From the September 6, 2002 print edition

Phoenix area needs identity beyond sun and rattlesnakes

East Valley economic developers floated an idea a few weeks back about promoting the Loop 101/Pima freeway corridor as a tech hub.

Some may see that as a wild idea, but the logic behind it is solid. We all know the Valley is a great place to live and work, and many of our neighbors in California have come to recognize Arizona's attraction.

But to the rest of the country — and the world — our home state still brings to mind stereotypical images of cactus, desert and tumbleweeds.

That's rather pathetic.

And that's no exaggeration. The Valley's public relations dilemma was reiterated in a survey released last week by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. GPEC asked thousands of business executives, business reporters and site-selection consultants for their perception of the Phoenix area.

Eighty-four percent associated Phoenix with the word "retirement." The second most-popular response was "vacation or touristy." There also seems to be a misconception of Phoenix as a small-time player rather than as the nation's sixth-largest city.

Those responses really aren't a surprise, but they should be a wake-up call. It's been decades since Arizona broke from the traditional Five Cs: cotton, citrus, climate, copper and cattle. Semiconductor chips, aerospace, business and financial services have become strengths, and we are betting on biotech as well for the future.

We need to get the word out — whether it's through promotion of the Loop 101/Pima corridor as a tech haven, the efforts of the Tech Oasis folks to brand Tempe and the Valley, or the Greater Phoenix Business Leadership Coalition's vision for our future.

But it must be a unified effort.

Downtown areas in Phoenix and Tempe have matured as great places to live, work and play. Scottsdale has exploded to the north with jobs and upscale residential communities.

The West Valley is coming into its own with business and retail development and soon will be home to two pro sports teams.

Those four World Series games played in downtown Phoenix last fall were as terrific a PR package as one can imagine in promoting the Valley as a big league player among cities. We need to keep that image alive and build a full-time campaign that reaches out to the East Coast and to the world.

© 2002 American City Business Journals Inc.