetime relationship and ongoing world-class experience.” –Gregory Hidder, Real Estate Team480 at Re/Max Platinum Living, Representing SportStar Relocation
“I have fallen in love with my community. They add more fuel to the fire and inspire me to keep going. I have realized that I can’t do this by myself—education is key, and it’s important to be humble as there is always something to learn. I am here with this business because I have found my true self and happiness while always sharing enthusiasm. My biggest advice in business is to trust your gut, be yourself and don't let anyone ruin that. Run your race with set finish lines (goals), have constant hunger to learn and ultimately choose the passion that makes you happy. Then at that point, figure out how to monetize it with a positive impact on those around you.” –Allison DeVane, Founder, Teaspressa and Tea & Toast Co. at DeSoto Central Market
“My passion for designing golf courses began in 1967. I was 8. At first they were fantasy courses, but soon I discovered there was actually a profession called ‘golf course architecture.’ My parents allowed me to transform the backyard into a pitch-n-putt. It got serious with tournament results called into the Arizona Republic. Yes, they were suspicious. My mentor, the late Arthur Jack Snyder, allowed me to tag along and learn on the job. Besides the great support from my wife, Valerie, who runs the business side of things, success has come from listening, daring to be creative and paying attention to details. It’s also mandatory to love what you do. And I do.” –Forrest Richardson, Golf Course Architect
“I started the law firm 16 years ago in another attorney’s storage closet. I think about never going back into that closet every day, and it renews my focus on our commitment to immediate responsiveness to our clients. I am tremendously grateful that I was given the ability to creatively solve difficult problems and that people come to me for help. I really love what I get to do all day! My focus is really on worrying for other people as I would do if their issue was my own, and in trying to do what—the great Wayne Gretzky said so well—always ‘see the puck before it hits the stick.’”–Jordan R. Rose, Founder and President, Rose Law Group
“Makes it easy when you start playing ‘riding ponies’ at age 2 and hitting polo balls by age 3! In my family, polo is a tradition; I am a fifth-generation polo player. My family, both from my father's and mother's sides, founded polo in Colombia in the early 1890's. Polo is not only about being agile on the horse and scoring goals; it is about the lifestyle around it. You need to focus on healthy horses, which we carefully train throughout the year, and a team that works like clockwork. In summary, being well surrounded—horses and friends—makes it easy to be successful in such a complex and beautiful sport.” –Andrés Camacho Castilla, Arizona’s Top Polo Player
“A boy on a beach with a dream in Florida 40 years later built his own beach in Arizona by seizing the opportunities afforded by the hospitality industry. My career made it possible for me to travel the world, work with amazing people and create great hotels and experiences. God has given me the gift to see what is possible; the courage to take risks to follow dreams; to recognize talent and build teams; and to inspire people to invest in these dreams. I now feel a responsibility to help others live their dreams in this amazing field…and [I feel] blessed with the career that I have.” –Jack Miller, General Manager, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
"It's one thing to have a dream job, but if you're constantly dreaming, you're not living. For so long, I never allowed myself to live in the moment. I was always focused on ‘the next big city’ and ‘the next big job.’ I never allowed myself to just enjoy the journey, trust the process and realize I'm exactly where I need to be at this exact moment. Wow, the moment I realized that, I felt so free. Instead of believing the grass is always greener somewhere else, I’m focusing on the people and relationships that are in my life today because if I'm constantly worried about what's next, I'll miss out on what I have now." –Brandon Lee, News Anchor, 3TV
“I loved architecture ever since I was a little boy, and the best weekends were spent with my mother at model home tours. That began the spark of my creativity, and it hasn’t stopped ever since. I had the opportunity to work with George Christensen for 18 years, who was my mentor at CCBG. When he retired, I felt it was the time to go out on my own and start Candelaria Design. I began my company in my dining room with two dogs and my drafting table. Looking back and seeing where we are now 17 years later, I truly believe that you have to love what you do in order to be successful and surround yourself with like-minded and talented people. We have all heard that a million times, but it is so true. I love my team like family. My goal when creating the firm was to create an experience for our clients, not to just give them a set of plans. Throughout the years, I have emphasized the importance of that goal to my team. Designing a home for someone is at times taken for granted by architects. I whole-heartedly feel it’s an honor when you are asked to design a dream home for someone and their family.” –Mark Candelaria, Principal, Candelaria Design
“I must say the ‘special sauce’ for the measure of success I have seen in my career is love. Love, for some, might not be typically associated with business; however, it is my absolute point of origin. Loving your work generates passion, loving others while you work fosters inspiration, and loving those for whom we provide service results in trust. Having been blessed with the ability to imagine and create architecture requires me to have an extreme emphasis on stewardship, and the hallmark of stewardship is love. My mission is to steward people, investments and the land on which we create.” –C.P. Drewett, Founder and Architect, Drewett Works
“I was brought up in a family that holds cultural experiences of all kinds in very high esteem. I had consistent exposure to things like ballet, theater, visual arts and live music, so I had a strong appreciation of various forms of art from a very early age. In college, influential professors opened my eyes to both contemporary and classical art, which inspired my museum career. During my time at NYU, I interned at the Guggenheim Museum and, for the first time, realized that I could make a career out of doing what I love. Since then I have worked mostly in museums but also as a grant maker in the arts. That multi-dimensional and national experience has helped me progress to where I am today. It’s important to know as many aspects of your field as possible; having a broad overview gives you a bigger vision for what is possible. Thinking big is important.” –Amada Cruz, Sybil Harrington Director, Phoenix Art Museum
“I started working with Jill Kelleher, a well-known matchmaker in the San Francisco Bay Area, about 20 years ago. Jill founded Kelleher International in 1986 and spread her business to major cities throughout the United States. Jill was a great influence for me and helped me open my office of Kelleher International in Scottsdale. We're in the business of making love happen, and I really love what I do. It is so rewarding to work with such wonderful people and find them that elusive match. To do well in this field I believe that first, and foremost, you have to genuinely care about your clients and their happiness. You need to be curious and have a genuine interest in people—along with being empathetic, a good listener, open-minded, intuitive and having discretion—all the while maintaining a certain professionalism. Getting a call from someone who just got engaged is just the icing on the cake when you're doing something you love and have a passion for.” –Jean Adams, Managing Partner, Kelleher International
Photography (except Amada Cruz) by Kayla Fisher and Jason Black
