Yvette Armendariz serves as a Project Manager, leading business retention and expansion (BRE) efforts that support business growth, workforce stability, and long-term investment in Mesa. She joined the Office of Economic Development (OED) in September 2021. Through the City’s BRE program, the team visits more than 150 Mesa businesses annually to understand challenges, identify opportunities, and connect businesses to resources.

Yvette started in OED as a Marketing and Communications Specialist II to help increase awareness of Mesa Business Builder and other small business resources through strategic messaging, earned media, and branding initiatives. Her work includes Mesa’s Asian District Murals Project, which reflects her early career with the City of Mesa, where she started in Arts & Culture in December 2015. 

Before joining the City, Yvette worked as an award-winning business journalist for The Arizona Republic and The El Paso Times, leading several enterprise reporting projects focused on small business. She also managed business development and public relations projects as a consultant. 

Yvette holds a BA in Journalism, with a minor in Economics, from New Mexico State University. She is graduate of Mesa Leadership, Class of 2025, and is working toward becoming a Certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP).