CASE STUDY: Glendale thoughtfully tells compelling vision for the West Valley

MAP Strategies Group CEO Mi-Ai Parrish (right) leads a panel discussion on behalf of the City of Glendale during a gathering of top aerospace and defense companies in late 2018.

By Mark Nothaft, MAP Strategies Group

Time was when any neighborhood west of Central Avenue in Phoenix was considered a no-go zone, undesirable, ignored by developers; a notion that the area was crime-riddled, heavy on low-income housing, industrial properties and agriculture.

I call it the “West Side Bias,” and warranted or not, the perception felt palpable, the negative stereotype hindering growth in far West Valley communities like Avondale, Goodyear, Glendale and Buckeye for generations, while East Valley communities like Scottsdale, Chandler and Gilbert thrived.

That was when the then-economic development director for the City of Glendale around 2017 came knocking. Battling the ‘bias,’ he looked to MAP Strategies Group to flip the script for his West Valley enclave, which had the new Loop-303 County highway coming online, along with new City Manager Kevin Phelps, a then-dilapidated downtown area and sputtering entertainment district, thousands of newly annexed acres to fill and outfit with expensive infrastructure – sidewalks, curbs, lighting, signage, signals, water, trash, sewage systems, police and fire, the stuff that makes cities go – and the heft of the West Side Bias weighing everything down.

Take a deep breath, Brian Friedman, we got this.

TAKE STOCK, CREATE NEW REALITY
It may be hard to envision at first glance, but downtown Glendale rests a mere eight miles away from Phoenix's Central Business District along Grand Avenue. The area allows efficient connectivity to Interstates 10 and 17, Loops 101, 202 and 303; a PAD footprint and lower cost-per-square-foot for Class A Commercial than any other Valley city; hundreds of thousands of skilled workers live within a 15 minute commute; comparatively low single-family home prices; growing retail and entertainment options at Westgate; a charming historic core with a vibrant arts scene; educational opportunities at ASU West, GCU and Glendale Community College; and an eager city team willing to cut red tape and streamline the development process.

OMG, think we have the basis for greatness, MAP CEO Mi-Ai Parrish and I came to realize.

“Here was this 'small but mighty' economic development team with lots of data pointing in the right direction on the cusp of something truly remarkable,” recalls Ms. Parrish. “We merely helped extract their value proposition and tell the Glendale story to anyone who would listen – relocation experts, developers, tech leaders, logistics firms, local and national media. Glendale went from zero to 100 in what seemed like a blink of an eye.”

Maybe MAP got lucky, but we like to think we played a hand in shaping the narrative for what came next.

Lightning did strike. The West Valley blew up – and grew up. Glendale became the place to live, work and play in the West Valley. Red Bull came, as did Wolf-SubZero, Daimler, Ferrero, Figs, REI, Lennox, Amazon, Walmart, Boeing, Puma, Nestle, Orbital, American Furniture Warehouse, luxury auto dealers, Tanger Outlets, TopGolf, multiple hotels including the recently opened VAI Resort and more. Momentum grew as companies reached out to the Economic Development office almost daily.

MAP told stories of growth, sure, but also of history and geography, opportunity and connections. We built presentation decks, created persuasive arguments, generated regional awareness, hosted events, supported city leaders. We broke bread with Mayor Jerry Weiers, Vice Mayor Joyce Clark, Council members Bart Turner, Ray Malnar and others, who told us about historic challenges and hopes for their city's future.

OWN NARRATIVE, CREATE VALUE
We listened, digested, then spoke. When the City wanted to shift its priorities away from hockey at Glendale-owned Gila River Arena, we advised on language and placed stories in The Arizona Republic, TV-3/Arizona's Family and the Glendale Star. We hosted a panel discussion when aerospace and defense leaders convened in the area, touting Luke Air Force Base, the world training epicenter for the Lockheed Martin F-35, the baddest fighter jet on the planet.

Some call what we did 'rocket science,' we call it storytelling. Compelling Glendale threads frequently showed themselves to us, a community with deep roots reflected in its 2019 rebrand, we merely told their story. And now the nation knows this ‘Westside Story,’ an ongoing narrative still unfolding today.