PHOENIX, ARIZ. (October 29, 2024) — The Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) presented 13 Golden Prospector Awards and seven Awards of Merit to recognize excellence, innovation, and creativity in economic development at its annual Fall Forum held last week in Prescott. The Golden Prospector Awards were established more than 20 years ago to recognize excellence in economic development. Global Roofing Group graciously sponsored the 2024 Golden Prospector Awards. Awards were presented in the following categories:
Economic Development Deal of the Year Golden Prospector Awards
The 2024 Golden Prospector for the Deal of the Year was awarded to the Town of Queen Creek and Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) for the LG Energy Solutions – Cylindrical Project. After a national search involving multiple regions in North America, LG Energy Solutions – Cylindrical Project finalized and announced a historic $3.2 billion investment in Queen Creek in March 2023. A number of partners played a special role in the project, including the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Pinal County, Arizona State Land Department, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Salt River Project (SRP), City of Mesa Gas, Central Arizona College, Arizona@Work, Governor Katie Hobbs, and Senator Mark Kelly. The South Korean company will manufacture batteries for electric vehicles on 110 acres of land with plans to hire more than 2,800 people. This once-in-a-generation investment will change the town’s landscape and elevate the region as well as Arizona.
Economic Development Program Golden Prospector Awards
The Town of Gilbert received a Golden Prospector for its ‘Gilbert Resident Career Training Scholarship Program,’ launched in 2020 as part of the #GilbertTogether Business Recovery Program. In partnership with the Maricopa County Community College District, the Town of Gilbert has awarded 329 scholarships –139 in the 2023-2024 school year alone. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, registration, and course fees in 19 different short-term Certificates of Completion training programs, providing entry-level and upskilling opportunities for eligible participants to prepare for high-demand careers.
The City of Kingman was awarded for its Kingman Revitalization Project, a transformational investment in a historic downtown that improves service delivery and drives measurable economic growth. Since initiating and completing several downtown revitalization initiatives and projects starting in 2017, hotel stays and foot traffic have increased, growing revenue by 54% for hotels and 69% for restaurants and bars.
Salt River Project received a Golden Prospector for the ‘SRP Seminar Series for Economic Development Partners,’ a program launched to enhance attendees’ abilities to promote the area, engage in meaningful discussions with constituents, and recognize when to involve utility partners and experts for assistance. The team hosted six seminars as part of its quarterly series from January to March 2024, with broad-ranging topics from water system and water supply initiatives to SRP’s energy efficiency rebates for commercial customers.
Special Event Golden Prospector Awards
The City of Surprise received a Golden Prospector for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Region 4 Competition. 550 high school students competed in over 50 leadership and business events in Surprise on the Ottawa University campus. The event increased community awareness of the fantastic partnership, education, and career opportunities offered by the City of Surprise and Ottawa University.
The City of Tucson also received a Golden Prospector for the Academy for International Trade, an event series designed for small and medium-sized businesses in northern Mexico interested in expanding their international operations. A series of eight workshops for 40 investors representing 35 companies were held, kicking off in Nogales, Sonora, in the fall of 2023 and ending with a graduation in Tucson, Arizona, on January 19, 2024.
Multimedia Promotion Golden Prospector Awards
Gila County was awarded a Golden Prospector for ‘Discover Gila County: Setting New Standards in Multimedia Promotion.’ This program sets a new standard in audience engagement and brand visibility through its innovative use of multimedia marketing, particularly video. In the past two years, Discover Gila County has achieved millions of impressions and tens of thousands of website visits at the most high-profile Arizona events, including the Super Bowl.
The Town of Gilbert received a Golden Prospector for its Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) national television commercial and media campaign. This campaign utilized the internationally visible LGPA Ford Arizona Championship, Gilbert’s first professional goal tournament, to develop a sophisticated and informative commercial that reached nearly a million viewers. The tournament attracted 18,584 attendees, 4,735 unique visitors, and $1.7 million in visitor spending.
GPEC was awarded a Golden Prospector for ‘The DRIP Campaign,’ launched to reposition messaging on Arizona’s water across social media with the hashtag #AZWaterFacts. To date, 80 posts with graphics and 40 clear, consumable facts explaining the Greater Phoenix water system have been published, reaching more than 2.3 million individuals.
Pinal County received a Golden Prospector for its 2024 economic development video, summarizing all the activity happening throughout Pinal County. The video, available on the county’s economic development website, has proven to be an effective tool for site selectors interested in learning more about Pinal County.
The City of Surprise was awarded a Golden Prospector for its ‘#SurpriseLovesIKEA’ campaign, capitalizing on an announcement in the summer of 2023 that IKEA was considering several new stores. Surprise created, filmed, and released three fun videos shared on social media and hosted multiple community stakeholder events to celebrate and market to the retail giant.
Website Golden Prospector Awards
GPEC received a Golden Prospector for its Economic Monitor webpage, a website tool that provides a concise picture of economic health by tracking and summarizing economic activity and trends at the national and regional levels. Since its launch in April 2023, website content, including the landing page and supporting thought leadership blog posts, has received over 6,000 views from nearly 4,500 users and 1.3 million impressions.
Marketing Brochure Golden Prospector Awards
Pinal County received a Golden Prospector for its 2024 Economic Development Profile, a marketing brochure that provides a dynamic resource to spotlight the vast array of assets that make it an ideal destination for business location and investment. The brochure has been distributed to site selectors, commercial real estate brokers, strategic partners, and conferences such as the Site Selectors Guild.
Golden Prospector Awards of Merit
- Deal of the Year
- SRP for their work on the DSV expansion
- City of Tempe for the Foresight Technologies Expansion
- Special Event
- City of Globe for its First Friday event
- City of Tempe for its State of Advanced Manufacturing in Tempe event
- Multimedia Promotion
- City of Mesa for the Business Advocate e-Newsletter
- Website
- Pima County for the Pima County Property Explorer website
- Marketing Brochure
- City of Mesa for the Asian District Mesa AZ brochure
About the Arizona Association for Economic Development
AAED, founded in 1974, has a mission to serve as Arizona’s unified voice for responsible economic development through professional education, public policy, and collaboration. For more information on AAED, visit www.aaed.com or call (602) 240-2233.