Governor names members of the Arizona Commerce Authority Board of Directors

Commerce Authority to play a critical role in getting quality employers and jobs in Arizona      

        PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer today announced the selection of 17 of Arizona’s premier business leaders to serve as members of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) Board of Directors. The Commerce Authority, established with the passage of the Arizona Competitiveness Package earlier this year, is playing a critical role in the state’s recruitment and retention of quality employers and jobs. Board members come from across the state and virtually every key sector of the economy, including real estate, finance, manufacturing, technology, energy and resource development.

        “The global economy is only growing more competitive. Arizona needed to bring together a team of its brightest economic minds to help make the state a magnet for business expansion, relocation, capital formation and investment,” said Governor Brewer, who will serve as co-chairwoman of the Arizona Commerce Authority Board of Directors. “With top business leaders committed to advancing our State’s economy, we’re sending a message to the world that Arizona is a premier place in which to locate, expand and grow.”        Governor Brewer in June 2010 established the Arizona Commerce Authority with the intention of retooling and revamping Arizona’s economy. The goal: to help Arizona compete on the global stage for the most innovative companies and best jobs. The first step was the transformation of the former State Department of Commerce into the Commerce Authority, a public-private entity with a single-minded focus on economic development.

       The Governor’s Economic Competitiveness Package has armed the Commerce Authority with a $25 million deal-closing fund and a set of broad corporate tax cuts and targeted business incentives to help Arizona land some of the world’s most highly-sought employers. Together, the Commerce Authority and Competitiveness Package give the Arizona economy a powerful 1-2 punch.

       “I’m proud to serve with such a prestigious group of business executives who have united around a common goal: to help Arizona position itself in the global economic marketplace,” said Jerry Colangelo, co-chairman of the Commerce Authority Board, executive with JDM Partners and Chairman of USA Basketball. “The stakes could hardly be higher. But I am confident that our efforts – and the tools we’ve been given via the Economic Competiveness Package – will help bring the quality employers and good jobs that Arizona needs.”

       

      With the launch of the Arizona Commerce Authority and the state’s responsible tax reforms and array of incentive programs, Arizona is beginning to see its business-friendly strategy bear fruit. In recent months, major employers like First Solar, Intel Corp., PayPal and Amazon have made announcements to build or expand operations in the state.

     “We’ve already made great progress, and I’m confident the Arizona Commerce Authority will continue to play a key role in the state’s economic recovery,” said Don Cardon, President and CEO of the Commerce Authority. “This coalition of business leaders is proof-positive that Arizona will not sit back and wait for economic development to happen. We’re going to pursue it aggressively and responsibly.”

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Members of the Arizona Commerce Authority Board of Directors:

·       Co-Chairman, Jerry Colangelo – Principal Partner, JDM Partners

·       Richard Adkerson – President and CEO, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold

·       Drew Brown – Founder and Chairman of the Board, DMB Associates

·       Michael Bidwill – President, Arizona Cardinals

·       Roy Vallee – Executive Chairman, Avnet

·       Craig Barrett – Chairman of the Board and CEO (Retired), Intel

·       Mary Peters – President, Mary E. Peters Consulting Group

·       Gary Abrams – CEO and President, Abrams Airborne Manufacturing

·       Mike Ingram – CEO and President, El Dorado Holdings

·       Michael Manson – Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Motor Excellence

·       Candace D. Wiest – President and CEO, West Valley National Bank

·       Victor Smith – President and Owner, JV Farms

·       Phillip L. Francis – Executive Chairman, PetSmart, Inc.

·       Doug Pruitt – Chairman and CEO, Sundt Construction

·       Paul Bonavia - Chairman, President and CEO, Tucson Electric Power

·       Tim Jeffries – Founder, P7 Enterprises

·       Stephen Macias – President and CEO of Pivot Manufacturing

·       Don Cardon – President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority