Events

The Spirit of Enterprise Award is Arizona's premier celebration of entrepreneurship. For more than two decades, the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University has recognized businesses that positively impact our economy while exhibiting ethics, energy, and excellence in entrepreneurship.

Each fall as part of the Economic Club of Phoenix season, the W. P. Carey School honors the entrepreneurial spirit and its impact on Arizona by showcasing a locally owned and located business that is redefining what’s possible.

The 2020 Spirit of Enterprise recipient is Jerry Coleman, co-founder and former co-CEO of Offerpad. Founded in 2015, Offerpad is a premium online platform that revolutionizes how people sell their homes by eliminating the hassle and uncertainty of the traditional home selling process.

Coleman is an alumnus of the W. P Carey School of Business at ASU and serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience developing and growing companies on a national scale. In addition to Offerpad, these include Invitation Homes, (one of the pioneers in the institutional single family rental industry), Alliance Investment Group (which has acquired and developed over 10,000 acres of land in Southwest), and the 2014 co-founding of Elevations Solar. Through each of these ventures, Coleman strives to provide more opportunities and jobs for the local economy.

Suggest a deserving Arizona company that exhibits our hallmark traits of ethics, energy, and excellence in entrepreneurship for a Spirit of Enterprise award. The company founder does not need to be an ASU alumnus, or have any affiliation with the university to be considered.

We consider nominations based on the following criteria:

• A for-profit enterprise
• Incorporated, headquartered, or has a majority of its business operations in Arizona
• A minimum of three years in business
• Three or more full-time employees
• Founder of company is still with company, not recently acquired by another company or sold
• To be considered, companies must be able to demonstrate:
• Profitability over the last three years combined (not three consecutive years)
• Outstanding achievement in business
• Social impact on Arizona community as a core part of business operations
• Innovation in products, services, or operations

Submit nominations here

The W. P. Carey School is proud to recognize previous winners of the Spirit of Enterprise Award who have harnessed the entrepreneurial spirit to make a positive impact on the economy and their communities.

Sun Devil 100

Sun Devil 100 celebrates the achievements of Arizona State University alumni who own or lead successful, innovative businesses across the globe. Spanning industries and locations, ASU entrepreneurs possess a history of enterprise, vision and leadership. This special awards program was instituted to invite these innovative leaders back to campus for a celebration in their honor. The Sun Devil Class of 2018 represents an elite group of talented business leaders who exemplify the spirit of ASU as a New American University.

The Sun Devil 100 awards program was instituted to invite innovative leaders back to campus for a celebration in their honor. Each year, Sun Devil 100 recipients represent the broader achievements of W. P. Carey alumni around the world — they are an elite group of talented business leaders who exemplify the spirit of ASU as a New American University.