City of Flagstaff, Arizona
With 266 sunny days per year, thousands of nature trails, a top research university, and a thriving job market, Flagstaff, Arizona is an ideal place for work and play. The city’s elevation—6,903 feet—leads to relatively mild weather, so residents can enjoy the outdoors whatever the season.
Twin Cities Development Association
Founded in 1985, Twin Cities Development (TCD) supports economic growth within Western Nebraska. The association is always eager to welcome new businesses and supports newcomers like family, TCD Executive Director Jordan Diedrich reports. This support includes connecting talent and industry, providing housing options, offering site selection assistance, and supporting economic development projects.
Town of Berlin, Connecticut
Berlin, Connecticut is on a mission to bring in business. Armed with forward-thinking, pro-business policies and a wealth of advantages, this New England town is making a name for itself among enterprises looking for an advantageous home base.
Brink Constructors
Electrical contractor Brink Constructors, Inc., a Quanta Services company, boasts more than 75 years of experience in high-voltage transmission line and substation erection. Headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, the business has expanded from its Midwest roots to include regional offices in Princeton, Minnesota and Leesburg, Florida. Founded...
Rapid Gear
Rapid Gear is a custom gear manufacturer that has led the industry in designing and building individual gears, gear boxes, and special purpose machinery since 1976. Operating from a world-class, 42,500-suare-foot facility in Southern Ontario, the company has the capability to produce virtually any number of gears in sizes ranging from two inches to 200 inches.
Arizona Association for Economic Development
Arizona has a remarkable track record when it comes to economic development. In fact, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) recently named the Greater Phoenix Economic Council the top economic development organization in the entire world. “We’ve got top notch talent,” says Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) Executive Director Carrie Kelly.
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc.
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc. specializes in large-scale commercial excavation work. Founded by Jeremy Hiltz in 1996, the business has grown steadily over the years to become a major player within the New Hampshire market, leading to the company tagline ‘We Dig NH…’
City of Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts has always been a seafaring city. “Salem’s history came from the ocean, from the water,” says Planning and Community Development Director Tom Daniel. Merchant vessels once circled the globe to bring goods back to the bustling New England port for distribution throughout the country. “It led to great wealth and prosperity here.”
Dickinson Area EDA
In 2021, Business in Focus reported on the economic opportunities that abound in the Dickinson area, a micropolitan region in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This month, we sat down with community leaders within the Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance (DAEDA) to learn about the region’s thriving tourism industry.
Sweetwater County, Wyoming
Business in Focus is visiting Sweetwater County, Wyoming once again. After reporting on the area’s major mining and industrial projects and highlighting the county’s burgeoning economic opportunities, we sat back down with community leaders to focus on the positive impact and increasing potential that tourism has within the region.
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Business in Focus previously profiled St. Landry Parish, Louisiana in 2017. This month, we circled back to learn about the remarkably effective economic structures the community has put into place over the last several years.
3DXTECH
The story of 3DXTECH began when, after thirty years of working for global leaders in the high-performance plastics and composites industry, the emerging technology of three-dimensional (3D) printing caught Matt Howlett’s eye. He bought a 3D printer, quickly recognized the untapped potential, and launched 3DXTECH in 2014
The Triple Bottom Line
According to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), businesses must commit to social and environmental concerns in equal measure to their commitment to profits. In other words, there isn’t just one bottom line; there are three: people, planet, and profit. In fact, the theory maintains that if a company only focuses on its earnings, without regard to the social and environmental impact, then it is impossible to gather a full and accurate cost of doing business.
Entrepreneurship Among Women Veterans
The United States is home to more than 2 million women veterans—and this number is on the rise. In 2000, women veterans made up just four percent of the veteran population, but that figure is predicted to make a dramatic leap to 18 percent by 2040, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Maricopa Economic Development Alliance
Maricopa, Arizona is enjoying remarkable growth as newcomers are drawn to the community’s economic opportunity, exceptional diversity, quality of life, and affordability, which make the city an attractive alternative to nearby Phoenix. Since 2000, Maricopa’s population has skyrocketed from approximately 1,200 people to 75,000. Just two decades ago, “We were nothing but farmland,” says Christian Price, the former Maricopa mayor and current President and CEO of the Maricopa Economic Development Alliance (MEDA).
Universal Technologies
Universal Technologies is a woman-owned IT consulting firm focused on servicing the government sector, primarily in New York City. The company provides projects, personnel, and solutions to deliver well-designed, well-managed, secure, and stable infrastructure and computing environments. This wide range of services and products covers everything from individual jobs to enterprise-wide solutions.
Bell and Howell
Technology-enabled field services company Bell and Howell services a wide range of automation equipment for multiple original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and markets across North America. We spoke to the company a year ago, reporting on how the Durham, North Carolina-based business helps customers increase efficiency and reduce operational costs through its comprehensive solutions in retail, grocery, pharmacy click-and-collect, automation, and production mail. This month, we sat down with senior executive and grocery commerce expert James Hermanowski to learn more about the company’s work to fight food insecurity through food bank technology.
City of Craig, Colorado
Nestled among canyons, rivers, and forests, Craig, Colorado, is a nature lover’s dream. “We have so many natural amenities to offer,” says Economic Development Manager Shannon Scott.
City of Converse, Texas
Converse, Texas continues to grow and thrive. Since Business in Focus profiled the San Antonio suburb in 2015, the community’s prime location, affordable living, and convenient amenities have kept drawing new residents—and the city can accommodate them all.
City of La Porte, Texas
The City of La Porte is a hidden treasure nestled along Galveston Bay. The slower pace of life in this friendly, tight-knit community feels light years away from nearby Houston. “You truly don’t realize you’re fifteen miles from downtown Houston, the fourth largest city in the nation,” says Assistant City Manager Matt Daeumer. “We’re a gem on Galveston Bay that people don’t know about. And we like it that way because it’s a quiet and comfortable place to live.”
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At Look at Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown Light Rapid Transit Line
On August 10 of this year, Phil Verster, CEO of Metrolinx, the regional transportation agency for the Ontario government, made a major announcement about Toronto’s long-delayed, multi-billion dollar Eglinton Crosstown Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system. Metrolinx, which is overseeing the troubled transit project along with another provincial agency, Infrastructure Ontario, could be in a position to announce an opening date in the near future, said Verster.
Bay Future, Inc.
“Our community is really embracing what the future could be.” – Trevor Keyes
City of Flagstaff, Arizona
With 266 sunny days per year, thousands of nature trails, a top research university, and a thriving job market, Flagstaff, Arizona is an ideal place for work and play. The city’s elevation—6,903 feet—leads to relatively mild weather, so residents can enjoy the outdoors whatever the season.
City of Westland, Michigan
Like the Middle River Rouge running through Hines Park in the City of Westland, prosperity and positive change are flowing into this lush, 22-square-mile town.
North Cape Coastal Drive
When Mi’kmaq people greet a visitor with “Pjila’si,” they’re not only saying “Welcome,” they’re saying, “Come in and sit down!”
Jeffery Homes
Over his years as one of Ontario’s premier home builders, Scott Jeffery has learned many things, particularly respect for customers and for the trades who work to ensure the Jeffery Homes brand maintains its sterling reputation. Jeffery and his team strive for better than the best—something the company has maintained for almost 60 years.
