MEET T.J.

T.J. Shope has a broad and diverse family background, rooted in his community. His grandmother and grandfather, Luisa and Jesse Salazar, have been a positive influence in T.J.'s life. Jesse worked for thirty-two years as a miner in both Superior and San Manuel and was a member of the United Steelworkers. T.J.'s other grandfather opened an independent grocery store in a small Arizona town sixty years ago. T.J. and his family continue to own, operate, and work in that store today.