Phil Riske was a pioneer. Back in 2008 when real estate was crashing, people were losing their houses to foreclosures, our clients were losing their jobs, their savings, their families etc, Phil Riske was 65 and retiring from a storied journalism career that culminated in him being employed as an award winning writer at the Capitol Times. He was self-described as a crusty journalist who was serious about his writing and true to his independence of thought.
I feel so lucky that our lives intersected just at the exact right time. As a lawyer to a lot of real estate guys in 2008 I was feeling more like a psychological counselor than a legal one as i met with our normally high flying and happy clients to find them transformed into highly distressed versions of their former selves. I hate not being able to solve someone’s problems so I kept thinking about what I do when I need to get out of a funk… I just read all sorts of different things hoping that at some point the information overload will lead to an idea that turns into something productive.
So the stars collided where Phil Riske was retiring and I wanted to cheer up our clients by giving them something to read and think about. I told Phil I wanted to consolidate news relating to Arizona plus some original content and lucky for me he accepted the job, hatching the Rose Law group Reporter and the daily Dealmaker by Rose Law Group.
And from that day on I receive between 3-20 emails a day from Phil every single day for the last 16 years. He was passionate and committed to gathering and disseminating information. He didn’t stop. Not on holidays or weekends or anytime. He just kept reporting on the things most important to our clients. He helped build a team of reporters who substantially enhanced the quality and professionalism of the Dealmaker and Rose Law Group Reporter. In fact over the last several weeks he continued to send his emails everyday like everything was fine until one day it wasn’t.
I am having a hard time even contemplating my sadness. There is no one on earth I emailed with more for the last 16 years than Phil Riske. His buddy called to say he passed away and that prior to that he’d been in hospice for a few months. I had no idea because Phil was like that. He went deaf over the years and I would have had no idea but his wife told me phone calling would not be productive. Phil was always Committed to the truth, searching for stories and doing his job.
Wherever I go I have people thank me for the Rose Law Group reporter and daily Dealmaker which always makes me so happy. People say they look forward to getting the Dealmaker before lunch so they have ready made conversation topics. That was the plan.
Phil leaves behind a publication that has grown and developed into a far more sophisticated version of itself. It grew from 0 followers to tens of thousands who count on it. He took a chance on an idea in his “retirement” and consistently performed day in and day out. Phil didn’t quit, he didn’t let up. He’s left a legacy of excellence and a publication that will continue because of his great work
Thank you Phil for spending every day making all of our days better. Thank you for your commitment to keeping us all well informed. I miss your daily emails already and feel so blessed to have been able to grow a terrific publication with you. God bless you Phil Riske.
Read his work from his beloved Rose Law Group Reporter.
