Emily RichardsonIn 2018, Arizona saw a year of growth and the East Valley reaped the benefits.
According to East Valley Partnership (EVP) – a nonpartisan coalition of civic, business, education and political leaders dedicated to the economic development and promotion of the East Valley (EV) – entrepreneurs in the EV have helped reinvent the business model.
“[The] East Valley is a major driver of economic development in metropolitan Phoenix,” Denny Barney, president and CEO, East Valley Partnership, said. “People are seeing the greatness of the East Valley, they’re learning that this is a great place to live and to work and to play. To start a family, to build a business, to make a home.”
On Dec. 6, EVP held its annual Thought Leader Forum where it honored a business and individual with the Excel Award for the “lasting impact they have made on business and the quality of life in the community.”
Intel received the Kerry Dunne Sustaining Leadership award.
“To say that Intel is deserving of this award, I think, is a fairly gross understatement,” Barney said. “Intel is a shining star here in the region.”
Intel received the award for being a staple in Arizona for almost 40 years, investing $21 billion into the market, and continued community engagement.
“What a pleasure for us to be with the East Valley Partnership and to be recognized,” Jason Bagley, director, Intel State Government Relations, said. “Over the course of this year, of the more than 10,000 employees we have based in Arizona, more than half have spent time out in the community and collectively they’ve contributed and volunteered just about 100,000 hours in our community. We’re heavily engaged with environmental projects, water restoration projects, we’re trying to help…address the water issues that we have here in Arizona.”
Mesa Mayor John Giles received the Dwight Patterson Lifetime Achievement award.
“I am the luckiest guy that any of you guys know,” Giles said. “I get to work for Mesa, Arizona, which is such a wonderful opportunity. It’s a group of talented, motivated, dedicated people that make me look really, really good and as of a result of that I get to come and pick up awards. So, I can’t thank them enough for making this possible.”
“He is truly one of a kind,” Barney said of Giles. “It’s not often that you don’t see him with a smile on his face. Even in difficult challenges and challenging times, he’s optimistic and upbeat. He’s a dynamic leader that served in office, stepped away, and then chose to come back. That’s a power representation of what’s really part of his DNA. I’m certainly grateful to him and his leadership.”
“Our region and our cities deserve disruptive leaders,” Giles said. “They deserve people who are willing to take chances and stick their neck out and take consequences for the greater good of our [home]. I inspire to be one of those and I hope that you will join me. Let’s go back to our communities and our cities and let’s cause some trouble and let’s be disruptive and let’s make things happen because that’s what the people we work for deserve.”
For more about East Valley Partnership, click here; on Intel, click here; and on Mayor Giles, click here.
Joseph Kavetsky
Danny Seiden
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