PIP Coffee + Clay, a popular ceramics/pottery studio and coffee shop, has officially opened its new Chandler location at 44 W. Erie St. The multi-use space houses a cafe and ceramics studio and offers a variety of wheel throwing classes and hand building workshops. It also includes The Pearl, a small resale boutique featuring designer, vintage and upcycled clothing. PIP Chandler is the third location for PIP Coffee + Clay, joining other stores in Phoenix and Tempe.

The project was years in the making and a labor of love for owners Mara Friedman and KC Bonnem. After a long search that started in 2022, they found their dream Chandler location in a quirky property just north of downtown. First developed in the late 1930s with a small adobe house, it was built over multiple phases, eventually becoming an approximately 3,300-square-foot, mixed-use property with a midcentury modern house and attached retail component. The house and grounds were in a sorry state when Mara and KC first visited, but they saw potential and wanted to breathe new life into it. They purchased the property in early 2023 and got to work on turning their dream location into reality.

“We wanted to be in the East Valley, but we couldn’t find the right place,” said Friedman. “When the house popped up, it felt like the stars aligned. It was the right size, in a great part of Chandler, right across the street from Chandler High—and it was quirky enough for us.”

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Oaktree Funding Corp has doubled the footprint of its headquarters located at 3133 W. Frye Rd., reflecting continued company growth and long-term investment in Chandler.

"This expansion reflects our sustained growth and confidence in Chandler as the right home for our headquarters,” said Kristopher Martin and Stephen Lippens, Co-CEOs of Oaktree Funding Corp. “The city offers a strong business climate, access to talent and the infrastructure we need to support our team and clients as we grow.”

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Prama AI, a leading provider of enterprise AI, data engineering and cloud solutions, announced the expansion of its office at the Chandler Gateway Office Park, 80 N. McClintock Dr. in West Chandler. The expanded office will serve as a hub for innovation, supporting the company’s growing customer base and accelerating its development of AI-driven products and services.

“We are excited to deepen our roots in Chandler and expand our presence in Arizona, a region that embodies the spirit of innovation and growth,” said Ronak Bhavsar, CEO of Prama AI. “This expansion reflects our commitment to delivering cutting-edge AI solutions to enterprises around the world while building an exceptional local team of talent who will continue to drive next-generation technologies.”

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Chandler has a workforce that employers can depend on according to leading personal finance outlet WalletHub. Their analysts compared the 116 largest cities in the United States across 11 key metrics, including employment rate and average workweek hours. Chandler ranked 19th overall and 1st in Arizona.

Our community has a remarkably low unemployment rate of only 3.1% (vs. 4.1% nationally), which is a testament to both the hard-working nature of our residents and the quality job opportunities in Chandler. Earlier this year, WalletHub also ranked Chandler the 14th best city to find a job in the U.S.

Hardest-Working Cities Ranking

Customizable bracelets. User-friendly, inclusive fitness equipment. Comfortable homes for small pets.

These are among the ideas that budding entrepreneurs in Chandler Endeavor's Prototyping Venture Boost program hope to become reality.

Held at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center in January and February, this three-part series took founders through the essential decisions they will face when moving from an idea to the full-fledged production of their concept come to life. It also addressed common pitfalls that can slow them down and signs when it’s time to call in backup, such as engineering, manufacturing or legal partners.

And when they are ready to enter the prototyping and production phases, the on-site fabrication lab provides a space where they can receive hands-on assistance.

Connecting these entrepreneurs to all available resources is the goal of Prototyping Venture Boost, explains Kristin Slice, director of community entrepreneurship for ASU's J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute.

“Making an idea into something tangible is an industry trend in entrepreneurship,” Slice says. “We really dive into the nuts and bolts and give them the boost they need.”

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