Brian Adkins joined the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development August 2024 as an Economic Development Specialist. In this position, Brian provides support, information, and tools for businesses looking into locating and expanding in Mesa. 

Prior to joining the City of Mesa, Brian worked in commercial real estate with NAI Premier, completing land development, industrial, office, and retail projects for local to national credit clients throughout the Greater Salt Lake City region. Prior to his work at NAI, Brian spent more than five years in Arizona working for Intel Corporation at Fab 32, specializing in process engineering, quality control, maintenance, troubleshooting, and operations.

He earned his Master of Arts in Political Psychology from Arizona State University’s School of Politics and Global Studies in December 2022, after earning concurrent Bachelors of Arts in History and Religious Studies at Arizona State in December 2020 with the G.I. Bill.

Growing up in rural Tennessee, Brian raised beef cattle and grew both burley and dark-fired tobacco with his sister, parents, and grandparents on their multigenerational family farm on Yellow Creek. After graduating high school, he served for seven years in the United States Navy, deploying in service of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom in 2007 and 2008.

Brian loves to explore Arizona with his wife and daughter. Whether navigating the twisting trails of the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch or meeting with near-mythical histories at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, the Adkins family is often courting adventure.