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GPEC reports heavy deal flow to Greater Phoenix; Goodyear credited with recent locates and $54,000 annual membership
Summary
Chris Camacho of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council told Goodyear council members that the region continues to attract advanced manufacturing and high‑wage jobs. Camacho highlighted international interest, semiconductor investments and a privately funded branding push. Goodyear’s participation and recent locates were cited in the annual update.
Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, presented an annual update to the Goodyear City Council on March 17, outlining GPEC’s role in business attraction, recent project activity and a new national branding effort. "We are a 5 0 1 C3 organization," Camacho said, describing the public‑private model GPEC uses to leverage private investment alongside city contributions.
The nut graf: GPEC reported a healthy pipeline of prospects across light and advanced manufacturing and said international deal flow is growing; Camacho said the region has added major projects that drive high‑wage jobs and capital investment and that Goodyear has benefited from GPEC’s business‑attraction work.
Camacho said GPEC represents 22 public jurisdictions including Maricopa and Pinal counties and the 20 cities within, and that the organization performs site due diligence, market analysis and promotional work to market Metro Phoenix to companies evaluating relocation or expansion. He highlighted that the region’s average wage for located projects has risen over his tenure and that the organization is preparing a new external brand campaign to raise national awareness of the region.
On local impact, staff and Camacho said Goodyear’s GPEC membership fee is a per‑capita contribution; the presentation listed a public contribution figure of $54,000 for Goodyear. Camacho noted 17 locates in Goodyear in the last five years and cited roughly 5,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in capital investment connected to those locates in the period presented. The presentation also referenced recent high‑profile state projects (Mayo Clinic and TSMC) that have increased national attention on Arizona’s industrial ecosystem.
Council questions covered workforce, site readiness and incentives. Camacho emphasized local work on career and technical education (CTE/JTED) to prepare the labor pool and recommended that cities focus on shovel readiness (water, power, permitting) and having developable sites and buildings to reduce risk for firms evaluating locations. He said GPEC is actively pursuing international delegations and supplier recruitment for existing Valley firms.
Environmental and regulatory context came up: Camacho said GPEC is engaging on energy and grid resilience issues and mentioned an upcoming EPA meeting about Clean Air Act implications for ozone controls that could affect volatile organic compound limits and manufacturing siting; he warned that energy and infrastructure readiness will be decisive in some large projects. He also said GPEC pursues grant funding when appropriate.
Ending: The presentation was informational; council members thanked GPEC staff and asked staff to continue site readiness planning and workforce coordination. No formal action or vote occurred during the work session.
