ANITA VERMA-LALLIAN, director of marketing for Vermaland, LLC
TWITTER: @ANITAVL777
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A WOMAN WHO MOVES THE VALLEY?
It is a huge honor! It means a lot to me, since I have grown up in Arizona and have seen Phoenix grown the way it has. It gives me a lot of pleasure to be able to contribute to the growth of Phoenix through our business, while also having the ability to give back to our community. My goal is to see Phoenix grow and thrive as a world-class city. If I can contribute to this in any way, that is a huge accomplishment!
WHY IS MARKETING AND REAL ESTATE YOUR CHOSEN CAREER PATH?
I chose marketing as my career path because I have always been interested in analyzing how the market works and how to deliver a successful product to customers. I love having to think outside of the box, keeping up with new trends and solving challenging problems creatively. I also chose real estate since that is the nature of our family business. Our company invests in raw land throughout Phoenix. It has been amazing to buy land that is in the outskirts of the city and ultimately develop that land to the point where people are living on it.
WHY HAS SOLAR ENERGY BECOME A PASSION FOR YOU?
I am very passionate about solar energy since it has numerous benefits for Arizona, both environmentally and economically. Solar benefits our environment since it reduces our dependence on foreign oil and provides a sustainable source of clean energy. Arizona has one of the highest solar resources in the world. If we utilized this resource, we can become a world leader in renewable energy, which would bring a tremendous amount of investment capital to our state, and would additionally create new jobs.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT?
My proudest professional moment has been creating our company’s charity, the Verma Charitable Foundation. It has given us an opportunity to give back to the community, which has been great. My parents were the inspiration behind this. They have always been involved in giving back to the community.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME?
I joined the business in 2008, at the beginning of the real estate recession in Phoenix. The economy was in a severe recession and real estate was at an absolute standstill. Values plummeted to very low values at this time. We needed to determine alternate ways to generate revenue. Fortunately, we were able to expand our business into the solar energy space. We learned as much as we could about the business and were able to work with numerous solar developers on our land. We even developed our own solar facility on one of our properties.
WHAT IS ONE WISH YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?
I wish to see the city of Phoenix and Arizona grow. We have a lot of untapped potential in Arizona. We have great natural resources as well as a talented workforce.
ANITA’S FAVES
BOOK: “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
MOVIE: “Good Will Hunting.”
GUILTY PLEASURE: Reality TV.
TV SHOW: “The Mindy Project.”
VALLEY RESTAURANT: The Herb Box.
ANNUAL LOCAL EVENT: Scottsdale Culinary Festival.
TERRA SCHAAD, executive director of Hunkapi Programs, a wellness program specializing in horse therapy for children and adults with special needs
INSTAGRAM: @TERRASCHAAD; @HUNKAPIPROGRAMS
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A WOMAN WHO MOVES THE VALLEY?
In my mind, I am a girl who loves horses and has a passion to share their healing power with others. To receive this title is so humbling and mind-blowing to me. I am completely honored. My purpose in this life is to help others understand their greatness and to move mindfully into that authenticity. While my method of doing that has historically been done through my work with horses and people, I’m grateful for this opportunity to show up and, in some way, be a living, breathing example of how living mindfully can change your life and inspire others.
HOW DID YOU FIND A PASSION IN EQUINE-HUMAN RELATIONS?
Horses have been like a magnet for me from a very young age, and at age 10 I was given the opportunity to own my own horse, Smokey. From that moment, every second I had free was spent with horses. It was an internal passion first to be with them, probably subconsciously because they were healing me from the inside out. Once I was able to cognitively understand how they had affected me, I then knew it was my responsibility and purpose to share that with others. Now, each day I am in the arena, learning with them and watching them move people toward greater balance and health—mind, body and spirit—it further ignites that passion.
WHAT IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND YOUR SUCCESS?
Gratitude, humility and an insatiable desire to be the best. I treat every moment of life, inside and outside of the arena, as an opportunity to learn and grow personally. I experience, I notice, I change, I collaborate and I fully believe in the power of “we.”
WHAT IS ONE WISH YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?
That every child on this earth feels loved, supported, nurtured and safe. That the words “don’t” and “bad” are taken out of the English language and are replaced by “do” and “brilliant.”
NAME A WOMAN IN YOUR LIFE WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE.
I can’t mention one without the other; both influenced me at the same time and in the same way, but the combo has created who I am. Dr. Debbie Crews and Dr. Barbara Kerr gave me opportunity to do exactly what I want to do, without limits. They supervised and mentored me, while giving me free rein to make mistakes without judgment. Their only words of advice were “go and I’ll support you.” As a girl and young woman, I was trained to think small, but my sprit was big. They gave me permission to light my mind on fire and that is a powerful, priceless gift.
TERRA’S FAVES
BOOK: “The Alchemist.”
MOVIE: “Good Will Hunting.”
GUILTY PLEASURE: French fries.
TV SHOW: “Dancing with the Stars”—I love the personal transformation.
VALLEY RESTAURANT: Andreoli Italian Grocer.
ANNUAL LOCAL EVENT: Christmas Day at the Ranch. My program, Hunkapi, has hosted it for the past 11 years.
THING ABOUT ARIZONA: I love the diversity of the topography and cultures.
