Mitchel Allen, vice president, business development, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, has been named winner of the Arizona Association for Economic Development’s (AAED) Economic Development Distinguished by Excellence (EDDE) Award for Economic Developer of the Year, Large Community.
The prestigious EDDE Awards honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the advancement of the organization and also to the economic growth within the state of Arizona. Recipients are selected from a pool of nominations made by members of AAED.
Among other things, Allen was recognized for his efforts in marketing Greater Phoenix’s competitive advantage in manufacturing, warehouse and distribution. In just over a year, he has assisted 27 companies, bringing more than $1billion in capital investment to the region, primarily in the advanced manufacturing and industrial sectors. Companies, such as StitchFix, IRIS USA and Hadrian Manufacturing are among those occupying more than 3.9 million square feet with employees averaging $45,000 per year in salary.
Overall, eight EDDEs were presented during an evening awards dinner at the AAED Spring Conference in Lake Havasu City. The other winners are:
- Tom Pitts, economic development consultant in Yavapai County, Member of the Year.
- Tim Kanavel, Pinal County economic development manager, Economic Developer of the Year, Small Community.
- Salt River Project, Large Organization of the Year.
- Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation, Sierra Vista, Small Organization of the Year.
- Deeidra Skipton of Goodwill Industries of Central and Northern Arizona, Workforce Practitioner of the Year.
- Cori Garcia, economic development administrator for the Gilbert Office of Economic Development, New Member of the Year.
- Bruce A. Wright, associate vice president for Tech Parks Arizona at the University of Arizona, AAED Best of Arizona Award.
AAED, founded in 1974, has a mission to serve as Arizona’s unified voice advocating for responsible economic development through an effective program of professional education, public policy and collaboration.
For more information on AAED, visit www.aaed.com or call (602) 240-2233.