Mayor Elaine Scruggs’
2006 State of the City Business Address

February 9, 2006
Glendale Civic Center

(Find a specific section of the speech by clicking the links below:
Introduction | Downtown | Jobing.com Arena | Westgate & Zanjero
Stadium | Annexation | Jobs | City Council Goals)

WHEN I SPOKE AT THE GLENDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL MEETING IN 2002 I SAID THAT THE CITY OF GLENDALE WAS “WILLING TO HAVE THE PATIENCE TO WAIT FOR THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENTS TO MAKE WESTERN GLENDALE THE REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT CENTER FOR THE ENTIRE WEST VALLEY”. THAT STATEMENT IS STILL TRUE TODAY.

THE CITY OF GLENDALE ABSOLUTELY MUST DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN OUR CITY AND WE MUST ATTRACT JOBS THAT MATCH THE PROFESSIONS AND INCOME LEVELS OF OUR RESIDENTS.

EXPECT TO BE HEARING MORE ABOUT OUR AGGRESSIVE EFFORTS TO BRING JOBS TO GLENDALE DURING 2006. WE ARE OFF TO A FANTASTIC START WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT TWO WEEKS AGO THAT TRIPLE A WILL GENERATE UP TO 1,400 NEW JOBS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS IN ITS NEW LOCATION AT THE TALAVI BUSINESS PARK.

A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THESE JOBS ARE “HIGH-WAGE” POSITIONS, PAYING MORE THAN $75,000 ANNUALLY AND THEY INCLUDE BENEFITS. WHEN FULLY STAFFED, TRIPLE-A WILL BE ONE OF GLENDALE’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS.

THIS RECENTLY-COMPLETED DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WITH TRIPLE-A REPRESENTS THE NEXT STEP FOR US AS HIGH-QUALITY EMPLOYERS ARE THE FINAL PIECE NEEDED TO BUILD A TOTAL, BALANCED COMMUNITY. WE TRULY WILL LIVE UP TO THE OFTEN-USED PHRASE, A QUALITY PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY.

IN REVIEWING WHAT I FOCUSED ON FOR EACH STATE OF THE CITY BUSINESS ADDRESS SINCE 2001, IT WAS CLEAR THAT MY THEME WAS WHAT COULD BE AND WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING IN GLENDALE GIVEN OUR ATTRIBUTES OF LAND, TRANSPORTATION, AND WORK FORCE.

MY GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT DURING THOSE YEARS WAS THAT EVERYONE DIDN’T SEEM TO SHARE OUR VISION. MY PLEDGE WAS THAT WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY CAME TO THEIR SENSES AND REALIZED THAT GLENDALE IS TRULY WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.

IN ALL HONESTY I CAN NO LONGER CONTINUE WITH THAT THEME. WE ARE FIRMLY ON THE COURSE TO OUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE. AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY DID FINALLY COME TO THEIR SENSES.

DURING THE SPAN OF FIVE YEARS --- FROM THE YEAR 2000 TO THE YEAR 2005 --- THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES IN GLENDALE DOUBLED FROM 4,056 TO 8,061.

AND ACCORDING TO THE MARICOPA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS POPULATION PROJECTION MAPS, LOOP 101 AND GLENDALE AVENUE --- HOME OF Jobing.com Arena AND THE University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. --- MIGHT BE THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA IN 20 YEARS.

EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUSINESS CLIMATE IN GLENDALE EVEN TEN YEARS AGO IS CHANGED. EVERY STEREOTYPE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAD OF GLENDALE EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO IS CHANGED.