In business

Curves sponsors annual food drive

Curves of Surprise/Sun City West will collect food for local food banks through March 15.

Allie Stevenson, owner, said a discount service fee of $30 will be given to any new member who brings in a bag of nonperishable groceries and commits to a 12-month CD membership. For information, call Stevenson at 623-875-2575 or e-mail curvesofsurpriseaz@gmail.com.

Real estate agents slate open house

A community open house is planned for Saturday by real estate agents listed in Sun Air Estates.

The event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the community on Peoria Avenue between 95th and 96th avenues.

Sun Air is a senior community made of duplexes and single-family homes and features a community pool and acitvity room in two separate areas. The prices range from $85,000 to $250,000.

Agents include Johanna Gorr-Gorr Real Estate Inc., Keller Williams, John Hall, Priority Realty, I.M. Realty, West USA, Ken Meade, Brand 1 Realty, Coldwell Banker, Glendale Realty and ReMAX Professionals.

Hickman’s shells out eggs for food bank

Hickman’s Family Farms will deliver fresh shell eggs to St. Mary’s/Westside Food Bank Alliance today.

The donation is in response to the food bank’s need for donations and is part of a nationwide donation effort being launched by the members of the United Egg Producers and America’s Second Harvest.

Hickman’s Family Farms has scheduled delivery for 24,300 dozen shell eggs — 291,000 eggs — to be distributed in Arizona.

UPS collects toys, helps deserving kids

The UPS Store at 6635 W. Happy Valley Road, in conjunction with The UPS Store locations across the country, has teamed up with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to announce its first year-round initiative, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program.

This initiative will offer economically disadvantaged children the ability to compete academically and to succeed in life by providing them direct access to books and educational resources that will enhance their ability to read and to communicate effectively.

Throughout March, The UPS Store will sell $1 donation cards. For every dollar donated, a book will be placed into the hands of a deserving child in the area courtesy of Scholastic, Inc. The store will continue additional fund-raising activities throughout the year.

Between March 1 and 31, The UPS Store will have a book drive to collect new, age-appropriate books at Valley store locations.

Security service opens in Youngtown

Crimeless Security Inc. Arizona has set up shop at 11126 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 4, Youngtown.

The primary mission of Crimeless Security Inc. Arizona is to provide quality security services at competitive prices to government agencies, local businesses and the community.

Services include but are not limited to armored transportation, commercial sites, construction sites, event staffing, executive protection, loss prevention, private patrol, traffic control/flagman, HOA patrol and security and video surveillance.

President and CEO Leroy Murray Jr. started his career in Arizona, working as an assistant coach for the wrestling department at Phoenix College. Murray refined his expertise in law enforcement while serving as an adult intense probation officer with Maricopa County.

For information, call 623-251-3868 or visit Jamie@csi-crimeless.com or www.csi-crimeless.com.

Bashas’ hires resources VP

Bashas’ Family of Stores recently hired Gregg Tucek as vice president of legal affairs for human resources.

Tucek, an attorney with an extensive legal background in labor, employment and human resources training, serves as in-house legal counsel for the company. He will work with the company’s labor relations team at Steptoe & Johnson.

Learning Express gears up for Easter

Learning Express of Surprise, a toy specialty store, offers residents an alternative to traditional sugar-filled candy baskets this Easter.

The store offers hundreds of items, including small art kits for the creative child, thought-provoking games and puzzles, books, jump ropes, bubbles and bug boxes.

The store is at 13375 N.W. Grand Ave. For information, call 623- 584-7803 or visit www.surprise.learningexpress-toys.

Massage clinic opens in Peoria

Massage Envy, a national franchise of professional massage clinics, has opened a clinic at the Lake Pleasant Towne Center at 10006 W. Happy Valley Road, on the northwest corner of Lake Pleasant Parkway and Happy Valley Road, across from Ross. The clinic is 2,950-square-feet with 12 therapy rooms, including one couples room.

Stephen and Shannon Cook, owners, also serve as the regional franchise developers for Arizona and Las Vegas.

“Despite the recent turns in our economy, Peoria is still a hot-bed of growth and activity,” Cook said. “Our motto has always been about making massage convenient and affordable for everyone. By adding Peoria to our roster, it offers greater convenience for our existing member base as well as the opportunity to incorporate massage into the hectic lifestyles of Peoria residents.”

Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 623-537-3689.

Communications agency wins international award

Marketing with a Flair, a full-service communications agency in Glendale, recently received a silver award in the International Davey Awards.

With more than 4,000 entries, the Davey Awards recognize the creative excellence of smaller agencies and companies worldwide.

“We are extremely honored to receive such a prestigious award, as it recognizes the talent of our team and validates the quality and service we deliver to all our clients,” said Robin Cook, president of Marketing with a Flair.

Marketing with a Flair received recognition for the Not-for-Profit Print Campaign category, submitting the collateral material designed for the 2007 fundraising event, “Shaken, Not Stirred” for the Craniofacial Foundation of Arizona. Marketing with a Flair has also been named as a finalist in the “Make Mine A Million” program developed for women who are growing their businesses beyond the million-dollar mark in revenue.

The agency represents a variety of industries, including Roskamp Arizona, Dr. Stephen Beals, Arizona Color Promotions and The 99 Dollar Furniture Store.

It also announced that it has hired new creative team members to keep up with the growing demand for its services. Bryan Fergus has been added as director of operations. In that role, he will manage the creative team as well as develop copy, newsletter content, press releases and other written materials for marketing and advertising campaigns. Deb Graham has also been added as graphic designer to use her artistic expertise to properly position Marketing with a Flair’s clients.

For information, call 602-374-4923 or e-mail info@prlady.com.

Farmers agent completes course

Mark Sander of Peoria, an agent for Farmers Insurance Group, has completed the career accelerator course at the University of Farmers in Agoura Hills, Calif.

Designer wins 7-day cruise

Shirley Hamilton of Glendale, a Home & Garden Party designer, has won a seven-day cruise for her business success. For information, on the Home & Garden Party business, call Hamilton at 623-930-0009.

Company honors 3 from Glendale

Sandra and Donald Yerger and Sheila Wickert, all of Glendale, have been advanced to coordinators and independent distributors for Market America, a product brokerage and Internet marketing company.

lia sophia names top advisers

lia sophia, an in-home fashion jewelry business, promoted Sheri Morris of Peoria from adviser to unit manager, and named Carrie Curtis of Glendale and Monique Smith of Peoria as top sales advisers.