Fiscal Year 2020 1

1 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2020 1 Table of Contents 02 Our Impact 10 FY20 Locates 07 President & CEO and the Chair of the Board 11 Board of Directors 08 Action Plan Recap 12 Investors 09 FY20 Performance Metrics 13 GPEC Staff Annual Report FY20 2 Our Impact Our Mission To attract and grow quality businesses, and advocate for Greater Phoenix’s Our mission drives us, our values guide competitiveness. us, and these stories are just a few of many that speak to our impact. Our Values We are an inclusive, diverse family We are change agents We lead from the front We promote intellectual curiosity We remain on the edge One by one. One life at a time. We are tenacious This is why we do the work we do. We are agile and adapt to change We are committed to selfless service 3 A story about diversity . I’m Ashley Dancer, cloud services challenging. It was important to professional at Acronis. I was born me when looking for a job, to find and raised in Omaha, Nebraska a company that values its people, and moved to Greater Phoenix gives back to the community in 2018 in search of greater and provides a safe inclusive opportunities and I found them. environment for its employees. I Acronis first expanded to One of the things I’ve grown to also wanted to ensure it had an Greater Phoenix in 2017 and love about Greater Phoenix is its internal structure geared toward selected Scottsdale as the diversity. Growing up in a smaller helping its staff succeed. I found headquarters of Acronis SCS town, there were certain areas in all of that at Acronis. Thanks to its in October 2019. Acronis the community that felt as if they flexible work schedule and tuition opened a cybersecurity operations center in Tempe catered to individuals that looked reimbursement, I’ve even been able in July 2019 and in total the different from me. I love how to enroll in a program through GCU two companies have 175 Greater Phoenix feels like a melting that will further advance my career employees in the market. pot. There’s a little bit of this and in cybersecurity. a little bit of that – truly something for everyone. Relocating to a new “ Greater Phoenix is a place where state, not knowing anyone was a really big leap of faith for me and everyone can be successful no right away I felt welcome. matter who you are.” Having a career in a male Greater Phoenix is a place where dominated industry like IT as an everyone can be successful no African American woman can be matter who you are. Photo credit: maricopa-az.gov 4 A story about opportunity . I’m Phillips Pipkins, vice For the past six and a half hike. When I decide to stay in president, technology banking years, I’ve worked for SVB. town on the weekends, I love at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). I’m Prior to being hired I had hopping on the light rail and originally from Miami, Florida no technology or banking meeting up with friends at one but I’ve lived in Arizona for the experience, but they decided of the great local restaurants past twenty years. to take a chance on me. or bars. During my time with SVB, When I was deciding which I’ve watched the company “ ...the decision to stay in college to attend, I had explode from around 150 Greater Phoenix was never a narrowed it down to two employees to well over 700. hard one for me. I love being options, one of which was I think a big reason why the part of this community... ” Arizona State University. company has experienced After being accepted into such a large migration of its While my educational and Silicon Valley Bank first expanded both, the affordability and employees from the Bay area career aspirations could to Greater Phoenix in 2012 caliber of programs it offered to the Greater Phoenix region have easily led me to move and announced an additional made becoming a Sun Devil is because of the better cost somewhere else, the decision expansion of 300 more jobs in an easy choice. Following of living that’s found here. to stay in Greater Phoenix 2019. It currently has more than graduation in 2012, I had an was never a hard one for 700 employees in the region. offer to move to Palo Alto, What I love the most about me. I love being part of this California but the chance to living in Greater Phoenix is community and look forward work with startups and have the quality-of-life. During the to continuing to help grow its a better cost of living made winter you can often find me innovation economy through staying in Arizona the more on the slopes after a few hours my work within the local attractive option. drive or enjoying a sunny startup community. 5 A story about building a life . I’m Erik Long, account executive at Front. values. Recently when I hit my two-year I’ve been with the company for the past anniversary, I received a card from a bunch two years working in the Bay Area but of my colleagues talking about the impact when they opened a new office in Phoenix I’ve had on their day-to-day lives. Everyone I jumped at the opportunity to move to the in the organization is so caring from the region. As my fiancé and I were deciding CEO down. if we should make the move to Greater Phoenix it was really an easy decision for I recently proposed to my fiancé while on us. For me it was the chance to advance my a weekend getaway to Sedona. As we’ve career with the same employer and for my started planning out our future together, fiancé it was the chance to work remotely we’re realizing how many of our dreams — with her same company that’s still based like homeownership — will become realities out of the Bay Area. for us much sooner than they would have had we stayed in California — which is Front announced expansion simply because the cost-of-living in Greater to Greater Phoenix in “AsmyfiancéandIweredeciding Phoenix is so much better than what we December 2019 with plans if we should make the move to experienced in the Bay Area. We’ll even to hire 50 employees in have plenty of income leftover each month Greater Phoenix it was really an sales and marketing. to maintain our active social lifestyle, easy decision for us.” allowing us to catch a Coyote’s game, rent a cabin up north for a long weekend or What I really like about working for simply take our dog for walks around town Front is the opportunity to work for an as we check out the local craft beer and organization that truly embodies its core culinary scene. 6 A story about innovation . I’m Nicole Rose, director, It’s important to find a job where public relations and corporate you wake up every day and you love communications at Nikola going into work. I found that at Nikola. Corporation. Absolutely everything appealed to me to apply at Nikola. Even though Greater Phoenix is large, Because how many people in their it doesn’t feel that way. It’s a tight knit lifetime can say that they worked community of people that want to for a company that from the ground help each other, and they want to see up, changed the world and did so in you succeed and do whatever they a way where they inspired people, can to help, and they will support you communities, companies and even in carving your own path. So, with countries to do better and be better. the booming economy, great cost of We have really ambitious goals, living and the beautiful outdoors— In 2018, Nikola Motor Company and we’re trying to transform the where else would you want to live? selected Greater Phoenix for its transportation industry and lead headquarters and manufacturing everything to zero emissions. So, for “ Because how many people in facilities with plans to bring 2,000 me, Nikola checked all the boxes. their lifetime can say that they jobs and $1 billion in capital worked for a company that from investment by 2024. Being employed means so much the ground up, changed the world more than a paycheck. It is my way and did so in a way where they to show who I am as a person, what I stand for in terms of my passions and inspired people, communities, core beliefs and it allows me to be a companies and even countries to positive role model for my children. do better and be better.” Annual Report FY20 7 President & CEO and the Chair of the Board FY20 was a record-breaking year for the Greater Phoenix Economic GPEC’s work and milestone year cannot be Council (GPEC) and our community partners. Together, we created understated. What the team, and public and 9,776 new jobs for Greater Phoenix residents with an average high- private partners have accomplished from a wage salary of $68,000, and drove capital expenditures to an all-time business attraction and jobs creation standpoint high. Those accomplishments are a testament to our team’s daily is astounding, especially given the unforeseen commitment to attract and grow quality businesses, and advocate economic impacts caused by the pandemic. for the competitiveness of Greater Phoenix.

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