Stay Tuned for Exciting Things > LISC Phoenix's 2015 Annual Breakfast Invitation

MesaZona posted this YouTube video on Facebook yesterday, but things tend to get lost there in all the streams of information, so it's getting up here as part of the one-man mission for this blog - Re/Generating The New Urban Downtown Mesa.
News, opinion, [humor/straight-talk], information and educating the public about issues - with Transit-Oriented Development high in my mind for these online pages.

Murky Data > Watch Out What's Driving Data

There's nothing like an inside track on politics in the State of Arizona or the City of Mesa. Nice work if you can get it.

Auditor claims Commerce Authority’s job creation figures are murky

By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services September 24, 2015 , 4:04 pm

"State auditors say the Arizona Commerce Authority needs to report whether information on  jobs, wages, and capital investment is based on commitments companies announce or the actual jobs created and capital investment made . . . but audit manager Dot Reinhard said there’s really no way to tell exactly what the authority has done.

“Its reports generally provide information based on commitments companies announce rather than the actual jobs created or capital investment made,” her report states . . . Overall, the authority claims expansion and relocation projects represent more than $3.3 billion in capital investment.
None of that, however, shows the actual jobs created. . .

Reinhard said Commerce Authority officials told her staffers that it focuses on commitments because they “more promptly and directly measure the authority’s work to add jobs and investment in Arizona.” But she said, though, that’s not an acceptable practice.
“The National State Auditors Association has developed a set of best practices for carrying out state economic development efforts that indicate that an agency should report relevant information to the public summarizing the results of its economic development program,” she wrote. “The authority should clarify in its annual report and other reports it produces whether the information presented on job created, wages, and capital investment represents committed or actual outcomes.”
But the audit report said the lack of accurate numbers is just part of the problem.
What’s also missing, Reinhard said, is a comparison of the financial incentives provided on a company-by-company basis compared to the actual economic outcome produced. She said while some information is available, the reports “lack a consolidated comparison of the incentives given to the benefits received.”
“Without clear information about the state’s return on investment, it may be difficult for decision makers to make informed decisions about Arizona’s economic development activities,” Reinhard said.
A spokeswoman for the authority said Sandra Watson, its president and chief executive, was in meetings on Thursday and could not personally comment. Nor was there a response to a request for data on actual jobs created in the 2014 fiscal year versus the commitments reported.
Watson also said in a statement, “As indicated in the responses provided in the report, the ACA agrees to implement all recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General, and in many cases has already done so.”
She did not, however, promise to report actual jobs created. Instead she said the authority will make clear whether the figures reported are based on projections or actual activity.
Read more >> http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/09/24/auditor-claims-commerce-authoritys-job-creation-figures-are-murky/#ixzz3n9OFm2Iu

What's the Story? Everybody's ReBranding & Why

Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders.

Rebranding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why ReBrand? Relevancy . . . Relevancy: When a company realizes its brand is losing relevancy in consumers' minds, it might be time to rebrand.

More Data Ahead > State Personal Income Stats

Second Quarter 2015 State Personal Income Statistics to be Released September 30 [received one hour ago]

 

WASHINGTON – Preliminary statistics on people’s incomes by state in the second quarter of 2015 will be released Wednesday, September 30 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
These state personal income statistics will provide BEA’s first look at state economies for the April-June quarter of 2015 and serve as a basis for government and business decision making.
For example:

• Federal government agencies use state personal income statistics to allocate funds and determine matching grants to states. The statistics are also used in forecasting models to project energy and water use.
• State governments use the statistics to project tax revenues and demand for public services.
• Academic regional economists use the statistics for applied research.
• Businesses, trade associations, and labor organization use the statistics for market research.

As part of this release, BEA will release revised quarterly and annual statistics for 1976-2014 and for the first quarter of 2015. They will also include state per capita personal income statistics for the first quarter of 2010 through the second quarter of 2015 for the first time. Previously, per capita personal income statistics were only available on an annual basis.
The statistics, released at 8:30 a.m. eastern time, also will be available on BEA’s website (www.bea.gov).

New Conference Center Downtown

Rendering from City of Mesa

Save the Family to Build Conference Center

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange September 22, 2015
Save the Family Foundation of Arizona will use a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to build a 2,400SF conference center at its University Drive and Pasadena administrative headquarters in Mesa.
The space, to be built on vacant land between the Save the Family offices and Mesa United Way building, will be available to any 501 (c) (3) charity in the East Valley in need of meeting space.

Neither Save the Family nor Unity Way currently have adequate space to handle large meetings . . .  GC bids will be solicited in the Fall. Construction is planned to begin around the first of the year.
Read more >>  http://azbex.com/save-the-family-to-build-2400sf-conference-center/?inf_contact_key=1245738e00f7bd0b400da2bf24b1af42e306e88e21eb6b312e21be8ae6519d14

 

 

 

Reality Check > Data-Driven or Cheerleading?



MesaZona blog sometimes aggregates the news to compare and contrast what's published in different media to reflect viewpoints of the sources providing a narrative and a context for what message the source wants to put into the discourse of the public domain.
Mike Sunnucks reporting in the Phoenix Business Journal on Thursday, September 24, 2015 @ 1:22 p.m. MST wrote this:
" . . . Phoenix’s regional GDP grew by 1.8 percent last year, according to new data from the U.S. Commerce Department.
That is 148th among U.S. metros . . . "
Readers of this blog might want to note a post here from September 13 where the site Wallet Hub ranked Metro Phoenix #143 out of 150 for recovery from The Great Recession according to their analytics.
Mike goes on: ". . . It has to raise a little concern that the Phoenix region can’t muster more economic gains . . . especially as we remain a growth-oriented economy. . . The lackluster growth also shows why we continue to have some soft numbers and the highest office vacancy rate among major U.S. markets. . .
All the political, economic development and other cheerleading can't change that."
Read more from article >> http://m.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/business/2015/09/reality-check-phoenix-s-economic-growth-148th.html

Some good data from the U.S Department of Labor for June 2015 came out last month
Changing Compensation Costs in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area – June 2015
Total compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.3 percent in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. metropolitan area for the year ended June 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that one year ago, Phoenix experienced an annual gain of 1.1 percent in compensation costs. Locally, wages and salaries, the largest component of compensation costs, advanced at a 2.3-percent pace for the 12-month period ended June 2015. Nationwide, total compensation costs increased 1.9 percent and wages and salaries rose 2.2 percent from June 2014 to June 2015.
The Employment Cost Index for September 2015 is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 30, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).
Here's a link to the ECI report >> http://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/employmentcostindex_phoenix.htm

More good data from U.S Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis from a news release on Friday, September 25, 2015

EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EDT, Friday, September 25, 2015 BEA 15—45

National Income and Product Accounts
Gross Domestic Product: Second Quarter 2015 (Third Estimate)
Corporate Profits: Second Quarter 2015 (Revised Estimate)

Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation’s economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes -- increased at an annual rate of 3.9 percent in the second quarter of 2015, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.6 percent.
See whole press release >> http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2015/gdp2q15_3rd.htm

ViewPoints: Arizona Going Global + TransNational > It's All Good

Viewpoints: Arizona is reaching far beyond its borders, sending a clear message that the state is open for business.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2015/09/25/arizona-international-trade/72648130/

It begins like this: 

Arizona is well positioned to further develop economic advantages, cultural exchanges and a foundation for economic growth. Unlike other states that have missed the mark on the development of true public and private partnerships, Arizona is a model of innovative and progressive ideas shaping a bright future and causing global opportunists to strategize on how to get involved here.

. . . Arizona’s exports grew to $21 billion last year, an increase of 34 percent over the same period in 2010, according to the ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy. Furthermore, the Morrison Institute reports that 88 percent of the companies that exported in 2014 were small- and medium-sized companies.

The list of organizations collaborating to achieve these goals and increase Arizona’s positioning on the global stage is also impressive, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Sun Corridor Inc., MAG, Canada Arizona Business Council and many others.

GPEC’s leadership in developing the Velocity business plan and MAG’s BIEN web portal are just some of the collaborative programs enhancing Arizona’s international image. Through such efforts, these non-profit organizations are providing real leadership and communication savvy to global businesses considering expanding in North America and Arizona businesses desiring to conquer foreign markets.

Brett W. Johnson, 3:26 p.m. MST September 25, 2015

(Brett Johnson is vice president of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and a partner at Snell & Wilmer.)

October 5, 2015 11th Annual International State of the State Luncheon: A Discussion with Governor Doug Ducey: Steering Arizona's Future in International Waters

The Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, along with the McCain Institute and the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, among others, are additional Arizona-based organizations facilitating the dialogue supporting efforts of Arizonans to understand and benefit from international relations.

Due to enhanced technology and integrated economies, an event across the world can have significant impacts in Arizona. Through vibrant discussion and diligent participation, organizations such as PCFR appreciate the benefits of understanding foreign affairs and the desire to shape international opportunities for the benefit of all of Arizona. In addition, PCFR fully understands that many Arizonans need to better understand the various opportunities and programs that are available to them and the importance of encouraging the development of core competencies in foreign relations.

In support of the objective to increase Arizona’s position in foreign relations, PCFR welcomes Governor Ducey as the keynote speaker at its annual International State of the State luncheon on Oct. 5. PCFR looks forward to hearing Governor Ducey’s vision for Arizona as he leads the state and collaborating organizations in developing new cultural and economic opportunities for all Arizonans. See more >> http://www.pcfraz.org/pcfr-events/isos-2015

In a July 2015 article published in the magazine Site Selection 
http://siteselection.com/issues/2015/jul/us-mexico-border-coridor.cfm
by ERIK LEE and CHRISTOPHER WILSON

"Following a difficult diplomatic period beginning in 2010, Arizona has recently redoubled engagement with Mexico, which is linked to a realignment of the state’s economic priorities following the Great Recession and a belief that increased international trade has the potential to create more high-paying jobs for the state’s citizens. Indeed, the state’s Transportation and Trade Corridor Alliance — convened by the Arizona Department of Transportation and comprising public- and private-sector economic stakeholder groups — has recommended that the state should aim to double its trade with Mexico by 2025 to $28 billion in two-way trade. . . . 

Map courtesy AZ Transportation and Trade Corridor Alliance

Toward this end, potential highway and rail projects could bring significant additional commerce through the area and should be prioritized. Stronger efforts are needed to capitalize on potential cross-border synergies in regional industries such as aerospace, agriculture and automobile production."





The US-Mexico Border Economy In Transition
The U.S.-Mexico border — one of the most remarkable stories in the global economy — finds itself in a period of significant transition. In order to continue to enhance the competitive position of the border region, as well as the economic well-being of its inhabitants, policymakers and stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels will need to better understand and establish policies that help the border region better adapt to global realities and strengthen its role as an engine of growth for the regional economy. In addition, these same actors will need to work together to build more durable regional political coalitions and institutions that can “set the table” for future prosperity.

BIEN: A B2B e-platform [Created by Maricopa Association of Governments]
Building an International Economic Network
“BIEN” means “good” or “right” in Spanish and French. It is also an acronym for “Building an International Economic Network - it is a site is to create a business-to-business e-platform to connect individual businesses across international boundaries. Businesses in Arizona, Mexico and Canada can directly contact each other in order to partner and grow their businesses. By providing information about your products and services, other businesses can see what you offer and find ways to collaborate in mutually-beneficial partnerships.

   https://www.connectbien.com/



Arizona is well positioned to further develop economic advantages, cultural exchanges and a foundation for economic growth. Unlike other states that have missed the mark on the development of true public and private partnerships, Arizona is a model of innovative and progressive ideas shaping a bright future and causing global opportunists to strategize on how to get involved here.