Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Name	Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Formation	1988
Type	Public–private partnership
Headquarters	Phoenix, Arizona
Region served	Greater Phoenix
Leader title	President & CEO

Contents

Greater Phoenix Economic Council

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council is a regional public–private partnership based in Phoenix, Arizona, created to attract investment, promote Maricopa County, and coordinate development across the Phoenix metropolitan area. It works with municipal leaders from Phoenix, Arizona, Scottsdale, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona, and Mesa, Arizona and engages with organizations such as Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Commerce Authority, Salt River Project, Arizona State University, and City of Phoenix to support business expansion, job creation, and site selection. GPEC interacts with corporate executives, site consultants, and academic partners including Intel, Honeywell, Amazon (company), Boeing, and Wells Fargo to advance regional competitiveness.

Overview

Founded in 1988, the organization emerged amid regional initiatives that included leaders from Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community, and civic figures from Downtown Phoenix, Inc. and Arizona State University to diversify a post-industrial Sun Belt growth model. Early projects intersected with firms such as Mail-Well, Freeport-McMoRan, SRP (Salt River Project), and utilities like Arizona Public Service. Over decades, it navigated shifts including the Great Recession (2007–2009), the Dot-com bubble, the rise of manufacturing reshoring, and engagement with international partners from Japan, Mexico, Germany, and China across trade delegations and investment initiatives involving companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Bosch, and Siemens.

The council's board has historically included civic and corporate leaders from institutions such as Arizona State University, Banner Health, Dignity Health, Magellan Health, Freeport-McMoRan, Honeywell, and Intel and municipal appointees from Phoenix City Council, Tempe City Council, and Scottsdale City Council. Executive leadership often coordinates with legal counsel and economic strategy advisors drawn from Snell & Wilmer, Fennemore Craig, Deloitte, EY (Ernst & Young), KPMG, and PwC while aligning with regional planning bodies like Valley Metro and Maricopa Association of Governments. Committees address sectors tied to bioscience firms, aerospace contractors, semiconductor manufacturers, and logistics companies and consult with labor and workforce entities including Arizona AFL–CIO and Greater Phoenix Workforce Development Board.

Activities include corporate recruitment and site selection involving corporate partners such as Intel, Applied Materials, ON Semiconductor, Boeing, and Raytheon; incentive negotiation linked to state programs administered with Arizona Commerce Authority and local tax incentive frameworks used by City of Phoenix and Maricopa County. Workforce and talent initiatives coordinate with Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, Arizona Board of Regents, and community colleges while supporting training partnerships with Maricopa County Community College District and private providers such as General Assembly and Coursera. International trade and foreign direct investment outreach has engaged consulates and trade offices from Japan External Trade Organization, German Trade & Invest, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Mexico Secretariat of Economy.

Major projects include site development and corporate relocation engagements with Intel Corporation expansions, Raytheon Technologies partnerships, aerospace cluster formation involving Boeing and Honeywell Aerospace, and semiconductor ecosystem projects with firms like ON Semiconductor and Applied Materials. Public partnerships have involved Arizona Department of Transportation for logistics corridors, Salt River Project for infrastructure, and municipal redevelopment collaborations with City of Phoenix and Tempe. Regional initiatives have partnered with research centers at Arizona State University and institutes such as Biodesign Institute (Arizona State University), TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute), and Banner Health Research.

Funding historically derives from member dues from corporate partners including Freeport-McMoRan, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, PayPal, and large employers, municipal contributions from cities such as Phoenix, Arizona and Tempe, Arizona, and support from philanthropic entities including Flinn Foundation and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. Financial operations coordinate with accounting and audit firms such as PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), KPMG, and BDO USA and leverage state incentive programs administered through Arizona Commerce Authority and federal grants from the Economic Development Administration and U.S. Department of Treasury. Capital projects sometimes involve financing from regional banks like National Bank of Arizona and investment vehicles managed by Macquarie Group and other institutional investors.

Supporters cite job announcements tied to companies such as Intel, Honeywell, Amazon (company), Microchip Technology, and Raytheon Technologies and credit the council with helping attract international investment from Japan and Germany; critics point to debates over tax incentive effectiveness referenced in analyses by Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, and local media outlets like The Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times, and Republic Media. Academic critiques from scholars at Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Harvard University question return-on-investment of incentives and regional equity impacts, while labor organizations including AFL–CIO and SEIU (Service Employees International Union) have raised concerns about wage outcomes. Environmental groups such as Sierra Club and Audubon Arizona have participated in discussions over water and land use connected to large industrial projects.

Category:Organizations based in Phoenix, Arizona