ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT pursues a variety of Healthcare, Education, Aerospace,
Tourism (HEAT) and other dynamic, citywide opportunities, seeks
entrepreneurial solutions, ensures success-oriented business and
industry partnerships and tools, and delivers new jobs to propel Mesa’s economic
growth, prosperity and innovative spirit forward within the
global marketplace.
Mayor and Council’s Individual Economic Development
Vision Statements:
- Mesa Innovation and Creativity:
Mesa is a place for entrepreneurship, innovation and
attracts the best and the brightest to our community.
Innovators come to Mesa because of the great variety of
cultural and educational opportunities. Mesa is a melting
pot of creative folks from all walks of life, cultures and
ages. Mesa emerges as the "place to be" in the Valley for
smart, creative people.
- Job Creation: Mesa lands major
business and our reputation in the Valley and the U.S. is
that we are a ‘get it done city’ that is willing to do what
it takes to attract jobs to our community.
- Economic Development Resources:
Mesa has added resources to its Economic Development
Department to be able to address the diverse and multiple
identified priorities. For a city our size and with
our ambitions, we are understaffed in this area. We
have great economic development staff but they are spread
quite thin.
- Higher Education Institution Downtown:
Mesa has secured an institution of higher learning in
Downtown Mesa. This resource brings new investment to
the downtown region and fosters new business growth. When
the light rail is completed, it will bring outside students
to the downtown area. Having an education
institution in downtown allows Mesa residents the ability to
gain an education and stay in Mesa while providing them with
the resources to succeed in life.
- Change Mesa's Image: Mesa’s image has
changed because we have delivered projects promised, i.e.
Cubs stadium, downtown light rail, Gaylord, progress in
Fiesta District, Air Force Research Lab at Gateway Airport,
new business at Gateway. These successes now breed new
investment and initiatives that will create more
opportunities and successes.
- Turning Ideas into Industry: Mesa
has become a place where innovated ideas move from the
classroom to new businesses. We have fantastic ‘idea
nurseries’ in ASU Polytechnic and the Air Force Research
Lab. Students, engineers, professors, and everyday Mesa
residents’ ideas are able to turn into the next great
Mesa-based business and employer. The City has adopted ways
to facilitate this transformation.
- Educated Workforce: Mesa has an
educated and skilled workforce that help us attract high
tech/high wage industry and jobs. In addition to
college education, we have tech-based education as well.
More detail