By Peter Madrid
Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona, Inc.
He’s irreverent, funny, opinionated – and did we mention he’s irreverent?
A standing-room-only audience – more than 200 Partners strong – was entertained at the final Valley Partnership breakfast of 2013 by the always-entertaining Grant Woods.
Even Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, this month’s “Mayor’s Minute” guest speaker, did not escape the good-humored barbs by perhaps Arizona’s most colorful former Attorney General.
Woods’ lively chat – which he has delivered to Valley Partnership for the past 7 years – was not for the faint of heart. And to his credit, he always warns the crowd. It’s also entertaining to see Valley Partnership President and CEO Richard Hubbard wince a bit as Woods takes the podium.
After Mayor Lord invited those in attendance to visit and also do business in her city, Woods came out swinging.
He offered his take on the Arizona governor’s race, told a hilarious story about a cab ride in Washington, D.C., and shared some anecdotes about Sen. John McCain. It was all presented in a way only Grant Woods can.
He did end on a semi-serious note by saying, “Leadership matters.” Whether it’s the oval office in D.C. or the governor’s office in Downtown Phoenix, “It does matter,” he said.
“We are the leaders,” Woods added. “Leadership counts, and we have great opportunities here. It matters.”
The January Valley Partnership breakfast will feature a panel discussing commercial market conditions for 2014. That event is set for Jan. 24.
Happy holidays from your humble blogger …
By Peter Madrid
Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona, Inc.
“Go West!”
With the Loop 303 corridor in the West Valley becoming one of the most active areas for new commercial projects in Metro Phoenix that was the rallying cry at Valley Partnership’s November breakfast.
Another sold-old audience – this time more than 270 partners strong – listened to guest speakers Jack Rasor, Partner, WDP Partners; Sheri Wakefield-Saenz, Director of Development Services, City of Goodyear; and Kevin Czerwinski, Principal and President, Merit Partners.
Moderating was Greg Vogel, CEO and Founder, Land Advisors Organization.
With Goodyear the third-fastest growing city in Arizona, the Loop 303 will have a huge impact. Goodyear, according to Wakefield-Saenz, is home to high quality employers including Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Sub-Zero Manufacturing.
Growth during the next 7 years – especially with developments springing up around the Loop 303 – is expected to play a key role. Wakefield-Saenz said Goodyear now has a population of 70,000. In 7 years, that number is expected to balloon to 175,000. She added that Goodyear will see an increase of 1,500 new homes built each year through 2020
Major projects planned for the 303 corridor are Estrella Falls regional mall and Prasada, Rasor told the audience. Estrella Falls is a few years behind schedule, he said, but a little something called “The Recession” had something to do with that. Both are back on track.
Czerwinski talked about Palm Valley 303, a 1,600-acre park on both sides of Loop 303 expected to include 20 million square feet of office, retail, warehouse and industrial space to be built over a 20-year period.
“Growth in the corridor will be pretty exciting,” Vogel said.
