OPINION

Maricopa County’s networking attracting talent

BY JACK SELLERS

Arizonan Guest Writer

I’m a big believer in the power of connections. Connecting with your family and your community helps maintain social and mental health. Connecting is also crucial to building a healthy, robust workforce in a global economy.

The networking and partnerships we have built in Maricopa County are why we have earned the top spot in the country for talent attraction for the second year in a row.

One effective method of connecting we use in District 1 is through our partnerships at Sister Cities International. The worldwide organization was established after World War II to rebuild diplomatic relationships through cultural and educational exchanges. It has evolved into a great tool for collaboration and economic development.

As Vice-President of Arizona Sister Cities, and President of the Chandler Sister Cities, I’ve been actively involved with the organization for many years and firmly believe in the importance of these relationships.

Our Sister City relationship with Tullamore, Ireland provided many local contacts for employees from Intel’s Ireland facility who trained in Chandler.

The connection with our other Sister City, Tainan, Taiwan started as a cultural exchange through Little League baseball and has evolved into much more.

It’s a continuation of a productive friendship with Dr. William Lai, the current Vice President of Taiwan. When Dr. Lai was mayor of Tainan and I was a member of the State Transportation Board, I played a significant role in getting a reciprocal driver’s license agreement established between Arizona and Taiwan.

It’s also a continuation of a vibrant working relationship between Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, and the city of Taipei. The results of the Arizona/Taiwan connection have resulted in a significant economic impact to our region.

One of the biggest economic wins was from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. TSMC purchased more than 1,129 acres of undeveloped land in north Phoenix to build its multibillion-dollar semiconductor factory. Construction on the first phase is expected to be completed by 2024. It is the company’s first U.S. factory in two decades and will be one of just a handful of production sites outside of Taiwan. It will also generate 1,600 more jobs in Maricopa County.

TSMC’s development helps establish this region as a leader in advanced manufacturing and semiconductor industries. It also secures American jobs for work that is increasingly going overseas. This is the second major recent win for Arizona in this field. The first was Intel’s multibillion-dollar expansion in Chandler.

Sunlit Chemical also broke ground on a north Phoenix factory, the first U.S. manufacturing facility to supply the Valley’s growing chipmaking industry, including TSMC. It will commit $100 million in two phases to develop the 900,000-square-foot facility on 17 acres at Seventh Avenue and Alameda Road.

As a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s International Leadership Council, I’m pleased these relationships resulted in a signed agreement between GPEC and the Taiwan-USA Industrial Cooperation Promotion Office. This agreement will help attract and grow businesses in Maricopa County.

Leaders of the Arizona Commerce Authority and the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan also formalized a partnership to promote economic growth between Arizona and Taiwan.

Opportunities offered by these types of foreign investments should give us confidence about our ability to compete and thrive in a global economy. They should also reinforce the importance of staying connected.

Jack Sellers is a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors whose district includes Chandler and parts of Ahwatukee and Gilbert.

Black-owned businesses need your support

BY KEASHA BEACH

Arizonan Guest Writer

Black History Month gives Arizonans an avenue to celebrate and pay tribute to Black culture while simultaneously supporting the Black community.

Historically, our community has been disproportionately impacted economically and socially. Although we continue to face challenges, we are resilient and support one another.

Following the start of the pandemic and the social justice movement that arose after the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, I founded BASE Arizona to urge the community at-large to support our local Black-owned businesses that were facing unprecedented financial challenges.

The idea was born out of my participation in several online Facebook groups, including Buy Black Arizona and Black Moms of Arizona. Through social media, the black community was able to organize and connect, especially during a time when we all felt so distant.

Our goal is to create a welcoming, inclusive, supportive and shareable platform for the Black community and other members to connect, collaborate and ultimately prosper together here in Arizona. At first, we launched BASE Arizonato create a way for Black-owned restaurants to connect and collaborate since they were the first businesses forced to close their doors early in the pandemic. What started with just four Black-owned restaurants/food trucks and a social media presence of about 300 followers has now grown to more than 40 Black-owned businesses, including food service as well as retail businesses, in just 18 months. And we now have more than 4,800 combined followers on our social media pages.

By focusing on digital marketing, our monthly outdoor Food Truck Fridays, held the last Friday of every month at Founding Fathers Kitchen in Chandler, have continued to grow. With an ad spend of only $30 on Instagram, we’re able to reach approximately 3,600 local community members and share info on our events.

The pandemic exposed just how many Black-owned businesses rely on in-person interactions when many of them were forced to close. Black businesses experienced the most acute decline of active business owners, with a 41% drop.

And to worsen matters, the government aid program meant to keep small businesses afloat — the Paycheck Protection Program — onlyreached29% of Black-owned business applicants, compared with 60% of white ones.

Although these numbers are stark, with the community’s support and investment in Black-owned businesses, we believe the alliance we created is helping East Valley-based, Black-owned businesses recover and keep their doors open. And in addition to that critical goal, we’re also promoting inclusivity and empowerment, all while raising awareness about Black issues.

This past summer, we saw our community rally in support of the first-ever Juneteenth celebration in Chandler. Earlier this month we were honored to present a Black History Month series of events to celebrate the contributions and history of the Black community along with our partners the City of Chandler, Chandler4Change, Chandler Men of Action and South Chandler Self-Help.

When Black-owned businesses succeed, our community as a whole succeeds. We strongly urge East Valley residents to shop or utilize services provided by our local Blackowned businesses or share their favorite Black-owned business with us on social media @BASEArizona.

By uniting together we can ensure that our Black-owned businesses are able to survive and keep their doors open long past this pandemic.

Keasha Beach is an East Valley-based small business owner and founder of BASE Arizona (Black Alliance and Social Empowerment), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Blackowned businesses and voices.

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