The latest episode of the AZ Big Podcast with Michael & Amy has officially dropped. Episode 144 features Chris Long, the marketing and client development manager for Burch & Cracchiolo.
Listen to more of the AZ Big Podcast here.
Transcript:
Michael Gossie
Welcome to The AZ Big Podcast sponsored by Burch & Cracchiolo. I'm Michael Gossie, editor in chief at AZ Big Media, and I'm joined by my co host, our publisher, Amy Lindsey. Amy, it's one of our favorite people.Amy Lindsey
I always love it when Chris is in the house.Michael Gossie
I know today we're joined in the studio by Chris Long, Marketing and Client Development Manager for Burch & Cracchiolo. Chris, it's great to see you.Chris Long
I'm so pleased to get to be here and to get to talk to you. It's just like our regular conversations.Amy Lindsey
As I say, I love it. You're one of our favorite partners out there, Chris, for a little bit, tell us a little about your background, and how you ended up at Burch & Cracchiolo.Chris Long
Well, like so many people, it was not a straight line, that's for sure. I grew up in a retail family, so I learned the business side of ordering and marketing in some ways, and making bank deposits and all that kind of thing. And you know, at 12 years old. So working in marketing and customer service, and all that kind of thing, is in my blood. When I came to Phoenix, I did a lot of volunteer work and did a lot of events. And as my children got a little bit older, that kind of evolved into a career, if you will, that started out really toward the event side of marketing. And then I ended up at a consulting firm, where we represented not only law firms, but many other kinds of service industries: CPAs, wealth management firms, that kind of thing. So I then found myself with this opportunity to come to Burch & Cracchiolo, 13 years ago. And it really is like the stars aligned for me, it was the job that I was looking for all along. And I just I love...Amy Lindsey
I wish people could see the smile on your face, when you said that. You can tell you have a passion for that company, I love to see that.Chris Long
I really do. I love the people, I love the work that we do. I love the mission and the vision that was started by Haze Burch and Dan Cracchiolo in 1970. And so I just feel so fortunate to be there, I get to do what I love. And I love going to work every day.Michael Gossie
That's great. And what I love about Burch & Cracchiolo is when you go to work there you never leave. I mean, it's impressive in this time in history to have the longevity that your employees have, it's really impressive. It's a testament to the great culture that you've created there.Chris Long
I think that's that's so. And again, Dan and Haze created that from the very beginning. You know, a lot of times, the “family culture” is kind of overused, but we really do have that kind of environment. And it's not forced, it's very genuine, very authentic, and people are happy to know that they are valued, and that they're well taken care of. And you know, when things come up in life, family crises and things that you need to take care of, they're there for you, you know, every case, every situation is assessed on an individual level, and they make sure that you have what you need.Amy Lindsey
That's fantastic. So Chris, we know Burch & Cracchiolo is an amazing law firm with a lot of great people working over there. But we're gonna shift the focus a little bit today and talk about— so they're 54 years old, but they've always been a big proponent of supporting the community through partnerships, sponsorships, and donations. How did that start at this firm?Chris Long
Well, you know, both Haze and Dan really came from humble beginnings. And they were always very appreciative of the support that they've got in the community, and the loyalty from their clients. And they wanted to give back in a very meaningful way, right from the very beginning. And we've carried that through to this day. And it's just a very important part of our mission that we support the community. And, you know, I think employees love to work for organizations that are giving back to the community, you know, it makes them feel good to be a part of that. And also, I think that people want to do business with people who are doing good. I read two books some years ago, I won't completely date myself, but one of them is Doing Well While Doing Good. And the other one was Jim Collins’ Good To Great. And both of them really espouse this concept of giving back and making your contributions a part of your company. Part of your company, your environment, and culture. And when we talk to young law students, and they come we participate in a program where they come for lunch a couple times a year, and we just talk about the firm and, you know, we talk about our philanthropic endeavors, and that we're proud of it. And they all kind of shake their head "yeah", you know, that they like to hear that, that this is a company that knows that we have a vibrant community, a vibrant business community, in part because of the health of our nonprofit. And you know, that goes to our quality of life. There's so much more than just, you know, the food banks are incredibly important. But there's the arts, and there's so many things that contribute to the great life that we have here. And when everybody's doing well, or we can hope to help everybody to do well, we all benefit. And that's the thing that I love so much about what I get to do.Michael Gossie
So what do you see as the biggest benefit of a company giving back to the community?Chris Long
Again, it's that feeling of team building and team bonding. You know, last fall, we went and served dinner at one of the social service agencies. There were 14 of us and everybody afterwards said that “we’ve got to do that again”. That was great. You know, we all felt like we contributed, we made a difference that night, and in some families’ lives, you know, and I just really think that people don't realize so much how beneficial this is, and in your cohesiveness. And in this age, particularly now of some people being in the office, and some people not being in the office, sometimes it's one of the few opportunities you have to be together. So I love doing that kind of thing. And we, you know, we've got, we got a little bit away from it during COVID, of course, but so now we're trying to get back to more of those hands on kinds of things, too. But, you know, we sponsor a lot of things that our clients are involved in. And, you know, not only the golf tournaments, and those kinds of things, but capital campaigns, where they're trying to improve their facilities, and all those kinds of things, they come to us, they trust us, and they ask us to participate. And we do so gladly.Michael Gossie
That's great, Chris, we have a million questions for you. But before we get to them, I have to say, you want to make a difference in your business and life in 2024? Contact an attorney at Burch & Cracchiolo to handle all your legal needs. Burch & Cracchiolo is a time honored full service law firm who can partner with you no matter what your challenges, goals, or new horizons on the radar, contact them today at BCattorneys.com. That's BCattorneys.com. So Chris, Amy and I talk to a lot of business leaders in the community, and they all kind of have these aspirations of giving back and making a difference in the community. But they never know where to start. And that's one of the things that we really love about Burch & Cracchiolo. You are actually going out and doing it. And one of the programs that we really love is your Star Teacher Program. How did that come about? And can you tell us a little bit more about it?Chris Long
You know, we decided in 2019, early 2019, that we wanted to create a program that we would be known for, you know, not only participate in, and we the Marketing Committee bantered a lot of different ideas around and we settled on teachers, because in Arizona we know how much help they need. And I don't know a teacher, not only in Arizona, but anywhere, that doesn't dip into their own pocket to buy additional supplies, maybe little incentives, you know, I mean, field trips have almost all gone away completely. And so we decided that we wanted to help out teachers. Teachers are so instrumental in all of our lives, particularly in an attorney’s life, you know, they go to law school for those extra three years and I mean, it's just such an integral part, and so many of us had teachers in high school or middle school that made such a difference.Amy Lindsey
There's always something that resonates behind any good leader, you find a teacher somewhere behind their success.Chris Long
I completely agree with you.Michael Gossie
And one of my favorite stories about Burch & Cracchiolo is you have a former teacher who went back to law school and became an attorney.Chris Long
We do, we absolutely do. And when she walks into one of these classrooms with me, talk about lighting up, she just, you know, lights up. But it has been the absolute joy of my life to go (and it's not just about the money) but every month when I go, (and many times an attorney will accompany me) I think "this is the most amazing person I've ever met".Amy Lindsey
And then the next month, you know, we do have some amazing people.Chris Long
Oh my goodness, it's just I could not do what they do every day. And we even kept it going during COVID. You know, we did it over zoom, and mailed them their check, which wasn't nearly as satisfying. But we wanted to— COVID almost, you know, took them out. I mean, it was so difficult. And we added on it an additional part of the program, maybe a year and a half ago or so, where the school where the teacher teaches also gets a check, because good teachers have good leadership, you know, and they flourish under good leadership. So we decided that that would be an added benefit that we could provide. And I absolutely look forward to it every single month. I've been all over. I've been to Anthem, and San Tan Valley, and Buckeye, and Waddell, and, you know, South Phoenix, and in Central Phoenix in Maryvale, Peoria, Surprise, I mean, any teacher K-12 is eligible.Amy Lindsey
How do you find them?Chris Long
They nominate on our website. We have a very short submission form on our Star Teacher page. And it's just basically, "why are you nominating this teacher?" you know, it can be a former student, a current student, a colleague, a spouse, a friend, you just can't self-nominate. And we keep the nominations. So they don't have to resubmit every month, and it just makes them so happy to be— that's not why they're there, but to be sought after, and honored. You know, the smile on their face is just— and I invite the nominators to come and be you know, there for the presentation. And we take photos and all. And it's just an absolutely...Amy Lindsey
I think it's a thrill for the students as well.Chris Long
It is. It's very important for them to see their teachers being honored.Michael Gossie
And what kind of feedback have you gotten after the fact from teachers? What kind of impact has this program had after the fact?Chris Long
It's very impactful. I get emails six months down the road, saying, “Oh, here's what we decided to do with the money” because a lot of times, they're not exactly sure, you know, sometimes they know exactly what they're going to do, “we're going to buy chemistry supplies”, or we're going to— one class, they were going to see a production of Macbeth. And it was an English class. And I thought that was just so fantastic. And the class that I visited in January, they were buying some robotics equipment, a science class. So it really does make a difference. And sometimes it's as simple as buying more paper and pencils and markers and some of the basics that teachers are often buying themselves. And so we give it to them, and let them choose how they would like to spend the money.Michael Gossie
That's great.Amy Lindsey
Okay, so Chris, beyond philanthropy, what qualities (and I'm afraid to ask this question, because I know you think so highly of this firm). What are some of the top qualities that separate Burch & Cracchiolo from other law firms?Chris Long
I think ethics. I think the fact that they have built this business on stellar legal advice at very reasonable prices.Amy Lindsey
Okay.Chris Long
And I everyone wants to do well, but they are not out to you know, gouge anybody. I think that that's how Dan always said you know, "I want to take care of the little guy". You know, I only knew him for a few years before he passed, but the stories and the you know, the legend, as it is, you know, he really wanted people to be able to be represented well, and not break them in the process.Michael Gossie
One of the things that I've always really loved about Burch & Cracchiolo Is that you've kind of without doing it in a braggadocious kind of way, you have the most women that have been Most Influential Women in our Most Influential Women program. What is it about the culture there that you've been able to have all these women rise to such levels of excellence and leadership that they've been able to be selected as most influential women?Chris Long
Dan wanted to promote women at Burch & Cracchiolo.Michael Gossie
And you have a woman president now.Chris Long
We do, as of last Wednesday. Susie Ingold was named president of the firm, that is March 13. And we're very excited about that, Susie's been in practice 26 years, she's an employment lawyer, she's on the board of the Humane Society, and very active in the community as is her husband. And we're very excited about it. And that's so typical of Burch & Cracchiolo. We're 54 years old, but we're very progressive thinking, you know, about the future. And that was one of the things about our big move to our new space in the BMO tower. We had been in the same location for 35 years. And, you know, it was time to— we have some attorneys retiring, and we want to attract some new young blood. And we have and we hope to keep doing that in the future. And part of that was a new modern space with state of the art technology and, you know, all the things that you need to keep moving forward.Michael Gossie
And Susie also has the record for having the most listened to podcasts in AZ Big Podcast history.Chris Long
That's right.Amy Lindsey
She has a great story.Chris Long
Yes, she does. She really does.Amy Lindsey
So Chris, if people want to learn more about Burch & Cracchiolo?Chris Long
Well, of course our website, which is bcattorneys.com is the best way. They can email me at CLong@BCattorneys.com. And I will direct them to the attorney that can be the most help to them. If we're a good fit, you know, we can't take every case, but we certainly will consider it and we'll talk it through with them and see what we can do.Amy Lindsey
Fantastic.Michael Gossie
That's great. Well, thank you for listening to the AZ Big Podcast with Michael and Amy for the latest and greatest business, real estate, and lifestyle news. Check out the all new AZbigmedia.com Once again, thank you to our sponsors Burch & Cracchiolo and thank you so much to Chris Long marketing and Client Development Manager for Burch & Cracchiolo. Chris, great seeing you.Chris Long
Thank you for having me.Amy Lindsey
Nice to see you Chris.