Happy News!

I love my job. We get to meet so many great people each and every day and can see what is happening before it actually happens. Like a wizard of some sort. We are happy to report that we are hearing good news that our local resorts are seeing more demand—not only in rooms but rates. That demand, of course, is great news for all of us. I’m not saying 2011 will be an amazing year; however, we believe it will be better than the last two years.
People we meet each day tell us their stories of how they restructured or started a new concept. People who live in Arizona are not only smart but are very innovative. We will not let this market correction, as they call it, get us down. We are all working much harder and smarter. I always say failure is never an option, and I have never felt it more than in the last few weeks. We are seeing more people with the
can-do attitude and success coming back.
I just got done walking the largest home ever to be built in Arizona. This enormous mansion has broken ground in Silverleaf. This is sure to be a landmark that could have been built anywhere in the world, but Scottsdale will be its home. It’s the most innovative design the Valley, and maybe the world, has ever seen. “James Bond” and “Iron Man” effects were the main inspiration and theme of the home. Some parts of the home will look like a reclaimed castle, while other parts will exhibit a contemporary feel. When I walked the building and looked out over the Valley, I knew why this person chose Arizona. We have some of the most hard-working people who love what they do and rather spend more time here than anywhere in the world. Check out the complete story at AZFoothills.com
Did you hear that the Best of Our Valley contest brought our Valley together? It was extremely fun to see how passionate we are about the places we love and support. Everyone was a winner just for trying, and this March we will showcase all the winners and have a huge celebration. The winner with the most total votes was radio’s Johnjay Van Es, and he will grace the cover of our March 2011 Best of Our Valley issue.
Notice a new face on our cover and AZFoothills.com? After casting calls across the state and millions of votes, we have a winner in our annual Face of Foothills model search. Tori Zukowski (pictured) is a native of Arizona and currently attends the University of Arizona. She is an example of what Arizona Foothills Magazine is all about: style, substance
and sophistication. We are so pleased and proud to have her on our Web site and cover. See her at AZFoothills.com.
In case you missed it, Alexis DelChiaro left Fox 10 Arizona Morning for San Diego, and you can read about her fun lifestyle inside our pages with more updates online. We are proud to have her contributing along with Susie Alofs. Susie will take us behind the scenes of some of the most elaborate private parties. You may want to try her tips at home.
We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year and want to congratulate Craig Jackson and his team on 40 years of success at Barrett-Jackson. We wish everyone the very best. Check out AZFoothills.com daily for the latest in local happenings, people, gossip and much more. We are proud to be the market leader delivering fresh content every day.

All the best.
Michael S. Dee  President and Publisher