On Tuesday night in downtown Phoenix, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry turned Warehouse215 into awards central for its 2026 Annual Awards Celebration. Business, civic and legislative leaders gathered as the Chamber handed top honors to the City of Peoria, Amkor Technology and Banner Health, a trio organizers said reflects municipal planning, multibillion dollar private investment and clinical research that together signal Arizona’s economic momentum.
The Chamber named Peoria its 2026 Best City for Business, tapped Amkor Technology as its Top Newsmaker and awarded Banner Health the Corporate Citizen of the Year title, according to Chamber Business News. The celebration, held at Warehouse215, listed Arizona Public Service as presenting sponsor. Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden said the honorees together showcased public leadership, private investment and community service.
Amkor's Peoria Campus
Amkor has expanded plans for a roughly $7 billion advanced semiconductor packaging and test campus in Peoria that the company says will create as many as 3,000 high wage jobs, according to Amkor Technology. The company describes the site as a strategic on shoring move meant to boost U.S. packaging capacity, and leaders say phase one construction is already underway. Economic development outlets have also flagged the project’s size and regional reach, including a Deal of the Year nod from Business Facilities.
Banner Health and Research Impact
Banner Health picked up the Chamber’s Corporate Citizen of the Year award, recognized for its role as Arizona’s largest health care provider and private employer. The system’s Milestones in Research report put Banner’s research enterprise at about $80.5 million, supporting roughly 1,300 clinical and translational studies in 2025 and reporting more than $1 billion in annual community benefit, according to Banner Health. Banner leaders have framed those research investments as a strategic reinvestment in patient care and workforce development.
Why Peoria Took the Crown
The Chamber pointed to Peoria’s long range work on the Peoria Innovation Core, investments in infrastructure and a citywide focus on water security and public safety as key reasons for naming it Best City for Business. Peoria’s economic development office notes that the city prepared land where Amkor is building its campus and says the project is expected to bring thousands of jobs with wages local officials highlight as high quality. Mayor Jason Beck has said the recognition validates the city’s strategy and partnerships around growth, according to Peoria Economic Development.
Lawmakers and Volunteers
The Doug Yonko Volunteer of the Year Award went to Chris Curtin, director of regulatory affairs for RNDC Arizona, for years of support for Chamber events. Lawmakers from both parties were also honored for work on issues affecting employers. Rep. Janeen Connolly, Rep. Jeff Weninger and Sen. T.J. Shope were singled out for bipartisan engagement, small business advocacy and leadership on water and local initiative process reforms, respectively, Chamber Business News reported. Shope’s role in the ag to urban water program, legislation designed to let agricultural water rights be converted to support housing while conserving groundwater, has been closely followed by local reporters, including KJZZ.
Taken together, the awards highlighted the three pieces business groups often cite as essential for sustained growth: private capital, civic readiness and public private partnerships that turn investment into jobs and community benefit. That combination of a city that plans, companies that invest and health systems that reinvest will help determine how quickly Arizona can convert ribbon cuttings into long term opportunity. For more on the Amkor campus and its scope, see Amkor Technology and coverage from Business Facilities.
