Denny's Fix on PHXEast Valley Fever: A Hotbed for Barney

(Photo by Mike Mertes, AZ Big Media

Showing no teeth this time around, Denny Barney is on a public relations blitz just after he got ensconced in February for his new full-time job as President and CEO of The PHXEast Valley Partnership, the 35-year old "regional advocacy group" where he succeeded John Lewis,  the former mayor of Gilbert who took over leadership of the East Valley coalition in January 2016 resigning in late May 2018 to serve a Mormon mission overseas. Lewis in turn took over from former CEO and president, Roc Arnett, who retired after 13 years.

Barney served as part-time EVP CEO earlier balancing his duties with his role as principal of Arcus Private Capital Solutions, a specialized realty investment and finance company.
Joining Barney on the Partnership’s leadership team will be Mike Hutchinson, a longtime PHX East Valley leader and former city manager of the City of Mesa, who will serve as full-time executive vice-president.
Was Denny Barney "born to lead" the EVP?

In one sense, Michael Gossie might be right when he attaches that phrase in an interview considering Barney is, after all is said and done, the 7th generation descendant of Mormon pioneers sent by Joseph Smith from Salt Lake City, Utah in 1858 to colonize the territory of Arizona and make it their own corner of The Kingdom, Deseret. Perhaps that why he starts off saying what he says when AZ Big Big Media talked with him to get his take on where the PHX East Valley is today and where he sees it going tomorrow. . . yes it's very personal: family, kids and jobs for them.
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Before we get into Barney's blitz

A Long and Winding Road: The Arizona 30-Year Outlook

by George W. Hammond Ph.D.

Director and Research Professor, EBRC

(Sep 20, 2014 1 min read)

The long-run forecast, which extends to 2044, calls for the state to add jobs and residents at a faster pace than the nation . . .

Arizona’s population growth accelerates in the near term. This reflects faster national growth and rising house prices, which boosts residential mobility across the U.S., and net migration into the state. Rising population growth drives up residential construction activity, . . Arizona’s job growth accelerates in the near term. . . However job growth gradually decelerates during the remaining years of the forecast. This reflects the aging of the baby-boom generation, which will reduce growth across a range of indicators in coming years. Indeed, the forecast calls for job growth to average 1.8% per year from 2014-2044.

Arizona’s First Quarter 2019 Economic Outlook Update*

By George W. Hammond, Ph.D.
Director and Research Professor, EBRC
March 1, 2018

• 
  
  Let the Good Times Roll: Arizona’s Expansion Stays... 

Risks to the Outlook

While the U.S. baseline outlook calls for continued growth, we should consider alternative scenarios. Given recent concerns about the ability of the U.S. economy to keep growing, let’s start with the pessimistic scenario. This story assumes two main sources of trouble. The first is real estate prices, which are assumed to turn slowing growth into outright declines.

This damages consumer confidence and household spending pulls back. Further, an inverted yield curve hurts business confidence, resulting in falling stock prices and reduced nonresidential investment. Overall, the pessimistic scenario generates a moderate three-quarter recession beginning in the first quarter of 2020 (Exhibit 3).

Reference: https://www.azeconomy.org/2019/03/

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Just yesterday, AZ Big Media published an interview by Michael Gossie
PHX East Valley becomes a hotbed for innovation and a great place to live

Denny Barney, a sixth-generation Arizonan* and PHX East Valley resident, was born to lead the East Valley Partnership.

“It’s very personal to me,” . . . I was born and raised here. I’ve lived on the East Coast, the West Coast, overseas, but I’m back here because this is where I want to raise my family. Ultimately, I want to make sure that when my kids are entering the workforce, there are the right kinds of jobs waiting for them if they choose to stay here. It’s important to attract those 21st Century jobs so our economy can continue to grow.”

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In November of last year Mesa Mayor John Giles was presented with the Dwight Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award for the PHX East Valley
Thought Leader of The Year
. . . .Because of its talented and highly educated workforce and favorable quality of life, the area also continues to be a magnet for new businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, particularly in industries such as aerospace and aviation, technology, financial services and healthcare. . .
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AZ Business talked with Barney to get his take on where the PHX East Valley is today and where he sees it going tomorrow.
PHX East Valley becomes a hotbed for innovation and a great place to live
LINK > https://azbigmedia.com 


AZ Business:
> How do you view the business climate today in the PHX East Valley?
> Why has the PHX East Valley become such a hotbed for innovation?
> Did having companies in place like Intel and Boeing help attract those other companies that have sparked the technology explosion in the East Valley?
> What trend should should we be watching in the next year?
 It’s all about jobs and creating the right kinds of jobs that will move our economy forward in a sustainable way
> What’s the appeal of the East Valley?
> In what sectors has the PHX East Valley become a game-changer in technology?
> How much does the fact that Arizona State University calls the PHX East Valley home play into the region’s ability to innovate?
> What are some of the other disruptors or game-changers you see coming from the PHX East Valley?
> How is East Valley Partnership helping the region prepare for its next stage of development?
We are not the Chamber of Commerce. We are not GPEC. We are kind of positioned in between, where we are beating the drum day in and day out telling people why this is a great place to do business and what you are missing out on. That story needs to be told
> How do you see the PHX East Valley 10 years from now?
Historically, the PHX East Valley has been very suburban. We are going to see more evolution toward urban cores that are part of the suburban model.
There is a certain segment of the population that wants to be close to where they work, so we are going to see an evolution that will change some of our communities’ dynamics like we’ve seen in Tempe. Queen Creek and Apache Junction are going to continue to fill in and grow. Each of our communities are investing in infrastructure in unique and different ways that will elevate their missions.
I don’t think we are going to be flying around in cars like “The Jetsons,” but I think we’ll be riding around in cars that don’t have drivers.
We have seas and seas of parking lots that may become less important.
So what is currently critical infrastructure could become adaptive re-use space 10 years from now.
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About: Michael Gossie

Profile: Michael Gossie is an award-winning journalist who has earned more than 50 awards for writing, editing and design. He studied economics at Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y., and put his entrepreneurial spirit to work in 2007, using a 200-year-old family recipe to launch an Italian sauce company. He is a competitive marathon runner, Ironman triathlete and is most proud of being the founding president of the Steuben Arc Foundation in Upstate New York, which serves individuals with developmental disabilities, including his sister.

Reference: https://azbigmedia.com/author/michael-gossie/