Letter from the President

Dear Prospective Member,

Arizona Trade Exchange was founded in 1999, by Rob Miller, a Tempe sports bar owner who had been trading his cheeseburgers and chicken wings through a trade exchange with a few members in the East Valley. Rob realized that trading his food and beverages for trade credits allowed him to conserve his cash, offset business expenses and fill his empty tables. He was so taken by the concept that he decided to sell his restaurant and open his own trade exchange. Since then, Arizona Trade Exchange (ATE) has grown to include over 500 members in hundreds of business categories.

I was among the first members to join ATE. From day one I provided accounting services for ATE through my CPA firm. In the Summer of 2013, I had the opportunity to become the President of ATE when Rob decided it was time to move on to a new chapter in his life. I jumped at the opportunity because I knew two things; 1) ATE’s very success is in direct correlation to its ethical business practices, and 2) it has never been smarter for a business to barter its products and services.

At this very moment, there are businesses in ATE that are waiting to do business with you. All you have to do is agree to take their trade dollars in exchange for your services and our member will run right past your competition to do business with you. You may not need the services of the dentist that comes to you, but you will certainly find services that you need within our directory that includes services from auto mechanics to restaurants and accountants to veterinarians. More importantly, when you do a great job for one of our members, they become your word-of-mouth advertiser for you in the “cash world.”

The team at ATE has spent decades building the best trade exchange in the Southwest by focusing on two things – customer service and building value for your trade dollar. Our brokers are among the most knowledgeable in the industry and they make it their business to know your business. Our commission structure is built entirely on when you spend your trade dollar, so we are highly motivated to learn just what it is that you need.

ATE members earn and spend their trade dollar 50% faster than the industry average. There are reasons for that. First, we built our trading community in a small geographic area, keeping our members close together so they could find more opportunities to spend their trade dollars. Second, we do not recruit businesses into our trade exchange unless there is a need for the service they provide. Finally, we give our members more ways to spend their trade dollars than any other trade exchange in the Southwest. Our members rave about our Annual Holiday Trade Fair where they have access to a vast array of retail merchandise perfect for Holiday gift giving. Annually, ATE brings in new merchandise for its members to purchase with their trade dollars.

I want to thank you for taking the time to explore our website and learn more about barter and the ATE. We know that you will have a choice when you do decide that bartering your services through an exchange is a good business decision. That’s why no one works harder than we do in our commitment to our members and to our ethics. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Duane Mauldin
President