Corey Woods

Corey Woods

Mayor, City of Tempe

by Corey Woods

Q: What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?

I am a very collaborative person. I find it’s the best way to work with people and really create change that lasts. What all of us want after we leave public office is to have created policy and systems changes that really stand the test of time and can shape the community for years, if not decades, to come.

Q: What impact has COVID-19 or the disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?

The pandemic really changed the landscape in the city of Tempe and across the world. Businesses operate differently, many employees are now working hybrid schedules, and some employees don’t go to a physical office at all anymore. It’s created challenges for those businesses to adapt, and it’s created many challenges for bars and restaurants that have relied traditionally on having people walking past their establishments on a regular basis. Therefore, we have had to innovate and find ways to create more buzz for a lot of our restaurants and businesses throughout the City of Tempe to ensure that they can continue to remain financially viable despite the changes in people’s work and leisure habits.

While this is absolutely an interesting time to live through, I’m very motivated to continue to find ways to innovate and make sure this city is economically viable and we take care of all our businesses — small, medium and large.

Q: What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?

As a city official, I’m always excited to partner with the business community to ensure that both our city and our economy remain strong. Making sure that we are communicating on a regular, consistent basis to ensure we have policies that will ensure a robust economy really is critical to me and my colleagues. By working together proactively, we can avoid pitfalls and ensure that businesses remain viable, employees get paid, and all have the ability to take care of their families and other needs.

Q: What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?

Downtown Tempe is currently in the process of a $22 million makeover, which comes under a program that we call Refresh Tempe. The Mill Avenue District will be getting new sidewalks, lighting and trees as well as public art. We really feel that improving the overall look and feel in the downtown will lead to more stability and continued economic growth for the businesses that reside in our downtown area.

We also have a wonderful, affordable housing plan, known as hometown for all, that seeks to ensure we have adequate amounts of affordable workforce and market-rate housing. We feel ensuring that there is a diversity of housing for workers of all backgrounds and incomes will allow people to continue to enjoy Tempe as the best place to live, work and raise a family.