March 2023

Economic Reporter

City of Mesa | Office of Economic Development

Driving entrepreneurial success in Mesa!

Throughout history, entrepreneurs have been responsible for a disproportionate number of the truly profound innovations – computer, telephone, airplane, automobile, electricity, to name a few. These innovations develop into entire industries driving world economies and improving the lives of billions of people.

Simply speaking, entrepreneurship spurs innovation, improves productivity, and creates jobs. This is evident at the local level in the City of Mesa where a lion’s share of its economy is driven by entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses.

Not long ago, the Phoenix-Mesa metro ranked as one of the 15 best cities in the nation to launch a startupⁱ. More recently, Mesa was named one of the “Top Coworking Suburbs in America” by CoworkingCafe.comⁱⁱ. Mesa’s coworking, incubator, and maker spaces include the likes of LaunchPoint, Co+Hoots, Expansive, ThinkSpot, and Heatsync, among others, all providing critical space, resources, and tools to help entrepreneurs develop and commercialize products and services, and then build them into prosperous companies.

LaunchPoint, the City of Mesa’s technology incubator, has been especially successful helping entrepreneurs start and grow companies. LaunchPoint graduates include CleanRouter, Avagate, GT Medical Technologies, Ambercycle, R2 Advanced Technologies, and Urbix Resources.

Urbix began at LaunchPoint occupying a single office and limited lab space as they worked to develop and commercialize their technologies. Today, the company is an environmentally friendly processor of battery grade graphite and occupies a 31,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility in Mesa. Urbix expects to see extensive growth as an important supply-chain provider in the booming electric vehicle sector.

Additionally, the City is developing a Small Business Resource Center at The Studios @Mesa City Center. The Studios @Mesa City Center is a collaboration between Mesa and ASU next door to ASU’s newly built MIX Center in Downtown Mesa. When opened, spring 2024, the Small Business Resource Center will feature state-of-the-art space for collaboration, training, networking, hosting meetings, personal assistance navigating City processes, and workforce connections. The Resource Center will offer conference rooms, a computer lab, technology tools and equipment, podcasting booths and editing equipment, and other valuable amenities.

For entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses needing help with essential business skills, the City of Mesa has launched Mesa Business Builder. This program includes resources and tools such as MesaBusinessBuilder.com, the Small Business Assistance Program, Mesa HUUB, as well as the already mentioned LaunchPoint, and Small Business Resource Center.

MesaBusinessBuilder.com is a one-stop online resource catalog to help businesses starting up, operating, or looking to expand in Mesa. It offers a wealth of information for business concerns such as licensing, permitting, location assistance, financial assistance, business consulting and more.

Small Business Assistance Program provides FREE professional consulting covering an array of business concerns to improve competitiveness for qualified for-profit commercially or residentially located Mesa small businesses. APPLY HERE

Mesa HUUB is a FREE online, bilingual, member platform that provides an on-demand learning library, events calendar, community board, grant opportunities, online professional business advisors, and a member directory.

Sound community economic development strategies include growing innovative businesses from within. That’s what we are doing in Mesa. Learn more about Mesa’s economic development efforts at www.SelectMesa.com.

ⁱhttps://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-cities-for-startups-2019-7, Jul 9, 2019

ⁱⁱ https://www.coworkingcafe.com/blog/these-are-the-top-coworking-suburbs-in-america/, Feb. 15, 2023

Mesa Office of Economic Development welcomes three new employees

January 2023, three new employees joined the team at the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development – Elsa Beljean, Frank Adams, and Russ Scheetz.

Elsa Beljean joined the team as the newest Economic Development Project Manager. Elsa leads the Business Retention and Expansion efforts assisting Mesa’s existing businesses. Previously, Elsa worked as Regional Economic Development Planner and later as Policy and Government Relations Specialist at the Maricopa Association of Governments. Before that, Elsa owned a marketing agency specializing in foreign direct investment attraction to Mexico and the U.S.

Elsa is fluent in Spanish and French. She holds a B.S. in International Business from the Autonomous University of Baja California, and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from CETYS University Graduate School of Business. She also holds a post-graduate certificate degree in International Trade Negotiations from El Colegio de Mexico, and in U.S. Political Institutions and U.S.-Mexico Relations from the University of California San Diego. BIO

Frank Adams joined the Office as an Economic Development Specialist. In this position, Frank provides support, information, and tools for businesses looking into locating and expanding in Mesa.

Prior to joining the City of Mesa, Frank worked in commercial lending, providing support to clients both internally and externally to build up a diverse portfolio of strong clients and commercial loans. He has also spent time reviewing client financials and underwriting commercial loans and businesses. Frank graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Economics and from Florida State University with an MBA. BIO

Russ Scheetz also joined the City of Mesa as an Economic Development Project Specialist. Previously, Russ owned and operated Sync Realty, a real estate brokerage that he grew to two locations and 70 agents. In addition, Russ has worked in commercial real estate assisting restaurants and retail businesses with site selection. Russ sat on the Rapid City Economic Development Committee helping companies with the site selection process. Russ graduated with a B.S. in Social Sciences from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. BIO

Benchmark Electronics opens Precision Technologies facility in Mesa

Exclusive Video

News from Mesa’s Airports

Falcon Field growing with vast development: Falcon Field Airport was recently featured on the Aviation Property Network (APN) highlighting some of the projects and developments taking place here in Mesa. The second phase of Mesa Hangars, the new state-of-the-art 23-acre, 350,000-square-foot development of offices with hangars, is now leasing. A formal ribbon cutting for Phases I and II is slated for April. For information about properties and development available at Falcon Field Airport, visit www.falconfieldairport.com/real-estate or contact Ondre Seltzer, Airport Economic Development Project Manager, at 480-644-4276 or ondre.seltzer@mesaaz.gov.

Cunningham Aviation begins service at Falcon Field Airport: Cunningham Aviation, the newest full-service fixed-base operator at Mesa’s Falcon Field Airport, is now offering Jet A and Avgas/100LL with truck service and a self-service Avgas island. Other services include aircraft ground handling and parking (ramp or tie-down), hangars, hangar leasing/sales, and aircraft lavatory service.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport sees tremendous Super Bowl traffic: Super Bowl weekend, combined with the Waste Management Phoenix Open brought tens of thousands of passengers and hundreds of corporate jets to Gateway Airport during the weeklong festivities. The Monday following the Super Bowl was the busiest post-Super Bowl Monday in the Airport’s history. Gateway Airport had more than 120 corporate aircraft fly into and out of the Airport. www.GatewayAirport.com

Visit Mesa and Mesa, Arizona recognized for groundbreaking work around accessible travel experiences

Visit Mesa and Mesa, Arizona are being recognized in Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Awards for groundbreaking work around accessible travel experiences. As Travel + Leisure editors stated in the introduction to the awards, “Traveling with positive intent and impact has never been more vital.”

The Global Vision Awards 2023 celebrate innovators and innovations that are leading the world to a more sustainable, inclusive future. To arrive at this year’s list of 25 honorees, nominations were sourced from an esteemed panel of industry leaders and experts across the travel, hospitality, retail, and non-profit sectors, along with Travel + Leisure editors and correspondents. The final winner selections were made by Travel + Leisure editors.