Pinal County's top brass hit D.C. this past week to hobnob with Arizona's congressional delegation and industry bigwigs during the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s high-stakes ExecMission. Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Mike Goodman, his Vice-Chair Jeffrey McClure, and county Economic honcho James Smith made the cross-country trek with aims to attract future growth and suss out federal programs to benefit the region.
The power trio didn’t just take in the sights of the nation’s capital, they dug into meaty discussions on sectors key to Pinal County's prosperity. Think infrastructure, the booming aerospace, and defense sectors, climate technology, bioscience, you name it. Their efforts are meant to plant seeds for collaboration that'll see the region thrive.
According to a statement obtained by Pinal County, the schedule was jam-packed with back-to-back "breakout" meetings with heavyweight federal agencies. Topics of the day ranged from trade with Taiwan to the semiconductor industry, and the new frontier of artificial intelligence.
McClure was buzzing after the stint, saying, "It's been an exciting and informative few days in Washington, D.C." With Goodman by his side, McClure added, "Supervisor Goodman and I were able to make a good number of acquaintances while promoting the opportunities Pinal County presents and laying the groundwork for future collaborations."
This D.C. venture is not just for show—it's a biennial push by Greater Phoenix leaders to lay their needs on the line and grab a slice of the federal pie for their back home projects. When power players like Goodman and McClure play the D.C. game, they're not just schmoozing—they're building the ramps for Pinal County's leap into a future fueled by tech and trade.
