PHOENIX, ARIZONA – CBRE has arranged the sale of two adjacent industrial and office properties in Gilbert, Ariz. for a combined $5.5 million to Metro Fire Equipment.

Evan Koplan and Serena Wedlich of CBRE in Phoenix represented the buyer, a full-service fire protection company, in the acquisition of both properties, located at 1240 and 1200-1210 W. San Pedro Street. Koplan and Wedlich also represented the seller in the trade of 1240 W. San Pedro Street. CBRE’s Mark Krison and Luke Krison represented the seller in the sale of the second property.

“Metro Fire Equipment acted quickly and flawlessly executed on the unique opportunity to acquire two adjacent properties that can be combined to create a larger site to accommodate additional growth in the future,” said Koplan. “These properties met the company’s immediate expansion needs while also providing them with a rare investment opportunity.”

The four-building, 15,584-square-foot property at 1200-1210 W. San Pedro Street sits on 3.1 acres and features a 7,863-square-foot freestanding office building, a 3,980-square-foot office/warehouse and two warehouse canopies totaling 3,741-square-feet.

The 11,091-square-foot property at 1240 W. San Pedro Street was built in 1995 and features service and warehouse space totaling 3,602-square-feet, two drive-through wash bays and storage and a 5,729-square-foot freestanding office building on 2.59 acres. The property includes a large secured, fenced rear yard area with drive around capability.

The properties are located in the Fiesta Ranch Business Center and are close to the U.S. 60 and Loop 101 and 202 Freeways.

TUCSON, Ariz.– The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is pleased to announce the winning startup of the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by BIOSA competition. TheraCea Pharma will receive a sponsored year’s admission at the new biotech incubator, UACI at Oro Valley. Included with entrance into the program and space at the new location, the startup will also be awarded a cash prize of $5,000. The total package value is $15,000 and funded by the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA). Program entrance will grant the winning startup with resources, facilities, services and expert guidance to grow their business.

TheraCea Pharma is a R&D stage Arizona-based biotechnology company that develops diagnostic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents for the detection of cancer, cardiology, neurology and infectious diseases. The company’s platform is a novel chemical process enabling efficient, quick and high yield preparation of diagnostic agents. TheraCea Pharma’s management team consists of Chief Executive Officer, Iman Daryaei, Business Development Officer, Justin Jeffery and Chief Technology Officer, Arthur Shaw. The underlying technology was developed at the University of Arizona and licensed through Tech Launch Arizona. TheraCea founders also took their business through the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

Access into UACI provides this startup with a structured incubation program, customized business support and the ability to work alongside UACI’s 36 other startups. UACI provides access to the people, programming and places needed to scale a business. Along with support, entrepreneurs have a direct line to funding opportunities and mentors who guide them in turning their idea into product. Other tools the incubation program provides are office and lab space, a prototyping center and assistance through a 27-point roadmap that helps them with creating a business plan, identifying a target market, product development, marketing resources and much more.

“We appreciate UACI and BIOSA for their trust in TheraCea technology and the team. We are very excited for this opportunity as the award provides us a well-equipped laboratory and office space to further develop TheraCea technology while we get support and help from business mentors and industry experts. We, at TheraCea, highly believe that moving to this new UACI facility in Oro Valley is a significant milestone in our progress toward achieving our goals,” expressed Iman Daryaei, Chief Executive Officer of TheraCea Pharma.

“Our team is thrilled to welcome TheraCea Pharma to the UACI family. Their novel technology addresses a real-world medical need, and they have the right team to execute. The fact that this  technology was developed at the university, licensed through Tech Launch Arizona and is now about to grow in our incubator highlights how the university collectively serves innovation from idea to success,” stated Eric Smith, Executive Director, University of Arizona Center for Innovation.

“We welcome TheraCea into the Arizona life sciences community through this competition. We are excited to see them as one of the inaugural companies establishing operations in the new UACI at Oro Valley incubator,” shared Nina Ossanna, Chair, BIOSA.

The winning startup was selected based on their biotech-focused innovation and dedication to making a significant difference in the local and global community through their innovation.

Applications were reviewed, and TheraCea Pharma the winner was selected by a panel that included the following judges.

• Mary O’Reilly, Vice President, Bioscience Research Programs, Flinn Foundation
• Andy Lombard, Executive Vice President, Innovation & Venture Development, Arizona Commerce Authority
• Anil Nair, Vice President, Icagen
• Susan Rosenfield, Registered US Patent Attorney,Fennemore Craig
• Patrick Marcus, Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Engineering, LLC

TheraCea Pharma will be immersed in the UACI incubation program starting December 15, 2020 through December 15, 2021 thanks to the generous sponsorship of BIOSA.

PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – Tuesday night’s election announcements were only the first of many—something Arizonans have grown accustomed to. In years past, it’s taken nearly a week to count every ballot, and it’s looking like this year will be no different. While 2.5 million votes were counted as of last night, elections officials throughout the state are reporting another 500,000 ballots that will be counted in the coming days.

Pima County has between 26,000 and 34,000 early ballots left to count. It uses an estimated range rather than an estimated number for early ballots to allow for any discrepancies in the ballot total once verification and counting is completed and submitted for the Official Canvass.

There also are about 18,300 provisional ballots to verify. There are several circumstances as to why a voter may have been required to complete a provisional ballot. Using history as a guide, about 80 to 85 percent of provisional ballots are determined to be legally cast by the Recorder and are submitted to Elections for tabulation.

The Pima County Elections Department on Day Two of Election Week counted about 5,354 early ballots and the remaining precincts carried over from Nov. 3.

Pima County Elections will resume counting the remaining ballots Thursday morning and will count every day thereafter until counting is completed. The pace of counting will depend on the pace of ballot verification. Provisional ballots take longer to verify, so there may be some days no counting takes place before the full count is complete.

Results will be updated each afternoon of the days in which counting took place. The County Communications Office will post alerts on its social media accounts each time results are updated.

Results have been updated on the Elections Department webpage.

We’re not complaining though, at least we haven’t had any reports of stolen ballots like in Maricopa County! The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the Glendale Police Department (Glendale PD) worked together to deliver more than a dozen stolen ballots back to Glendale residents this weekend.

On Friday afternoon, a worker located a stack of unopened mail-in ballots hidden under a rock located off 99th and Glendale Avenues. The individual contacted the Glendale Police Department and responding officers located 18 ballots on the side of the road. According to investigators, the ballots were stolen from individual mailboxes in a neighborhood just south of 107th and Northern Avenues (in between Vista Avenue and Kaler Drive). The envelopes were still sealed.

On Saturday, AGO agents and Glendale PD hand-delivered the ballots back to the registered voters. It is possible there are additional victims. The motive for stealing the ballots is presently unknown. At this time, the investigation is still ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information regarding this specific incident in Glendale is encouraged to submit tips to the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit online or by emailing
[email protected].

Arizona voters are encouraged to check the status of their ballots at the Secretary of State’s website.

In October, the AGO sent a letter to law enforcement agencies across the state to offer assistance from the Election Integrity Unit (EIU) with any issues on Election Day. The EIU has created a statewide hotline for law enforcement agencies to call if they receive any criminal reports related to election or voting matters.

The AGO would like to remind the public that if an election-related crime is in progress or a situation is escalating, they should immediately contact their local police department.

Results for Statewide races can be viewed at the Arizona Secretary of State webpage.