Kathy Shayna Shocket has the inside scoop on celebrities and people who make a difference.
Why these Phoenix executives are celebrating in UMOM's conference room.
In the main building of UMOM’s campus for the homeless, a group of board members and supporters gathered for the makeover reveal of its conference room. Following the presentation, philanthropist Bob Hobbs and I were chatting about the aesthetic improvements and structural repairs to the room, courtesy of an Arizona office furniture and design company.
“They’re such great guys,” he said of the company’s owners. “You mean, ‘GOOD ‘ guys , Right? ,” I said and we both smiled, in recognition that in this case, “good”, was better than “great.” That’s because the owners Murray Goodman and Adam Goodman not only have a reputation which lives up to their last name, but they’re paying the meaning of their name forward.
Adam Goodman is pictured above , celebrating the makeover completion with UMOM's CEO, Darlene Newsom and Bank of Arizona's SVP, David Ridgeway.
(The conference room makeover at UMOM)
For the past eight years, Goodmans Interior Structures has recognized non-profits with its "Eye for the Good Guy Award." This year the company’s Good Guys award recognized the most effective nonprofit board of directors in Maricopa and Pima counties. UMOM New Day Centers in Phoenix, and the Edge School in Tucson, were both chosen for the grand prize of a $20,000 office makeover.
(Bob Hobbs,Sr. and Dennis Jones at UMOM after the reveal. The Child Development Center on the UMOM campus bears the Hobbs family name. )
The Good Guy award winners were selected based on a tallied score from a questionnaire, reviews from a panel of judges and public online voting. UMOM provides emergency, transitional and domestic violence shelter to 175 families, as well as housing to 320 families and rental assistance to others. Goodman’s Kari Luther helped created a work environment for UMOM to help the nonprofit collaborate, brainstorm and solve problems.
Judges were Kelly Balthazor US Airways, Jonathan Keyser, Michelle Rider, Westmarc, Ed Soltero, Arizona State, and Adam Goodman. “UMOM was selected because its board of directors has been effective in strategically planning for the organization’s sustainability,” explained Adam Goodman. “It was chosen for its efforts to plan for the organization’s future, including purchasing property for growth and creating a succession plan for its CEO and executive team.”
Kathy Shayna Shocket is a freelance Writer, Photographer and TV- Field Producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She's a former TV Reporter who's written for publications such as TIME Magazine, Money Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter and The NEW YORK TIMES. You can reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
