Christine Mackey, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors at an informal meeting on Nov. 17 that the region’s competitiveness depends on two things: site‑ready infrastructure and a workforce trained for advanced industries.

Mackey, who said she has led GPEC for 33 days, presented GPEC’s fiscal‑year 2025 results and strategy. She said GPEC recorded 54 locates in FY25, 47 of them in Maricopa County, and highlighted multi‑year totals — 240 regional locates over five years, roughly 43,000 jobs and about $56 billion in capital investment across Greater Phoenix. “For each dollar you invest, you do get a $106 in return,” Mackey said while summarizing the organization’s return on county investment.

Maureen Howe, GPEC’s chief financial officer, described a new regional brand platform — referred to in the presentation as a “new Way to City” — that GPEC plans to establish over a 12‑month launch period with a fuller national and local campaign expected to run multiple years. Howe said the rollout, including a website and social channels, is planned for January.

Supervisors pressed GPEC on practical barriers that make the region lose projects to other states. Mackey identified infrastructure gaps — unfinished roadways, missing water and sewer extensions, power and telecommunications — as the single most common reason projects do not choose a site, and she cited site‑readiness work the county and cities can coordinate to improve competitiveness. “You can have the perfect site and that site not be ready,” she said.

Workforce came up repeatedly. Supervisor Gallardo and others described declining community‑college enrollment and a need for scalable, “quick‑hit” training programs. Mackey said GPEC plans to meet with both the county workforce board and the Phoenix workforce board to coordinate apprenticeships and certification programs tied to employer needs, citing prior efforts to match high‑school robotics programs with local drone‑assembly jobs.

County staff also described a recent shift in county practice: Zach Shura, assistant county manager for external affairs, said the county created an economic development position to engage earlier in locate conversations so regulatory and workforce needs are addressed while companies are still evaluating the region.

Mackey outlined sector priorities — advanced manufacturing and semiconductors, aerospace and defense, biosciences and health care — and said the region needs more venture capital and family‑office investment to grow bioscience startups. She said GPEC will focus on attracting anchor investors and expanding workforce pipelines to support those sectors.

The presentation closed with offers to convene a roundtable with county leaders and GPEC to map infrastructure needs, and supervisors expressed interest in follow‑up meetings. Mackey said she will produce a 60‑day plan and return to the board with proposed next steps.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; supervisors directed staff to continue coordination with GPEC and workforce partners.