The Watts are co-founders of Sunstate Equipment, a highly successful equipment rental company that began in Arizona in 1977 and has expanded to ten other states. They both grew up in Maryvale, where they met during a high school graduation ceremony. At the time, Maryvale was a newly-developed suburb. However, like many ‘inner-ring’ suburbs, Maryvale began experiencing urban decline in the 1980s and '90s.
To reverse this, the Watts made leadership gifts to the Maryvale YMCA and endowed the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, an initiative of ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions that now bears their name. They have also gifted a generous amount to the Jewish Family & Children’s Services’ new Catalina Health Center, in their ongoing commitment to the community they grew up in.