Meet Tiffany Shedd | Attorney, Small Business Owner, Farmer, Lifelong Arizonan, & Candidate for Attorney General

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Shedd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My whole career has been about risk. As I often say, nothing risked, nothing gained. I’ve started several business and run a multi-million dollar farm. There’s no more high-risk business than farming. When you’re risking your own finances and lifestyle to run a business controlled by factors outside of your control (i.e. Mother Nature), you have to think out of the box and be solution oriented. There is no manual. Over time, you gain confidence in your ability to come up with solutions. So far, I’ve been a pretty successful risk taker. As a public servant and a candidate for Attorney General, I know the challenges facing entrepreneurs and business owners. I want to use the power of the office to lessen unforeseeable government-created risks and create an environment where producers and creators can thrive.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My husband and I have a car wash, U-haul distributorship, golf cart storage business, and multi-million dollar farming operation. We started farming 32 years ago and added the other businesses to stabilize us. When we started we could only afford a small piece of land and a used tractor. During those years, we scrimped, saved, and learned to run a budget. We’ve had employees for 33 years. One year, we lost our crop income and all our savings because of a commodity price drop. But I’m proud to say we’ve never been late or missed a paycheck – including on my campaigns. Signing the front of a check changes your perspective on money.

What I’ve learned in 32 years of farming:

1- Listen to your advisors, but trust your gut and do what you think is right.
2- Try to have as little debt as possible. That’s how we’ve survived the bad years.

Farming teaches you to figure almost anything out and be resilient. Making a living off the land brings you closer to God. It also makes you more family oriented.

Agriculture as a whole is a giant family. You don’t see that in many professions. If something breaks, you have to fix it. If you’re sick, you still have to go to work and keep things alive. You learn to rely on each other.

My personal brand is resilience, stability, courage, and persistence. Those are the qualities that have made me successful in life and a person that others rely upon. I steady the ship.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have seen some really cool things as a candidate getting to travel the whole state. I’m a person who likes the treasures off the beaten path. Elephant’s Feet on the Navajo Nation is a state treasure and worth a family day trip. For dinner, I’ll take Eva’s in Casa Grande any day. It’s an authentic multigenerational Mexican restaurant owned by a local family. And for a Saturday Night away with my husband or friends, I love the Hassyampa Inn by Whiskey row in Prescott. It’s an old fashioned gem. Step inside and you feel like you stepped into The Great Gatsby.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
That’s hard! I’ve been so blessed. But I would have to choose my dad. I lost him when I was 21 years old, but there’s not a single day I don’t lean on something he taught me. My dad was a lifelong airline captain and flew with the Royal Air Force in WWII and then in Vietnam with Flying Tigers. My dad was born 8 days before Arizona became a state. He captured the old west independent spirit. I never saw him waver from doing what was right. From him I learned to take risks, mental toughness, integrity, logical thinking, and courage to stand for what matters. I see him reflected in my children even they never knew him on this earth. He was an exceptional man of courage, integrity, and honesty.

Website: https://sheddforaz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyshedd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-shedd-62712074

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tiffany_Shedd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TiffanySheddAZ

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVcAkLY5FJgowUrE3isW7FA

Image Credits
Image Credit: Shedd for Attorney General