Two Tempe companies are among five Arizona businesses that received entrepreneurship awards from a W.P. Carey School of Business program Wednesday.
AIR Marketing and Data Doctors Computer Services received the 10th Annual Spirit of Enterprise Awards from the business school's Spirit of Enterprise Center for their commitment to "energy, ethics and excellence in entrepreneurship."
The center helps connect businesses with resources that help them start and grow.
Elaine Ralls started AIR Marketing with her son, David, in 1997.
She said she and her son wanted to go into business together in an industry where they could help clients grow.
The company has become successful partly because of a $300,000 investment in technology that allows businesses to gauge the results of marketing, she said.
"Every CEO wants to know which part of their sales, marketing and advertising dollars are working," said Ralls, who received a master's degree in business administration from ASU.
In the next five years, AIR Marketing plans to expand its customer base beyond the hospitality and health care industries to other areas, such as retail and manufacturing, Ralls said.
AIR Marketing realized its focus on the hospitality industry was a concern after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when tourist travel and hotel room stays plunged.
Clients were torn on how to alter their advertising budgets in the new environment, Ralls said.
Ultimately, AIR Marketing didn't lose any clients, but the year after Sept. 11 marked the first time the company didn't enjoy 25 percent annual growth, she added.
Data Doctors, the other Tempe business to receive the award, has distinguished itself from other computer service companies by focusing on customer service, not technology, said Ken Colburn, the company's CEO.
Colburn founded Data Doctors out of his bedroom in 1988. The company moved into its present University Drive office complex in 1991.
In its early years, the company was hurt by a lack of focus, moving into a variety of businesses, such as Web development and telephone servicing.
But bringing in new business partners Brandon Disney and David Sperber in the late 1990s helped Colburn focus on what the business was really about, Colburn said.
"We know who customers are, we know what services we want to provide," he said.
Data Doctors became a national franchise in 2002, and now has 70 locations in 15 states, with commitments for 110 more franchises, Colburn said.
"Within five years, it is our vision to be the most respected and most well-known computer service firm in this country," Colburn said.
The other award winners are Complete Print Shop, Inc. and DLC Resources, Inc. of Phoenix and Grand Canyon Railway, of Flagstaff.
Reach the reporter at: grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
