Happy one-year anniversary to Sandra Watson at the helm of the Arizona Commerce Authority

Arizona over the last three years has been putting the pieces in place to compete regionally, nationally and globally. With major reforms to our tax system – corporate income, property and sales – Arizona has demonstrated that it’s ready to fight for jobs. And the world is taking notice. We’ve got the #6 best business environment according to CEO Magazine and we’re tops for entrepreneurial activity according to the Kauffman Index.

But we needed a business-minded entity and leader to tell Arizona’s story and to sell our state as a great place to invest and grow. Sandra and the ACA took up that charge and they have been delivering. The agency exceeded its annual goals by attracting over 15,000 jobs with annual wages north of $50,000 and more than $1.2 billion in capital investment. This year alone the ACA has worked with over 100 companies.

A lot of the credit goes to Sandra. She’s proven to be the right leader at the right time, showing that a public-private economic development entity can work in Arizona and drive job creation. Her insight into what makes a state competitive has proven invaluable as third-party analyses have credited the ACA with being responsible for $15.73 billion in total economic impact.

Congratulations, Sandra. I can’t wait to see what year two has in store.