Az Business spotlighted some of Arizona’s most influential leaders in the July issue, including Jennifer Stein, economic development director for the City of Peoria.
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Jennifer Stein
Economic development director
Background: Stein brings more than 25 years of public and private sector communications, marketing, strategic planning, management and community relations experience to her economic development role in the City of Peoria. Prior to Peoria, Stein worked for the City of Glendale, spearheading the 2008 Super Bowl media efforts, marketing the annual Fiesta Bowl and BCS Championship games, building business and community partnerships in Westgate, and securing record-breaking media coverage. In addition, Stein was a news producer for KTVK-TV Arizona’s Family and a senior account executive for HMA Public Relations.
Impact of PR background: “It has prepared me for this job because a big part of economic development is branding, positioning your city and selling your assets and your lifestyle in a way that tells a story about why Peoria is the best place on Earth to land your business.”
Qualities of a great economic developer: “Communication skills are key. The ability to connect and build relationships and understand how to problem solve is another huge aspect. We’re constantly removing barriers to help companies find success, expand and grow in our community. How do we make things easier? How do we help mitigate risk? How do we speed things up to give them opportunities? What resources can we provide? A good economic developer must communicate really well, have problem-solving skills and understand the challenges business leaders are trying to address. We always look at everyone we work with not as a short-term partner, but a long-term partner.”
Attraction to economic development: “It started when I used to play Sim City. I remember how exciting it was to shape a community and plan a city. I was already working with cities and a lot of businesses on the media side, so I was exposed to all these different industries and building my knowledge base. When I transitioned to working with the city, it’s like we already had a shared vision because we were representing a similar audience. I found my passion in economic development because I can play a role in making the community better, creating jobs and helping enhance the city in a different way.”
Career goal: “The biggest goal is attracting businesses that will bring high quality jobs that align with our workforce. There are so many people leaving the city every day for work and I would love to see those people stay closer to home because we know being in a car and commuting is not a good example of quality of life. A traffic jam going west instead of east would be a huge accomplishment.”
