Local Leaders Examine Economic Effects, Opportunities of Pandemic at Virtual Event

Although there are many unknowns about the novel coronavirus, something is clear: the global pandemic will have permanent implications on business.

But that’s not bad, according to some of the Valley’s most prominent leaders. They believe Arizona companies can capitalize on opportunities and workers can hone new skills that will propel the region and state forward.

Understanding the effects of the pandemic will be the topic of a free event: Preparing for the Future Post-COVID-19, from 11 a.m. to noon June 3 via Zoom.

“The good news is that our region has learned a lot since the Great Recession and the events surrounding 9/11,” said Denny Barney, president and CEO of the PHX East Valley Partnership, which will host the event. “We have diversified our economy, and our value proposition is as strong as ever.”

Barney pointed to results from 2019, when Arizona posted the third-highest year-over-year employment gain in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Exports also reached a record high last year and our state was projected to add an astounding 159,000 jobs by 2021.

The PHX East Valley also celebrated some big economic development wins, with corporate relocations, the expansion of global companies like Deloitte and Northrup-Grumman, and the groundbreaking of a world-class hub for digital education at Arizona State University’s new campus in downtown Mesa.

Amid COVID-19, the region’s cities and towns have redoubled their efforts to reignite small businesses and ASU is charting a course to transform the economy by laying the foundation for what technology-enhanced businesses are going to be.

At the event, ASU President Dr. Michael Crow will share how companies, educators and workers can pivot to capitalize on changes brought about by the pandemic. He will be joined by Chris Camacho, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Economic Council; and Dennis Hoffman, economist and director of the L. William Seidman Research Institute at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, for a look at the current situation and dynamics that shaped the Valley and state economy.

The PHX East Valley Partnership is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of business leaders in the cities, towns and Native American communities known as the PHX East Valley.