In this episode of the ABI Multifamily Minute, John Kobierowski interviews Thomas Maynard, Vice President of Business Development for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC).

The role of GPEC is to help plant the flag and show companies the many reasons why they should come to the metro-Phoenix area. Founded in 1989, GPEC was created to consolidate the strategy for the greater Phoenix area, and market the entire region. GPEC is a nonprofit and its services are completely free. 40% of GPEC funding comes from the cities themselves, and the remainder comes from the 180 companies that are members of organization, including law firms, banks, commercial real estate firms, developers, brokers, anybody who has the shared goal of growing the economic base of the region.

The organization helps companies understand demographic and population breakdown, what cities are growing, where the growth areas are within the region, and where the right talent can be found. Thomas’ role at GPEC is to walk companies through considerations like partnerships with educational institutions and economic incentives. As Phoenix continues to grow, GPEC is working hard to coordinate the efforts of cities, state, universities, and other parties to drive the continued economic development of greater Phoenix.  GPEC research and resources can be found at GPEC.org.