Project updates

It has been an interesting and busy week so far. I've had a chance to delve deeper into the world of economic development, and get involved in several projects.

Prospect Information Forms

When a business from out of state is interested in expanding their business into the state of Arizona, they send a 'request for bids' essentially through Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) in a Prospect Information Form (PIF). The form describes the capital investment amount, the building size they wish to have, and any other requirements necessary in a facility. The ACA then distributes this form to municipalities within the state, and the municipalities then choose to respond by sending back their 'bid' if they have the required amenities.

This particular PIF requested a site size of approximately 19,000 square feet for light industrial purposes. Using Arizona Prospector to see what available commercial sites were in Marana, I was able to narrow down to two prominent locations that would be appealing for a business to operate from. I then had to write up a response letter describing the two sites, explaining how Marana is an ideal place to do business in Arizona, and outlining incentives that the business would be eligible for if they came here. Two such incentives are that the town does not assess any municipal property tax, nor do they assess any impact fees for commercial or industrial development.

I sent off the response yesterday, so I'll be interested to see if anything comes of it. The business in question was looking at locating between Arizona or Virginia.

Employee Brief with the Town Manager

This week, Gilbert Davidson, the Town Manager, opened up several briefing sessions for employees to come and get caught up on what is going on with the Town of Marana. Beforehand, he asked me to put together the presentation for him. This was a great opportunity for me because it involved finding out what was happening in the Town, and putting it together in a cohesive manner for people to understand and be engaged.

Major topics include the budget, economic recovery plan, and upcoming projects. Upcoming projects would include:

• Grand opening of Sargent Controls headquarters in Marana
• Accenture Match Play coming back next spring
• Increase in development activity
• New police captain has joined our team
• The Wild Burro Trailhead has reached completion
• Employee newsletter overhaul, thanks to our new graphic designer

 I attend the employee brief later today, so I'm excited to see how the presentation turns out.