Chamber of Commerce

Welcome to Buckeye

The city is a wealth of alfalfa, birds and invested residents

By Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce 10, making the frontage roads an

Buckeye was founded in 1888 and incorporated in 1929 as a 400-acre town. The city now sits on 600 square miles, making it, geographically, Arizona’s largest city. The cotton, alfalfa and maize fields are still here, interspersed with housing developments and booming businesses.

Buckeye is the country’s fastestgrowing city, according to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau.

Located just 35 miles west of Phoenix, Buckeye is convenient to work, sightseeing and an exciting nightlife, yet far enough away to retain a comfortable small-town feeling.

Residents can take advantage of offerings found in a metropolitan city and then return to the quiet comforts of home.

Population figures reflect the tremendous growth the city is experiencing. The special Census recorded Buckeye’s population as 83,000 residents. These folks are hugely invested in this community and strive to make it the most ideal place to live, work and raise a family.

The growth is not just in residential development.

Sundance Towne Center, Sundance Crossing and the Market on Broadway are home to a number of small retail businesses and restaurants, as well as large national retailers, banks and restaurant chains and retail outlets.

The southwest corner of Dean and Yuma roads is home to the justice court, Buckeye Police and Fire departments, and the Coyote Branch Library.

Educational opportunities include the West-MEC campus, the ASU Entrepreneur Innovation Center and the Grand Canyon University bachelor’s degree program. Estrella Mountain Community College Buckeye Educational Center offers classes in what used to be the original Buckeye Union High School.

Every day, more than 75,000 cars travel through Buckeye on Interstate ideal location for a marketing and/or billboard signage opportunities.

The city’s unique partnership with the State Department of Water Resources and Developers determined the ample water supply in the Hassayampa River Basin west of the White Tank Mountains can provide our growing city with water in the future. The Hassayampa River Basin is the largest untapped aquifer in Arizona.

HISTORIC MAIN STREET

Formerly old U.S. Highway 80, Monroe Avenue is Buckeye’s Historic Main Street. A stretch of the original roadbed is still in use where Monroe Avenue dead-ends into Apache. Old U.S. Highway 80 was originally called the Dixie Overland Highway or the Broadway of America. Before 1926, developers and towns scrambled to be on a coast-to-coast route. The Dixie Overland Highway was the first allyear, coast-to-coast roadway. Because many of these highways shared the same roadbed through parts of the country, people became confused by the colorful names given.

In 1926, the federal government stepped in and replaced it with a numerical system. Old U.S. Highway 80 started at Tybee Island, Georgia, and crossed the country entering Arizona near Douglas, continuing through Tucson, Phoenix and Buckeye, south to Gila Bend and exited the state in Yuma. Its western terminus was San Diego.

EDUCATION

Arizona is a right-to-choose state for education. Parents are provided the right to choose from a wide variety of school options, including public, charter, private, online or home education. Expanding school choice is the single best strategy for improving education for all children and the state of Arizona proudly supports this initiative.

The city of Buckeye is no exception.

ENVIRONMENT

In spite of the heat and rain, the Sonoran Desert is one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. Among the wildlife living in the Sonoran Desert are mountain lions, bobcats, javelina, mule deer, coyotes, ring-tailed cats and even bighorn sheep.

A wide variety of desert plants ranging from mesquite and Palo Verde trees to brittlebrush and, of course, the mighty saguaro, happily call the desert home. Cactus and creosote flourish, along with a wide array of wildflowers making their annual debut in early spring and again occasionally after the beginning the monsoon.

The diversity and quantity of birds migrating through make bird watching one of the most popular activities. In Buckeye, you may see them at Robbin’s Butte Wildlife Area, and White Tank Mountains and Skyline regional parks.

WEATHER

Living in the surroundings dominated by a desert climate is an adjustment for many new residents. Buckeye sits in a microclimate somewhat different than Phoenix, with less rain than the Phoenix average, higher summer temperatures, cooler winter nights and more days of sunshine.

Average spring temperatures range from 48 to 72 F and summer temperatures range from 65 to 108 F. Annual precipitation is 7.6 inches, and the average is 36.4 days with precipitation. The annual sunshine average is 325 days. The monsoon season, which occurs between midJune and mid-September, brings powerful rain and dust storms. Humidity ranges from a record low of 2% to as high as 78%, with the annual average at 50% in the mornings and 23% in the afternoons. July and August are the months of highest afternoon humidity due to monsoon.

Welcome to Peoria

The ‘jewel of the West Valley’ is open for business

By Scot Andrews President & CEO Peoria Chamber of Commerce

Living in and calling Peoria home provides a deep sense of pride and appreciation for the decades of leadership, conscientious civic planning and thoughtful economic development that has occurred long before our family relocated here with the Coca-Cola Company 15-plus years ago.

It is a privilege to lead the Peoria Chamber of Commerce as president and chief executive officer and represent the “voice of business” in Peoria.

As Peoria residents, we enjoy wide open vistas, a burgeoning, vibrant and unique business community amidst amazing amenities such as Lake Pleasant, the P83 district, Old Town Peoria and the exploding Northwest corridor including four corners, Vistancia, Paloma Park and more.

The Peoria Chamber of Commerce is an advocate for business, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit while proudly displaying our patriotism and promoting our diverse community with honor and integrity. The Peoria Chamber, with a membership of over 1,500 businesses, strives to create a climate of growth and business success in which all companies, regardless of size or industry, can prosper and benefit.

The Peoria Chamber of Commerce understands that to sustain a strong economic environment you must have a strong community. We are fortunate to have leaders, business owners, educators and citizens who realize that we all share in the responsibility of creating economic success, growth and positive lifestyle within our community. The Peoria Chamber’s primary goal is working to improve the quality of life for all businesses through a support network and commitment and contribution to the community good by its members, volunteers and committees.

Our volunteer committees — Peoria Business Alliance, Government Affairs and Veterans Affair s— provide leadership, service, support and development for constituents across multiple business sectors from manufacturing, to retail, to health care, to telecommunications and more.

We are always seeking leaders and community volunteers to support our business community.

We are laser focused on supporting “shop, spend and socialize local.” Our entrepreneurship IQ and associated businesses are truly unique. The strength of a building is in its foundation. The same is true with small business in a community. If the small businesses are healthy and prospering, then jobs, schools and lifestyle are unique, healthy and burgeoning. I think all of us have had good and bad experiences with small businesses. There are in fact “new” ventures or established offerings with changing owners, but the good by far outweighs the bad in Peoria. These are our five reasons I think supporting our small community with your dollars is crucial to our lifestyle, economy and overall quality of life.

Originality and Cultural Character:

“The uniqueness and personality of local businesses is a reflection of the beliefs, hopes and dreams of the owners and community in which they live.” In a homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage, lifestyle attractiveness and growth.

Community Decision Making,

Investment and Sensitivity: “Locally owned businesses focus their solutions, services on their communities and those ever-changing needs relentlessly and with great sacrifice.” They care about causes in the community, their employees who live in the community and seek to give back to the community. Large business, for the most part, doesn’t act local. Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions.

Economic Contribution to the Local

Economy: Chains and national brands typically extract dollars out of the market. And are resistant to invest in charities and local business associations, without corporate red tape. Locally owned businesses channel a large share of their revenue back into the local economy. “Locally owned business is a growth engine for a community if the right balance between regulation and the environment is constructed by municipalities and the economy, jobs, schools and services are the benefactors.”

Jobs, Employment Outcomes, Unique

Career Path and Wages: Locally owned businesses create more jobs and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than national brands and reginal chains. Individuals benefit from local leadership for providing them career paths, without leaving their home market. “Local businesses tend to care deeply for their employees in a way that larger brands and chains don’t. Employees, in many cases, get operational experience and career pathing opportunities faster than in a larger brand business.”

Entrepreneurship & Diversity of

Offerings: Healthy entrepreneurship in Peoria and the West Valley reflects economic innovation and prosperity serving as the means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class. A marketplace with many offerings is more competitive and lowers prices. “As a small local business, each has the adaptability to select products/solutions based, not on a national plan or strategy but on the interests, needs, wants and expectations of their local customers. This creates unique buying and social experiences and rich environment for growth. Now more than ever, through this pandemic, our Peoria businesses and the continued health of our community need your dollars and patronage more than ever. Let us not lose what we have worked so hard to create for our community and families.”

The Peoria Chamber of Commerce can be reached at memberservices@peoriachamber.com. For more information, visit peoriachamber.com. Source: ilsr.org.

Welcome to the Southwest Valley!

By Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce

Whether you’re here temporarily or for the long haul, we know you’re going to love our communities. There is something for everyone.

Four cities create the Southwest Valley — Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park and Tolleson — with each bolstering its unique style, culture and feel. Each of our cities has a different vibration and when you put them all together, no place in the world has as much to offer as the Southwest Valley.

You can enjoy Major League Baseball, the excitement of NASCAR, the gridiron action on the National Football League, and the cool excitement of the National Hockey League. You can also wander through our award-winning zoo and aquarium, hike through our mountain parks, or take a relaxing walk along the Tres Rios wildlife area.

With more than 300 days of sunshine each year, the Southwest Valley is a great place for the outdoor enthusiast or winter visitor escaping the cold. Golf, tennis, swimming, fishing and other fun awaits. There’s plenty to do inside, too! Amazing entertainment centers, the most modern movie theaters, bowling, shopping, antiquing, museums and art galleries are only some of the indoor adventures awaiting you. Whether for pleasure or business, choose from the dozens of hotels and resorts to fit your needs and lifestyle. There’s a perfect spot for the entire family; a couple’s getaway; or the traveling professional.

You’ll be overwhelmed with the choice of places to dine in the Southwest Valley. Opt for fine dining, casual restaurants, darling cafes, your familiar favorites and our hometown flavors. You better come hungry!

Arts and culinary festivals, music and dance events, parades and fairs, and over 1,000 other events happen each year in the Southwest Valley.

As one of the fastest-growing economic areas in the country, the Southwest Valley has professional meeting rooms, event locations and other services to meet the needs of corporate America.

Many civic organizations such as Rotary International, Kiwanis, Elks, VFW and American Legion are

pleased when members from other areas stop for a visit. Think about joining and getting involved. Whether you’re a new resident, visiting the area, or have been around a while, your first place for assistance is the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce. Our friendly, informed staff can help you find whatever you’re looking for in the area. The Southwest Valley Chamber Jeffery Campos of Commerce is a resource for entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and the community. We serve as the central resource of a strong collaborative business community by advancing economic growth, cultivating a vibrant business environment, and facilitating our members’ success while helping to maintain our high quality of life, and preparing a proud legacy for future generations. There’s just so much to discover in the Southwest Valley. Be active, get involved, and truly experience why the Southwest Valley is the place to be.

Engage. Advocate. Influence.

SouthwestValleyChamber.org 623-932-2260