Arizona Association for Economic Development

🏆 Congratulations to the 2026 Golden Prospector Award winners!

At our 2026 Fall Forum in Flagstaff, AAED recognized 9 Golden Prospector Award winners and 16 Awards of Merit for excellence, innovation, and creativity in economic development across Arizona.

From major economic development deals and innovative workforce initiatives to placemaking, marketing, multimedia campaigns, and more, this year’s honorees are helping shape stronger communities and a stronger Arizona.

A special thank you to the Arizona Data Center Alliance for sponsoring the 2026 Golden Prospector Awards.

🔎 Want to learn more about this year’s winning programs and projects? Read the full list of 2026 Golden Prospector Award winners and Awards of Merit recipients here: https://aaed.com/2026-golden-prospector/

Applications are now open for the 2027 AZED Pro Cohort!

Ready to take your economic development career to the next level? The AAED Economic Development Cohort Program brings together a diverse group of professionals for a year of learning, connection, and growth.

Cohort members will:

• Build lasting relationships with economic development professionals across Arizona
• Gain tools and knowledge to develop innovative solutions and strengthen local economies
• Receive one-on-one check-ins with a Practitioner Advisor
• Participate in an exclusive cohort gathering outside of the courses
• Complete 7 required courses over the course of one year
• Earn their AZED Pro Certification and celebrate at graduation during AAED’s Fall Forum

Applications are due by 5:00 PM on November 20th.

Ready to learn, grow, and connect with the next generation of Arizona economic development leaders? Apply today 🔗 https://aaed.com/career-center/azed-pro-cohort-program/

Last week, AAED hosted our Blue Academy Course: Business Retention & Expansion (BRE)!

Participants explored the fundamentals of BRE, strategies for building and managing effective programs, common challenges businesses face, and practical solutions they can take back to their communities. The course also included hands-on group work focused on identifying red flags during site visits and developing solutions to real-world scenarios.

A special thank you to our speakers Armando Esparza, AZED Pro; Yvette Armendariz; and Mike Czechowski, CEcD, for sharing your expertise, experiences, and insights with our participants!

We appreciate everyone who joined us for an engaging afternoon of learning and collaboration.

We solved the mystery at the Fall Forum dinner! Huge thanks to all of our participants!

The AAED Fall Forum Welcome Reception is always a fun way to start the conference! We loved catching up with industry friends from across Arizona, especially those we don’t get to see every day.

Thank you to Fall Forum Chair Erica Sturwold of SRP and Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett for welcoming everyone, and to Shade 'N Net and UES - formerly Speedie & Associates, LLC for sponsoring the evening. We’re excited for the conversations ahead! 🌲

Kicking off the AAED Fall Forum outside the conference room with a tour of the City of Flagstaff’s Downtown Connection Center, a one-year-old, multimodal transit hub in the heart of downtown. Operated by Mountain Line, the facility brings local and regional bus service together with covered passenger areas, real-time transit information, public restrooms, bike amenities, and improved pedestrian connections. Designed with sustainability and long-term community needs in mind, the center helps make downtown more accessible while supporting Flagstaff’s continued growth and commitment to climate-conscious development.

We then walked to Mother Road Brewing Company for refreshments and to hear the story behind the company’s growth in Flagstaff, including its role in the city’s vibrant downtown business and craft-brewing community.

Thank you to the City of Flagstaff for providing appetizers, and a special thank-you to Marci Utakis of RLB and the Fall Forum Planning Committee for arranging this experience. We enjoyed seeing everyone there! 🌲🍻

Downtown Flagstaff Mother Road Brewing Company FLGMountainLine

🔎 The clues are adding up... and we’re just days away from Fall Forum!

Before we gather in Flagstaff, we want to give a special shoutout to Willmeng Construction, Inc., our Title Sponsor, and a huge thank you to all of our Fall Forum sponsors. Your support is a key piece of the evidence that makes this event possible!

From great conversations to new connections and insights into what’s driving growth across Arizona, we’re looking forward to uncovering the clues together.

See you this week! 🕵️‍♀️

🕵️ Fall Forum attendees, your Thursday night assignment has arrived...

Get ready to step into the world of Clue for our AAED Dinner Club! We encourage everyone to dress with intent and bring a little mystery to the evening. Think classic, confident and inspired by your favorite Clue character.

Whether you go all in on a character or simply incorporate a color or classic detail, we can't wait to see what you come up with!

A special thank you to Salt River Project for sponsoring Thursday evening’s dinner and helping make this experience possible!

🔎 The countdown is on! We’re just ONE WEEK away from the 2026 AAED Fall Forum, Clues to Growth: The Evidence for Economic Development, in Flagstaff!

A huge thank you to our Gold Sponsors for helping make this event possible: Arizona Public Service - APS, C&S Companies, Concord General Contracting, Inc., Goman York Property Advisers LLC, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., PDDG (Pat Davis Design Group), Resolution Copper, Rider Levett Bucknall RLB, Terracon, and Town of Prescott Valley, Arizona. 👏

We’re incredibly grateful for your support of AAED and Arizona’s economic development community.

Registration is officially CLOSED and Fall Forum is SOLD OUT! 🎉 We can’t wait to see everyone next week in Flagstaff for three days of learning, connection, and uncovering the clues to growth across Arizona.

Ready to strengthen your community’s small business ecosystem?

Join us for AAED’s Purple Academy Course: Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development!

This course will explore the vital role entrepreneurs and small businesses play in economic development, while providing practical strategies to:

• Assess community needs and develop tailored small business programs
• Support entrepreneurs through growth and common challenges
• Explore financing options, grants, and capital management strategies
• Leverage federal, state, and local resources
• Build partnerships that help small businesses thrive

Whether you’re looking to expand your economic development toolkit or strengthen the support available to entrepreneurs in your community, this course is a great opportunity to learn, connect, and take away strategies you can put into practice.

Register today and add another tool to your economic development toolkit 🔗 https://members.aaed.com/events/Details/purple-academy-course-entrepreneurship-small-business-development-1558444?sourceTypeId=Website