Greater Phoenix was named one of fDi Magazine’s top 10 “American Cities of the Future” for foreign direct investment (FDI) strategy in 2013/14. Greater Phoenix ranked sixth among overall North and South American cities, and second in the United States behind Chicago.

“One of GPEC’s primary objectives has always been an international presence and strong performance in foreign direct investment. The fact that we were ranked second to Chicago – a true world leader in FDI – speaks volumes about our success and how far we’ve come in a relatively short period of time,” said Barry Broome, GPEC President and CEO. “While Chicago is one of America’s most illustrious cities, Greater Phoenix is still developing its brand, giving everyone living and doing business here an incredible opportunity to be a part of its legacy. There’s no question in my mind that being a top international city for business will be one of our marquee features.”

The rankings are part of fDi Magazine’s “Locations of the Future” series, which are designed to identify the most promising destinations around the world for future inward investment. Each world region is assessed over two years.

The Greater Phoenix region has seen particular success this year with the launch of an international toolkit and forum series targeting international business executives. Called “Doing Business in Greater Phoenix, U.S.A,” the toolkit is a compilation of how-to advice ranging from human resources issues, immigration law, investment parameters, taxes, import/export laws and banking.

In addition, GPEC also partnered with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona State University, Green Card Fund and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc. to form the China-Arizona Alliance, which seeks to establish extensive contacts within the government and Chinese business communities and to promote Arizona as a destination for Chinese investment.