This week, a few members of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance team were in Phoenix to experience firsthand this dynamic Southwestern city that will be the location of our Exploring Economies trip this April. Phoenix has grown to be the fifth largest city in the United States, offering many learning opportunities for investors who choose to join us on the trip.
In our 36 hours in the Phoenix metro, we covered the cities of Phoenix, Tempe (home to Arizona State University as well as many corporate offices) and Scottsdale. Some of the more notable parts of our trip included visits to the Desert Botanical Gardens, ASU Stadium, Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC), Greater Phoenix Economic Council offices, and Chase Field, home to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The PBC is a powerful example of how collaboration between the state, private companies, and the university system can create an economic engine and differentiation for a region. Located in downtown Phoenix, the PBC was in one of the more dangerous parts of town less than 15 years ago. Now, it is home to private companies, medical research facilities for ASU, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and innovation space for entrepreneurs as well as NIH facilities.
The innovation space was built by a company familiar to us in Charlotte – Wexford, which is developing Charlotte’s new innovation district, The Pearl. The 30-acre PBC site will eventually be home to a new medical school for ASU, as well as more than 6.2 million square feet of space that will provide a home to companies and innovators in the region.
Phoenix has also leveraged its sports assets to host events that drive the economy and introduce Phoenix to the world. Some of the more notable events that have been hosted in Phoenix include the Phoenix Open, three Super Bowls, and NASCAR at the Phoenix Raceway. Home to professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball, Phoenix also leverages its sports assets for local residents, with an average combined attendance per game of more than 105,000 across all four professional sports franchises.
We are looking forward to hosting you all in Phoenix, one of the top cities to do business, a fast-paced, dynamic region that possesses an unapologetic willingness to get things done. From what we have experienced, the trip is well worth it! Register now to join us.
