Brad Vynalek Shares Perspective on Economic Development in COVID Era in American City Business Journal Article
Brad Vynalek provided insight about the keys to successful regional economic development, especially in the wake of COVID-19, for an American City Business Journal article about the topic.
Vynalek, Quarles & Brady president and a board member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, talked about why Phoenix has been so successful in its development efforts and what other regions can learn from Phoenix. An excerpt from the article:
Competition for those projects is fierce, but Vynalek said a common thread of successful regions is the ability to regionally cooperate and pull in the same direction. That’s not a given in all markets, but it’s one reason Vynalek believes Phoenix has recorded the growth it has in recent years and during the pandemic.
“Leadership matters a lot,” Vynalek said. “The public-private partnership piece has been really critical because it's resulted in everybody rowing in the same direction.”
Vynalek said the groundwork for the recent success was laid before Covid-19 with a collaborative process that leaned on public-private partnerships and emphasized regular communication.
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The past two years have also sparked efforts to take a more inclusive approach to economic development and recruitment in many regions.
“It’s been really refreshing to see not just the public sector and the mayors do this, but the private sector also realizing, ‘Wait a second. This is a moment to create more broad equity,’” Vynalek said.