Our goal has always been to help businesses shine within the communities they serve.
Phil is the President and Owner of Creating Legacy Enterprises, Inc. He is a customer focused, entrepreneurial business and technology leader with a passion for leading teams towards a vision for the future, growing and developing people as part of the journey to get there. He has a passion for small to medium sized businesses, having owned and operated his own businesses in the food & beverage as well as technology industries in New Zealand and the US. He has successfully started, purchased, grown and exited a number of small businesses so understands how to help business entrepreneurs be successful in acquiring, growing or exiting a business. He is a Business Advisor & Broker and owns Transworld Business Advisors of Tucson, Arizona. He is also licensed as a real estate agent in Arizona.
Phil is a certified business leadership coach and consultant, connecting with and coaching people in a business or personal context who are seeking to discover and reach their full potential. Phil also had a successful career as a customer service and support leader in the technology industry, building high performing cross-cultural teams in a 24 x 7 global cloud services environment at Microsoft Corporation.
Originally from New Zealand, Phil grew up in Guatemala and El Salvador before returning to NZ and then moving to the US. He has a master’s degree with first class honors in Information Systems Management and holds coaching certifications as a John Maxwell Coach and from Results Coaching Systems. He is a recipient of Microsoft’s most prestigious award, the Circle of Excellence award for Cloud Leadership. He speaks fluent Spanish, enjoys cooking, great coffee, volleyball and water skiing. He has lived in Tucson, Arizona since 2015.
Leslie brings a strong background in marketing, business management, and strategic planning to Creating Legacy Enterprises. Her experience working with diverse businesses and clients has given her a unique understanding of the challenges business owners face when trying to grow, adapt, and build something meaningful.
She helps shape and execute strategies that strengthen brand visibility, connect businesses with their audiences, and support sustainable growth. A trusted partner to clients and internal teams alike, Leslie combines creativity with organization and data-informed decision-making to ensure marketing efforts are purposeful and aligned with larger business goals. She works collaboratively with clients to understand where they are, where they want to go, and what steps can help them move forward.
Leslie speaks fluent Spanish and enjoys traveling to new places and exploring restaurants with her friends and family. She is also an enthusiastic baker, a passion she has had since childhood. Known for her attention to detail, organization, and ability to turn ideas into actionable strategies, Leslie brings a practical and thoughtful perspective to every project.
Lucas grew up watching Phil buy, operate, and sell small businesses – often working in those businesses himself. That experience gave him an insider’s understanding of the effort, risk, and resilience required to succeed as a business owner, not just from the outside looking in, but on a personal level and from an employee’s point of view as well. Over the years, Lucas has developed a solid foundation in bookkeeping, accounting, and day-to-day operations through both formal education and real-world experience in customer-facing and operational roles. His academic experience, combined with a hands-on upbringing in a family of entrepreneurs, gives him a well-rounded perspective on what it takes to build and grow a successful small business.
Lucas is passionate about developing leadership skills in himself and others while collaborating with individuals and teams to help them succeed. He enjoys utilizing his problem-solving skills in a positive work environment. Lucas brings that skillset to his role at Creating Legacy Enterprises, where he works alongside Phil and Leslie to help small business owners grow and expand their businesses as well as develop their teams. He takes pride in being a part of the local business community in Tucson.
Lucas speaks fluent Spanish and is a proud graduate of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. Lucas earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Business Management, graduating Cum Laude.
When he’s not working with clients, Lucas enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors, working out, and cheering on the Arizona Wildcats, Seattle Seahawks, and Mariners. Originally from Seattle, he has called Tucson home since high school.
