You still find a great sense of possibility here, and I want to make sure that Arizona stays that way. I want us to be the welcoming, job-creating state we've been from the start, a place where everybody's got a chance.
I enjoy being out; I like being around people, but at a certain point in time, I kind of run out of charming, and I'm ready to go home, and I'm very comfortable alone.
Every large brand has franchisees and stores that don't make it. It's unfortunate, and Cold Stone did everything it could to support its franchisees, but some failure rate is part of the business.
States with better-educated citizens also see economic benefits. These states have better luck recruiting and retaining quality employers, and they enjoy lower overall rates of unemployment, poverty, and welfare dependency.
Thriving economies on both sides of the border is a win-win for Arizona and Mexico, but that will only come by working together and demonstrating mutual respect.
As CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, we used a concept called 'search and reapply,' which meant that if we found better ways of doing something, then we would do it.
Arizonans want us to come together, put aside politics, and solve problems. You want us to do our jobs in way that reflects the best of our state. You want us to stop and listen - something that doesn't always come naturally to people in politics.
What many don't know is that Arizona has a something called the State Land Trust - a fund with assets that have been set aside and invested for decades specifically to benefit education.
Arizona has excellent medical schools, both public and private, and it is critical that we create an environment that keeps medical students in Arizona to practice medicine once they complete medical school and their residency programs.
One area where the state can be more effective in addressing the doctor shortage is to focus on making sure that Arizona is a friendly environment for doctors and those wishing to practice medicine.
I have been outspoken on my opposition to 'Obamacare,' and I don't buy the line that our Medicaid program, or any function of government, has reached maximum efficiency.
I don't have a real attraction or interest to national politics, so I want to see Republicans win across the board in the state of Arizona, because those policies of lower taxes and lighter regulation and strong foreign policy are important to me.
We should empower teachers to do their job by cutting wasteful spending and crippling bureaucracy, not classroom resources our educators and students need.
As a former board member for Teach For America, I understand that every child has the ability to learn and that, no matter their circumstances at home, we have a duty and a responsibility to educate them and to do it well.
Education standards need to be set at the state level. High standards are an important way to ensure that the education system we are funding is actually working and producing, at a minimum, what we would expect it to.
It's very easy for people to say what's wrong with education in Arizona, but if I'm elected as governor, I want to focus on what we're doing well and maximizing the impact of what we know is working.
I want to be an independent and responsible voice for Arizonans, and it would be unwise to endorse a specific approach before the costs and benefits of these options can be evaluated.
Texas has more effectively capitalized on its opportunities as a border state, and I've always said that I want to look to states that are doing better than we are and replicate those success stories in Arizona.
Texas has an established trade office in Mexico City, as do other Texan cities. They have a more mature trade relationship with Mexico, and I want to make Arizona a leader in this area also.
Maintaining a positive working relationship with Mexico's leadership will also be crucial to increasing communication and trade. I plan to personally maintain those relationships.