Final Internship Post

This will be the final posting on this blog regarding my internship with the Arizona Rock Producers Association. It is my hope that, if you took the time to read the postings, your were able to learn something about the Aggregate Industry and the important contributions that ARPA members make to the Arizona economy. Also, I hope that you were able to learn something about what it is to work as an Intern for an organization. 

If I could offer some parting advice it would be: when working as an Intern be willing to learn and seek out things that need to be done within the company or organization. You never know where your Internship will take you in the future. 

Proving Grounds Tour

This past week I had the opportunity to accompany a group of ARPA members on a tour of the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma. For 56 years this facility was located in Mesa, however, due to the encroachment of residential housing tracts and the loss of secrecy, General Motors made the decision to sell the Mesa complex and leased 2400 acres from the Federal Government at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. Because they will be sharing the testing facilities and tracks, this agreement will be extremely beneficial to both GM and the Army.

During our tour we were able to see several prototypes of upcoming GM vehicles as the test drivers drove them around the 3.5 mile circle track at high rates of speed. The vehicles had unusual apparatuses applied to their bodies in order to disguise the body shapes. At the speeds the cars were travelling I'm not sure they needed to disguise them. Another highlight of the tour was the 1.5 mile long drag strip. The strip has several movable feature that allow the user to test varying road conditions. At the time of our visit the Army was testing a new vehicle to transport tanks. It was pretty impressive to see a truck driving 65 miles an hour over a bumpy road with a 68 ton Abrams Tank chained to the trailer. Because the Army often has to move equipment at high rates of speed, they use this system to test tank transports prior to sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Motors has 75 testing engineers at this facility. Most of the engineers relocated from Mesa testing complex when the decision was nade to move the operations. The grand finale to our tour included a stunt show that was put on by GM test drivers, driving 2012 Corvettes in excess of 110 miles per hour.

Reclaiming Aggregate Mines

One of the concerns I have heard when attending meetings that involve citizen groups and members of the aggregate mining industry is: What happens to the land after mining operations have been completed? This is a valid concern as nobody wants live near an eye sore. ARPA and its members have devised several plans that will reclaim the land after operations have ceased. A prime example of what a area that has been mined can become is The Pines Golf Club at Marana. This golf course is located in the Town of Marana which is just north of Tucson.

Ten years ago, the company that operated the aggregate mine decided to stop mining the land. The mine operator, working in conjunction with The Town of Marana, formulated a plan that would transform what was once an aggregate production facility into a beautiful golf course. I am not a golfer, but I have been to this course and I can honestly say it is almost impossible to believe that this course was once an active aggregate mine.

Originally, the mine was situated adjacent to an existing golf course. The reclamation plan called for ten of the holes to be moved onto the mining site and for the reconfiguring of eight of the existing holes. What ultimately was created is one of Tucson's most popular golf courses. Today, the unique desert landscape features several elevation changes that were created during the mining of the land, along with the addition of thousands of trees. It is also one of the sources of great pride within the mining industry.

A Policy that Worked!

One of the ongoing committee meetings that I have attended during my internship is held weekly at the Arizona Department of Air Quality (ADEQ) and involves a dust control policy, Rule 310-316. This policy establishes standards for dust output and mitigation of dust on construction sites and within aggregate mining facilities. Members of the committee include governmental officials, industry members and representatives from several citizen groups. The committee was original formed to formulate the policy and despite the fact that the Rule has been implemented, the committee has continued to meet to monitor results. Rule 310-316 took years to write and implement and is among the most stringent in the country.

The following are just a few of the measures that ARPA members are required to employ to reduce dust emissions at their aggregate mining facilities:

• Operations and Maintenance plans are required for all air control equipment and monitoring devices.
• Facilities must conduct moisture testing two times a day to ensure 4% moisture content on all processed materials.
• Emission controls also extend to truck loading areas.
• Dust emissions can not extend beyond property lines and operators must shut down during high wind events.
• Operators must control traffic patterns at the facility on paved surfaces and internal and external roads must be cleaned regularly.
• Aggregate mining facilities must employ a Dust Control Technician on site, and the Technician must attend training and be certified through ADEQ.

Since Rule 310-316 has been implemented, dust emissions have been dramatically reduced. Proving that, in this case at least, changes to Public Policy do work.

State Capitol Displays

Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) recently had the opportunity to work with Arizona Senator John Nelson (D-12) on a two part rock specimen display at the Arizona State Capitol. The initial part of the exhibit is on display near the entrance to Senate gallery inside the Arizona State Senate building. This display includes oceanic specimens provided by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Members of the ARPA working in conjunction with the Arizona Geological Survey were able to identify the specimens and install them into the display.

In addition to the oceanic specimens, the exhibit also includes a photograph of the ship and the deep water submersible, Alvin, that descended to a depth of over three miles to recover the rocks used in the display. This extreme environment make the oceanic samples as rare as moon rocks. I found it interesting that the oceanic samples are very similar to specimens that can be found here in Arizona.

The second exhibit consists of a large oceanic sample that sits atop a pedestal in the central courtyard of the Capitol Complex. This unique specimen also has mineral characteristics that are common in samples recovered from areas of the Arizona desert, demonstrating that at some point in our distant past oceanfront property in Arizona may have been a reality! 

Community Information

One of the functions of ARPA is to represent the aggregate mining industry at community meetings. Often these meetings are held because a group of citizens living within close proximity to an active mining site have concerns about how the operations are being conducted, the amount of truck traffic generated by the operation and/or the amount of dust created by the facility. Another common complaint that is expressed is, why does this mining have to take place here? Why can't they mine somewhere else? These are all valid questions and in order to answer them ARPA has developed a fact sheet that they distribute to the attendees of the meetings. I found the information interesting and would like to share it.

In an earlier post I discussed how much aggregate a person will use throughout their lifetime. We often do not see aggregates as a vital resource, however, aggregates are essential to our quality of life. They are used to build the roads and bridges we travel on, our homes and schools and are used in every facet of the construction industry. Historically, Arizona communities have relied on locally mined aggregates as the most effective and efficient way to supply materials. Typically producers transport aggregates by truck but, because it is a high bulk, heavy weight commodity, it is very costly to transport long distances and the distance adds to the environmental impacts. Mining locally available materials allows producers to use less fuel to deliver the material, which in turn reduces costs to the consumer. In addition, utilizing less fuel also reduces emissions and the adverse impact they have on the environment. 

According to the California Department of Transportation if truck trip length is reduced by an average of 15 miles it would have the following benefits:

• Fuel consumption reduced by 44 million gallons a year.
• Removal of over 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases
• 42% savings in material costs
• Fewer delays in the supply of materials would save $9 million a year

 

Abandoned Mine Shaft Closures

Arizona mining officials have documented nearly 100,000 abandoned mine shafts throughout the State. Of this total, 9,000 have been identified as dangerous because of their proximity to communities and recreation areas. Over the past couple of years several people have been killed falling into the open mine shafts or by inadvertently riding all-terrain vehicles into the openings. ARPA and its member companies recognize the fact that these abandoned shafts are a detriment to the entire mining industry and working in conjunction with the State Mining Inspector's office, have started an effort to fill in the shafts. Because the State does not have any available funds to put toward this effort, ARPA arranges for a member company to donate the materials and the Mining Inspector's office acquires the necessary permits. ARPA sees this as an opportunity to give back to the communities that support ARPA member companies.

Politics and Policy

Before I began this internship I thought politicians and policymakers worked hand in hand to develop and institute the guidelines that governments use to govern their constituents. However, this week I learned that is not always the case. The ARPA Technical Committee has spent countless hours working on an update to the Maricopa Association of Governments' (MAG) detail for the construction of concrete curbing that is used on virtually every roadway construction project here in the Valley. The ARPA committee members volunteer to participate on the committee and have met numerous times with and without other members of the MAG committee. The amendment to the construction detail are relatively insignificant, however in order for them to become a part of MAG policy a consensus of all of the  MAG members is required. The MAG committee is comprised of representatives from the Engineering Departments from every municipality in the county, along with representatives from construction companies and material suppliers. Only the governmental representatives can vote on any policy changes.

The ARPA committee members felt, based on side conversations that they had with governmental committee members, that they had a consensus on the amendment that they worked tirelessly on formulating. However, when the amendment was proposed to the entire committee, the ARPA members were blindsided by opposition from representatives of two competing municipal governments. Basically, the dissenters were upset with the representatives from another city and refused to support the changes. The conversation over the disagreement was lively and bordered on heated. After verbally sparring for over two hours the committee adjourned without a vote being taken. As it stands nobody is sure of the amendment's status.

A political disagreement over unrelated issues is holding up the adoption of a simple policy item. I sometimes wonder how these people ever get anything accomplished...

Internships

One the unanticipated difficulties with this assignment has been coming up with interesting things to write about with regards to my internship. Being an intern is not a glorious position. Most of my day is spent performing meanial tasks that nobody else in the office wants to do. In addition, when I accepted this position I was asked to sign a confedentiality agreement that precludes me from discussing a lot of the information that I am exposed to on a daily basis.  I spend a lot of time going to meetings, some are interesting, while others are not. However, I have enjoyed my time at ARPA and I have gained exposure to members of the industry that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to meet.

 Moving forward I am not sure how my internship will benefit me in finding immediate employment. The Construction Industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn and the primary advocacy groups that serve the industry are not adding any staff. Hopefully by the time graduation comes around things will improve, otherwise I might be enrolling in the Masters Program.

 

Finals

The semester is almost over and now comes my least favorite part of being back in the University setting - Finals! It is so difficult for me to get motivated to prepare for my finals. I am not sure why. I think it is because I get myself all worked up about trying to figure out what will be on the exam that I mentally just shut down. I get so frustrated knowing that all the work that I have put into my classes throughout the semester all comes down to the results of one exam. I have contemplated taking a new approach this semester - not studying for the exams. Somehow I do not think that will be a sucessful technique, but it sounds good.

Good luck to everyone! 

ARPA Concrete Technical Committee Meeting

I recently attended a meeting of the ARPA Concrete Technical Committee. This committee is comprised of material engineers from member companies along with civil engineers from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). In addition to mining aggregates, many of the ARPA member companies also are suppliers of  concrete that is used on all types of construction projects. The technical committee was formed to design concrete mixtures that will be utilized on ADOT roadway and bridge construction throughout the state. The reason for this meeting was to satisfy a  request from ADOT to develop a  single mixture design that will be used on all refurbished and new bridge decks in the state. The difficulty with this task is Arizona has a diverse climate. Traditionally, concrete mixture designs for environments that experience a weather cycle that include a pattern of freeze/thaw - Flagstaff - have been vastly different than areas that do not have this type of weather pattern. Freezing and thawing is destructive to concrete. This is compounded by the use of corrosive road salt that is placed on street surfaces to eliminate icy street conditions. 

One way to mitigate the damage caused by freezing and thawing is through the use of additives in the concrete mixture. One such additive is Fly Ash, a bi-product of burning coal to generate electricity. Now that you have had a lesson in concrete technology, you are wondering: what does this have to do with public policy? There is an ongoing policy discussion regarding the use of Fly Ash. The EPA has suggested that Fly Ash is a hazardous material and should be treated as such. If Fly Ash is deemed to be a hazardous material it will have a profound effect on how it can be disposed. Currently, the bulk of the Fly Ash being generated is dumped into landfills around the country. However, as a hazard waste this would not be possible. Disposal would require the material to be disposed of in a facility specifically designed to handle hazardous waste. This would be extremely expensive and has caused an outcry by the Coal and Energy Industries and has led to some intense lobbying of Congress by both sides. 

The main topic of the ARPA meeting was trying to determine if Fly Ash is indeed deemed to be a hazardous material and it is incorporated in the mixture, would this satisfy the EPA requirements of proper disposal. The industry material engineer's argument is that the Fly Ash would in essence be encapsulated in the concrete and would not be of any danger. However, ADOT is concerned that if the EPA disagrees, then all concrete that contains Fly Ash would have to be removed and disposed of in a hazardous waste facility. After two and half hours of discussion the only decision reached was that the committee will meet again next month to continue the debate. Policy decisions can take a long time...         

Interviewing

As I move closer to graduating I have started to interview for employment and I thought I would share some of the things that I have experienced during that process. Over the course of the last week or so I have had three interviews and all three had several things in common.

• Despite my having arrived early, each of my interviews started ten to fifteen minutes late. There is really not much I could do about this, but  with trying to fit interviews in between classes, it was irritating none the less.
• Secondly, each interview lasted over an hour, so my advice to you is make sure you leave yourself plenty of time in between appointments.
• In all three the interviewer asked me why I wanted to work at their company. Aside from my initial reaction - to get paid - I was glad that I did a little research on each company prior to my interview and was able to give each person an answer that included something about their organization.
• Lastly, and I know we have all heard it before - dress appropriately! One interviewer told me that prior to my interview, he had spoken with another ASU student who arrived at the appointment in jeans, flip flops and a hat. The interviewer said he was impressed with the student's qualifications, but could not consider him for the position because, based on his attire, he did not think the student took the position seriously.

I hope this helps any of you who read it. We have spent countless hours in the classroom and doing homework, spend a little more time and prepare for the interview, it will payoff.

 

 
 

MAG Specifications Meeting

This week I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Construction Specifications Committee that was held at the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) building. MAG is a coalition comprised of representatives from the municipal governments within Maricopa County. The function of the Construction Specifications Committee is to write new standards and to review and modify the existing construction standards that are related to street construction within the member cities. In addition to governmental representatives, the committee also includes several members of the construction industry.

Throughout the course of the last several decades this committee has written a set of construction standards that have been adopted by member communities in order to provide engineers and contractors with a consistent set of road building specifications from one city to the next. This uniform set of guidelines provides one set of specifications to be applicable for work performed anywhere in the county. This eliminates the possibility of confusion that would arise if each municipality had their own set of specifications. It also makes transition from one city to the next seamless. In general, this why a person driving north on Rural Road in Tempe does not realize when he has crossed into Scottsdale and is now traveling on Scottsdale Road. One set of building specifications used by all area cities produces roadways that all look alike.   

Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum

The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum is an interesting place that provides visitors an opportunity to see some of the history of the Mining Industry in the State of Arizona. The Museum has an incredible amount of minerals and unusual stones on display, all of which have been found here in Arizona. There are also several models on of various types of mining operations. The director of ARPA, Steve Trussell asked me to begin gathering items to be used in a new aggregate mining operation model that will be on exhibit at the museum. He suggested that before I started work on the model I should first visit the Museum to view the other mining exhibits. The attention to detail in the copper mining exhibit is very impressive. The Mining Museum is an great place to visit, although a prior interest in mining history and minerals is probably a prerequisite.

Fomulating Policy

I recently had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Maricopa County West Valley Mining District. The purpose of this group is to represent the interests of the aggregate producers who are mining aggregates from the Agua Fria and New River basins. The West Valley Mining District is part of a non-profit organization that is comprised of representatives from Maricopa County, the municipal governments of Avondale, El Mirage, Glendale, Peoria, Phoenix, Surprise and Youngtown. There is also a citizen's committee that represents the residents who live in the the housing developments adjacent to the production facilities.

Prior to attending this meeting and in order to be prepared for the event, I spent two days reading minutes from previous meetings and reviewing information written by the National, Stone, Sand & Gravel Association. This was not very interesting, but it did provide me with some background information of the issues that were discussed at the meeting. The mining operations are in the vicinity of a large West Valley retirement community whose residents are protesting the ongoing mining that is being done in the area. The Mining District has held monthly meetings for the last several years and during this time the District has formulated several policy changes in an attempt to appease the area residents. Changes include modifications to the hours of operations, dust control and the companies that have been mining in the area constructed a paved roadway in the river bottom in order to allow their trucks to travel without having to drive on public roads. 

The most significant compromise that the Mining District formulated is an agreement between the mining companies and the local governments to reclaim the land after mining operations have ceased. The plan is to turn the area into a recreational greenbelt zone similar to the area that runs along Hayden Road in Scottsdale and will include biking trails, several small lakes and a golf course. The reason for the ongoing meetings is to work out the particulars on how and when the work will begin and to keep the residents informed of the changes being made to the overall plan for the area. I found the meeting to be interesting, however I was surprised at the audacity of the local residents who continuously interrupted the meeting to request additions to the developing plan.

Career and Internship Fair

On October 19th I attended the Career and Internship Fair that was held at the A.E. England Building. I arrived at just as the event was getting started and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of students in attendance.The event featured forty five employers from a variety of industries from non-profits organizations to hotels. The reason for my attendance was to see if there were any employers from the world of policy making and I was relieved to find a several. The most recognizable being the Sierra Club - Grand Canyon Chapter. I spent several minutes speaking with the representatives at the booth, however, the only positions that they had available at this time are unpaid internships. I also visited with the representative from the Internal Revenue Service. Since I do not have any accounting experience the only IRS position that I am qualified for is a Tax Compliance Officer. In this position, the Compliance Officer would conduct audits and investigations of individuals and business taxpayers. I really can not envision myself working for the IRS!

This event offered students an outstanding opportunity to meet with prospective employers and to discuss the type of employment positions that are available to them for either an internship or as a career once they graduate. This was a relatively small Career Fair, but as the Downtown Campus continues to grow so will the size of this event. 

Environmental Policy

One of the many benefits of membership in the Arizona Rock Producers Association is access to developing information regarding policy changes that could affect a member's business. I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Rapanos Decision. The presentation took place in the ARPA offices and was a part of the ARPA Environmental Committee's monthly meeting. This group is made up of representatives from member companies and is tasked with monitoring environmental legislative and policy changes that might impact the manner in which a company conducts its business.

The Rapanos Decision was a Supreme Court ruling regarding the regulation of wetlands and navigable waterways. The case was brought before the Supreme Court by a Michigan land developer who was fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for destroying a wetland area to facilitate the construction of a shopping mall. The ruling went against the developer and established precedence about what constituted a wetlands and a navigable waterway. The ruling established the framework that is used by the Army Corps of Engineers, the government agency that is tasked with regulating and maintenance of all waterways in the United States, to classify all washes, streams and tributaries.

The classification system is important because it will be used to determine the type and more importantly the cost of  the permit ARPA member companies will be required to obtain in order to mine aggregates from the riverbeds and the surrounding areas. This policy adds another layer of governmental regulation to an already heavily regulated industry. The costs associated with obtaining the permit can be substantial and could impact a company's decision on whether to establish mining operations in an area or not.   

The Army Corps of Engineers presentation focused on how the policy changes would be implemented and the criteria that will be used to classify an area for permitting. The presentation also included a video that provided visual examples of the types of mining methodologies that will be impacted by the policy changes. Despite not being too excited about the changes, the ARPA members in attendance agreed the presentation was professional and very informative.

Occupy Wall Street

In early September a few dozen people began a protest in front of the New Stock Exchange to demonstrate against corporate greed and income inequality. In the beginning the demonstrators were dismissed by the mainstream media as a bunch malcontents and hippies. However, fueled by a growing number of protesters and the support of several labor unions, this grassroots demonstration has gained mainstream appeal and has forced the national news outlets to take them seriously. The group is primarily using Twitter to recruit new members to join their demonstration and to keep supporters around the country updated on the protest activities. If you are interested you can follow their tweets at #occupywallstreet. The group has three main slogans, "Rebuild America", "Tax Wall Street" and "Make Jobs Not Cuts".

Not since the 1960s Civil Rights demonstrations and the 1970s demonstrations against the Vietnam War has our country witnessed this type of growing mass demonstration. There are currently several videos posted on YouTube showing confrontations between protesters and police officers. As the number of protesters has increased, so too has the number of arrests. As a person who can recall the sometimes violent demonstrations against the Vietnam War, it is my hope that the protests remain peaceful and that there is no further escalation of violence.

More about ARPA

As I continue my internship, I have learned some interesting things about the aggregate industry and the organization that employs me. The Arizona Rock Producers Association, also known as ARPA, represents a coalition of companies that produce aggregates used in all phases of the construction industry. In the open market, ARPA members compete with each to sell their products to the companies involved in virtually every construction project in the state. The role of ARPA is to bring the member companies together in a non-competitive environment. ARPA provides its members with a forum to gain education about and to discuss common issues and concerns that affect the companies and the industry in which they work. ARPA also serves as an advocate for the aggregate industry at the municipal, county, state and even national levels. As a coalition ARPA's  member companies have infinitely more strength than they would have as individual companies. Collectively, the companies that form this organization contributed nearly $2.8 billion to the Arizona economy. That's a lot of rocks!

As a person who was raised in a family owned construction company I find this stuff fascinating. However, some you (my wife included!) may wonder - How does all this affect me? I thought I would share with you a some interesting facts about aggregate usage in order to illustrate just what an important role aggregates play in our everyday lives.

• It takes over 400 tons of aggregates to construct a 2000 square foot house. 
• Every mile of freeway that you drive on contains over 400,000 tons of aggregates.
• Sky Harbor International Airport consists of over 2,500,000 tons of aggregates.
• It took over 13,500 tons of aggregates to construct the UCENT Building.
• Throughout their lifetime every American will use 1.55 million pounds of sand and gravel.

These figures were provided to me by the Arizona Rock Producers Association.  

Meeting, meetings and more meetings

One of the things that has amazed me about my internship is the number of meetings that my employer has on their schedule. Everyday consists of a series of meetings. Some are held to formulate new policy initiatives or changes to existing policy, some are committee meetings held to discuss upcoming events and some are social gatherings held to provide an opportunity for the membership to meet in a relaxed environment. ARPA's membership is made up of representatives from competing companies and often times, depending of the issue, the atmosphere in the room can get a pretty tense. I find many of the meetings interesting, especially those regarding new policy initiatives. Its fascinating to watch the machinations of the stakeholders as they attempt to reach an agreement. Like many of my fellow students who are also working as interns, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement with my employer. This precludes me from getting into some of the specifics of the information discussed in the meetings that I attend. However, I will attempt to make these posts as interesting as possible.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a meeting at the offices of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, or as they refer to it in the office, ADEQ. The meeting was attended by private landowners and representatives from companies whose property is adjacent to a riverbed or a wash, along with officials from ADEQ. This was one of an ongoing series of meetings that are being held to discuss the State's new permitting policy for storm water run-off. Though Arizona does not receive a lot of rainfall over the course of a year, when it does rain it tends to be heavy and generates a significant amount of run-off. The permit and associated fees are issued based on land use. It allows ADEQ to monitor storm water that flows into the river bottom and to ensure that the run-off is as contaminant free as possible. ARPA's membership is comprised of companies that mine aggregates from the riverbeds and the fees for obtaining the run-off permit could potentially cost a member company thousands of dollars a year, making this an important issue with the corporations that ARPA represents. This was the first time that I had attended a meeting of this group and I felt like I sat down in the middle of an ongoing conversation. After two plus hours the meeting adjourned and I left not really sure that anything had gotten accomplished.

I spent most of the first week in the office, trying to get acclimated to my new surroundings. My fellow co-workers welcomed me with a very nice potted plant and they have gone out of their way to make me feel at home. The office is located at 9th Avenue and West Adams Street in downtown Phoenix, within walking distance to the State of Arizona Capitol Complex. Throughout the week I had several meetings with Steve Trussell, Executive Director of ARPA, to discuss my duties and the activities that he would like me to be apart of while working for the association.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. Before I get started I would like to tell you a little about myself and how I got to this point. I moved to the Phoenix area in 1982 and began my career working in roadway construction, primarily as a concrete finisher. I left the construction industry in 1994 to start my own commercial printing company, which I sold eight years later to return to heavy construction. It was at this point in my life that I began to think about returning to college to finish my degree studies. Finally in 2008 I enrolled at Arizona State University in order to finish what I had started a long time ago - obtaining my college degree. I have been married to my wife, Angel, for twenty eight years. Together we have two sons, Ryan, who is twenty five years old and a graduate student at the University of Memphis and Tyler, who is twenty three years old and a recent graduate of Wright State University with a degree in finance.

I recently had the privilege of working through the summer break as an intern for the Arizona Rock Producers Association. This alliance is best known by the acronym ARPA. ARPA's member companies are producers of aggregates, ready-mix concrete, asphalt and cement. These materials are used in every construction project throughout the State of Arizona. Collectively the companies that make up ARPA are a significant contributor to the Arizona economy and as an advocacy organization, ARPA prides itself on its ability to effectively represent its membership on any policy issue that is relevant to the industry. While working for this organization I was able to see first hand the process, from conception through implementation, of public policy being formulated. This peaked my interest and my desire to pursue a career in policy making.

Throughout the semester I will blog about some of the interesting and not so interesting things that I was a part of during my internship. Hopefully you, as a reader of this blog, will gain some benefit from my experiences.