It was nearly one year ago (October, 2007) that we started AZIGG - Arizona International Growth Group. Thanks to our first speaker Rod Miller of GPEC, who got us off to a fast start.
Before that first meeting I was wondering why Phoenix didn't have a business group where former expatriates like me could get together with other international folks, and where Arizona-based companies could go to get help and advice to take their business global. Why not?
The two premier groups in the Valley are mostly non-business: Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (
http://www.pcfraz.org/) and the World Affairs Council of Arizona (
http://www.wacaz.org/). They're both excellent - I'm a member of each - but they don't meet the business side of things like I wanted. And so I was thinking that if I could start a group that was more business oriented, some of the PCFR and WACAZ members might be interested, and off we go.
Before I sent out that first e-mail I thought we'd get 30-50 people, and I went ahead to book Dave Sherman's Training Center. Within an hour of sending an e-mail, 50 people had signed up. Oooops - - - we moved to Jobing.com! Holly Schor and Don Mock of Jobing.com are wonderful - - - and they put up with too many people and too many cars at that first and subsequent meeting. We got 'er done thanks to the Jobing.com team!
We've subsequently moved to larger venues like Sassi in Scottsdale and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Auditorium. AZIGG was started! Andres Chagolla of MCBiz and his team have also been extraordinary in helping us get off the ground and keep it going and growing. Thanks Andres and Nelson!?
A lot of the interest in that first meeting was for Rod Miller, VP of International for Greater Phoenix Economic Council (
http://www.gpec.org/). Rod is extraordinary - - - his international background impeccable - - - and he is an amazingly effective ambassador for Arizona.
Many thanks to all the internationalists who have made it possible, especially Kim Kubsch and the board of AZIGG
http://www.azigg.com/.
There have been many community leaders who have helped out - including Susan Schultz of PCFR, Sharon Wilkinson of WACAZ, Steve Zylstra of AZ Tech Council, Glenn Williamson and CABC, etc etc. There are too many to count - and so thank you to all!
Thanks for visiting our blog. I'll take a few steps back to get you caught up and then hopefully keep it going and current from our next meeting October 6, 2008 - - - again with Rod Miller!
All the best, Doug
Doug Bruhnke
