Meet Zach & Shawnna Brunner | Entrepreneurs – Owning multiple Avondale based businesses

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach & Shawnna Brunner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach & Shawnna, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
For our company as well as our family; our sole Mission is to provide the most opportunity possible for the small businesses, mobile chefs & street food specialists that make up our Maricopa County mobile food & vendor communities. Helping add to their brand recognition & spreading the reach of their businesses even further around the Valley. ​
In doing this we are also able to provide our local community the very best food trucks, vendors & overall event experiences. Bring your family, friends & pets to enjoy music, kids activities, backyard games, giveaways, raffles, & more, All while shopping & enjoying your meal with your loved ones!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Determined Events is a business dedicated to delivering you the best events, food, music & entertainment options – we do it all! We are an Avondale, AZ based, family owned & operated small business with a love for our community as well as local street food & retail small businesses. Beginning in 2017 we realized this passion deserved to benefit all the hungry people of the greater Phoenix Metro Area…& so it began!!

Currently we are most proud & excited about our newly fortified relationship with the City of Avondale & the events we have planned for our local communities this Fall & early 2023!!

Where we are today & how we have landed here is quite the interesting question. We as a company had a really rough time coming out of the shut down & with the grit & DETERMINATION we started our business with, we have managed to get back to a place where we can help make an impact & a contribution to our City & the small businesses we work with. The main lesson we have learned is about ourselves & what we value most, this has been one of the biggest catalysts in the rebound from the shut down & in being able to bring newer & better opportunities we never imagined possible to our community!

Our main concern is that people focus most on the idea of coming together & know that if they ever attend a Determined Event, that they can enjoy the moments they create with their loved ones in the safest, most inviting environment possible!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s a hard one! Although we’d always suggest our events, we have several other coordinators doing some amazing things around the Valley!!

We always say shop small & shop local first! Avondale has some of the best culture & the many of the businesses that make up our great community have either been in business for many, many years or grew up here themselves. More specifically; we love to visit Aroma Mocha Coffee in Old Town Avondale – coffees, teas, baked goods & some of the nicest people you will meet. We thoroughly enjoy eating out at Casa De Plata on the Blvd!! Some of the best Mexican Cuisine, amazing sushi & if you like a drink once in a while – you have to try the Diablo! NASCAR is here twice a year, we have hiking trails, so many parks with events constantly available, there is definitely enough right here to keep you busy! May we suggest anyone interested in knowing more look more into Discover Avondale to learn more about all the different things we enjoy, plus so much more about what to get into right here in Avondale!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Determined Events has always stood strong on our motto of #CommunityOverCompetition & feel very strongly about family & community. We started this business with our oldest 2 children, who are now grown up & out into their own ventures & now we operate this together – just the two of us! However along the way we have made some solid, lasting relationships with our community members, made amazing friends & have had some of the best support from our family through our years of being in business.

If it wasn’t for the belief & support of our family, friends, community & the small businesses we work with we wouldn’t be where we are today!

Website: GetDetermined.net

Instagram: @determined_events

Facebook: /DeterminedEvents