Several years ago, with Phoenix coming into its own as a major urban force among U.S. cities, husband and wife Oye and Crys Waddell recognized that a particular segment of the community was underserved, underutilized and struggling.
“We knew there were a lot of disadvantaged men and women in our community who have the experience and the know-how—the hope and the ‘hustle’—to really bring something worthwhile to our city,” says Oye. “What they lacked, though, was the proper training and access to the relationships and capital, they need to really get their ideas off the ground.”
So, in 2013, the Waddells opened the doors of HustlePHX, a faith-inspired nonprofit focused on counseling and promoting Phoenix entrepreneurs who may be outside the mainstream lines of support that many others rely on in launching their businesses.
“Without the proper guidance and stewardship, a lot of really [talented] people—and what they have to offer—are getting overlooked,” Oye says. “So we said to ourselves, ‘Hey, look, there are tremendous assets in this community and we want to help uncover those assets, help fuel people’s passions and dreams and help them start businesses and grow.”
Oye was born to head up an organization like HustlePHX. Raised in inner-city Los Angeles, he attended the University of Washington on a full athletic scholarship to play football. He went on to earn two master’s degrees, one in public administration from the University of Southern California, and the other in education, from Arizona State University. Crys, for her part, serves as the COO and chief strategist for HustlePHX. In Los Angeles, she ran an events company where she honed her natural talent for finding creative solutions for some very tough problems.