Paying $20,392 to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council for economic-development services in fiscal year 2025-26 is to be considered at the July 15 Apache Junction City Council meeting.
The council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in the council chambers, 300 E. Superstition Blvd.
The city of Apache Junction and 21 other communities contract with GPEC on an annual basis to receive regional economic development services.
The city has contracted with GPEC for 17 years, Economic Development Director Ryan Kaup told the council during a July 1 meeting.
“Over the last year we have submitted on six GPEC-originated projects that have given us the opportunity — if we were to land one of these — up to 4,400 jobs, 1.5 million square feet of industrial space and $11 billion in capital investment,” he said.
Developers have been looking at a 640-acre site in south Apache Junction, he told the council.
“(T)he main site that we are getting in front of some of these bigger projects is that (State Route) 24 and Ironwood... That’s really our top economic-development site that we’ll continue to get looks at in the months and years to come,” Kaup said. “This really is a top economic-development site and the leads that GPEC is providing for us will continue to get considered more and more as development moves out this way.”
Key partnership benefits with GPEC include prospect generation, marketing and research analysis, Kaup wrote in a memo to the council.
The annual contract amount for GPEC is based on the state of Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity’s 2024 population estimate for Apache Junction (41,643) multiplied by a fixed amount per capita ($.4897). The city’s contracted rate for FY 2025-26 is thus $20,392, he said.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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