THE QUICK JAB
Bill Jabjiniak, Economic Development Director

Amid a pandemic, Mesa Office of Economic Development had a great year! 

Despite the more than 16-month long pandemic, the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development (OED) has had a banner year fulfilling our mission of supporting the creation of quality jobs and promoting investment to increase prosperity and improve life for Mesa’s residents.

From July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, Mesa’s OED surpassed all key performance goals. Team efforts helped to create and/or retain 2,621 jobs, which is 131% of the 2,000 target, with the average annual wage of $65,131 - 137% above the goal of $47,511. The Mesa projects announced accounted for an astounding $1.2 billion of capital investment this fiscal year, 313% of the $400 million target. 

Two of our more significant company announcements include ElectraMeccanica, a Canadian designer and manufacturer of environmentally efficient electric vehicles, that broke ground on its first U.S.-based assembly facility and state-of-the-art engineering technical center in Mesa. The new facility is expected to create up to 500 high-tech, high-wage jobs. CMC Steel announced its expansion in Mesa with the construction of a $300 million micro steel mill that will employ an additional 185 people. The CMC Steel expansion is one of 10 projects that helped Arizona win a Gold Shovel Award by Area Development Magazine. The Gold Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value-added investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities.

As we began FY 2020-2021, the pandemic was in full swing and the City of Mesa rushed to help businesses and residents weather the storm. Our Mesa CARES Small Business Reemergence Program including the financial assistance program and customized technical assistance were herculean and helped Mesa attain the ranking as a top five city in the U.S. for post-pandemic recovery according to the Small Business Recovery Report released by QuickBooks in May of this year.

From June through December 2020, 525 businesses were given financial assistance through the Mesa CARES Small Business Reemergence Grant Program that funded up to 90-days of rent/mortgage and utilities for a total of $4.35 million. The Technical Assistance Program in partnership with 12 local non-profits, aided 250 Mesa businesses, providing more than 3,300 hours of one-on-one consulting and $1.04 million in value. Due to the success, the Technical Assistance Program has been rolled into the City’s small business development program, MesaBusinessBuilder.com, to provide continued access to more than 100 recorded webinars and training sessions. Also, Mesa CARES funds were used to engage community partners to conduct multiple marketing campaigns to drive traffic to Mesa retail stores, restaurants, and hotels.

Finally, the Office of Economic Development was honored by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) with six Excellence in Economic Development awards, three gold and three silver, and was again recognized as an Accredited Economic Development Organization making it one of only 68 organizations accredited globally. On the local stage, the Office of Economic Development was awarded a Golden Prospector Award by the Arizona Association of Economic Development for multimedia promotional work in branding Mesa’s Asian District.

The work accomplished has truly been a team effort. Our staff, other city departments, and many important community partners went the extra mile to help us attain these goals and fulfill our mission to the community. To all those involved, I thank you!

Learn more about Mesa’s Office of Economic Development at www.SelectMesa.com.

Students help solve tech deficits for Mesa businesses

Mesa Community College (MCC) students help solve technology deficits experienced by local businesses through a capstone project in the Technopreneur Experience program.

Developed through the insight and support from teams at the Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Apple Community Education Initiative, the program connects teams of students with certifications in areas such as app development, cloud, graphic design, web development, website design, and computer programming to develop a solution for a local business. The program is free for local businesses.

Recent alumna Nicole Peterson, a first-generation college student who earned her Associate in Applied Science, Web Development in May 2021, gained valuable experience through her Technopreneur Experience capstone project. 

“In addition to applying my newly acquired skills as a web developer, the capstone project gave me insight and experience in development methodologies,” Peterson said. “I walked away with an earned degree, a valuable understanding of a related field of study, and the enthusiasm to continue community involvement.”

The MCC Technopreneur Experience is one of six programs offered through the Maricopa IT Institute-East Valley (MITI-EV), a partnership between East Valley community colleges (MCC, SCC, CGCC, and Rio Salado), designed to grow talent to spur local business success and growth.

Contact Diane Meza, MITI-EV director, at 480-461-7077 or diane.meza@mesacc.edu, to hire technology students, or to learn more about the Technopreneur Experience program.

Green Business Certification Program Launches in Mesa

In late February, Local First Arizona (LFA) teamed up with the City of Mesa to recognize independently-owned businesses that are doing good for the planet through the Arizona Green Business Program. This certification process delivers strategies that reduce a company’s environmental impact, positively affect the bottom line, and give businesses recognition for their efforts. Focus areas include waste diversion, energy consumption, water conservation, transportation emissions, and creating a sustainability culture in the workplace.

Stardust Building Supplies is Mesa’s first business to earn the certification. “We found the Local First Green Business Certification program to be extremely valuable in helping Stardust recognize the efforts we are making towards operating in a more sustainable fashion and helping us identify areas where we could make significant improvement. The resources Local First provided throughout the process were invaluable,” Stardust Building Supplies CEO Karen Jayne said. OneOhOne Gallery is the second participant and first Downtown Mesa business.

Mesa is the third Valley city to participate. Duck & Decanter in Phoenix is an example of a high-volume food business that realized benefits from implementing sustainable practices into its operations. Through targeted water efficiency retrofits, it was able to save hundreds of dollars per month on water bills. Image Craft, a printing company also in Phoenix, was able to significantly reduce its impact and energy bill through LED lighting, smart thermostats, and window film – all solutions that were specific to the needs and nature of the business.

More and more, people are seeking to buy from, invest in, and work for businesses that are environmentally conscious and good stewards of the communities in which they operate. The program is offered at no cost to Mesa businesses. Businesses will receive a tailored sustainability plan complete with best practices and recommendations along with recognition in Local First Arizona’s marketing and press releases.

Interested local businesses and organizations can email Nick Shivka at nick@localfirstaz.com to learn more and get started today. Learn more at www.mesaaz.gov/business/green-building-green-businesses.

Visit Mesa wins Gold Telly Celebrating 'For the Love of Mesa' series

Visit Mesa’s five-part social media series that was produced as part of the Mesa Cares initiative won a Gold Telly Award, the highest-ranked honor, in the Travel & Tourism Social Video category. The videos were developed by the Communications department in conjunction with Slaven Gujic Creative Services and served as an extension of Visit Mesa’s ambassador brand, For the Love of Mesa.

Visit Mesa partnered with local Arizona-based social media personalities and crafted each episode around the branded lifestyles already established by the destination marketing organization. A steering committee of local leaders, residents, and community members helped decide and vote on which Mesa experiences were filmed for each episode. The videos are anchored on Visit Mesa’s Instagram account page, on the Visit Mesa YouTube Channel, and can be viewed online at www.FortheLoveofMesa.com.

The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, for all screens. Receiving over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies, and publishers from around the world. www.VisitMesa.com