Economic Development - June

About Casa Grande is Open for Business This page is made possible by the Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, APS and the City of Casa Grande. The partnership created this website for the purpose of letting YOUR customers/clients know about the hours and days your business is open and how they can reach you. Our website is designed as a community service and it is FREE ; open to all local businesses and no membership is required. We just want all of our local customers/clients to know that Casa Grande Is Open For Business. If you are interested in being a part of the community-business website, please visit www.CasaGrandeIsOpenForBusiness.com and complete the short Survey! Website: https://www.casagrandeisopenforbusiness.com/

City Proclamation Requires Face Coverings to Be Worn in Public

PRESS RELEASE June 19, 2020 Mandate Takes Effect June 20, 6 a.m. Casa Grande, AZ - The (City) of Casa Grande is built on the foundational idea of shared responsibility and shared sacrifice for community shared success. With these values top of mind, the Mayor and City Council have approved a  Proclamation that more aggressively helps to reduce COVID-19 spread by requiring the community to wear face coverings in public to help save lives. The Proclamation becomes effective June 20, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. for everyone age six years and older, when physical distancing of at least six feet from others not a part of the same household, is not an option.   Mayor Craig McFarland said the number of COVID-19 cases has not just increased over the last 14 days but grown exponentially over the last week across Arizona and, specifically, Casa Grande.   "In our local zip code of 85122 where the majority of our City residents reside," explained McFarland, "there have been 176 new cases in just the last 5 days. Considering we have a total of 418 cases, that's close to a 40% jump and presents a real concern."   According to the new mandate, public places include all City facilities. Business examples include grocery stores, shops, salons and restaurants. Every person will need to wear a face covering around others regardless of whether he/she is an employee, customer, vendor, etc. Businesses must also help to ensure employees wear face coverings when dealing with the public, as well as, in other situations where employees cannot maintain continuous physical distancing, even among other employees. Continue Reading... Click Here for City's Proclamation Exemptions for Face Covering Use

Projects in the Horizon

To say that 2020 has been a very tough year would be an understatement. Over these past few months we have seen most of our businesses close, curtail their business, or have to shift their business practices as a direct result of measures that were put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect us. This in turn led to an unprecedented number of people finding themselves out of work or seeing their hours reduced significantly and everyone wondering when we will be finally able to put this whole Covid-19 crisis behind us. While no one has a good answer to this question, there has been some positive things that have occurred that will ultimately help our economy recover and get our people back to work. During these past few months there have been quite a few new projects that have been initiated or made progress including: Best Western (NEC Henness/ Florence), 68-room hotel Holiday Inn and Convention Center (east-side Camino Mercado), 116 rooms Hampton Inn (NWC of Camino Mercado/Florence) 92-room hotel  Zone change for a 20-unit apartment complex near NWC Pottebaum and Florence  Zone change for a 49-acre manufactured home/RV park SWC Kortsen/Casa Grande Development of a 203-unit manufactured home park NWC O’Neil/Casa Grande Scott Communities 307 lot single family home development Arroyo Grande Richmond American Homes 77 single family home sites in Villago Firestone east of Circle K at SEC Pottebaum/Florence Clean Freak Car Wash on Pinal Ave. All of these represent new jobs, new tax revenue, and will help attract more people, investors, and businesses to our community, which in turn will continue to spur future economic growth. Some additional good news is that there are several more potential projects that are considering Casa Grande that we hope to be able to share some good news about in our future newsletters. We’ll keep you posted.

Center for Trade Excellence

Casa Grande Union High School District- " As our world continues to evolve the opportunity for future employment and careers of tomorrow also are changing for our graduates. In the Casa Grande Union High School District we understand the importance of workforce development on our economy and we embrace those future opportunities for our students post high school. Creating a Center for Trade Excellence in the City of Casa Grande not only provides a great resource to our community, it provides opportunity for our students who are our future."- Dr. Steve Bebee

The Center for Trade Excellence In an effort to address the significant need for a construction trade workforce to help build the new industrial facilities, retail and commercial, and residential housing that are currently underway and will be needed in the future, the City is working with the Casa Grande Union High School District, Central AZ College, and the County to create a Center for Trade Excellence. The Brewer Craftman Academy, which just recently completed two very successful courses that saw 20 local individuals graduate, was the first of what we hope will be many trades that will become part of the Center. Our ultimate goal is grow our own trade workforce that will help build our future. Efforts are currently underway to identify other trades interested in being part of this innovative collaboration, so if you are interested, or know someone that might be, please reach out to Richard Wilkie at RWilkie@casagrandeaz.gov or by phone at 520-518-1423. https://breweruniversity.com/

UPDATES

Wrapped in California: Hiding Lucid Air Prototypes in Plain Sight - "Most automakers wrap their prototypes with detail-obscuring camouflage when they test new models on public roads — frequently geometric swirls of black and white. At Lucid, though, we wanted to honor our California DNA with the wraps for our beta prototypes. Each of the distinctive colors — red, yellow, green, and blue — features artwork inspired by landmarks throughout California: the Golden Gate Bridge, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia National Park, and Monterey Bay." Lucid Motors. Read More...

Lucid Air Is the World’s Most Aero-Efficient Luxury Car - "In early June, we sent a production-representative Lucid Air to North Carolina for aerodynamic testing at Windshear’s advanced rolling-road wind tunnel. It emerged with a verified coefficient of drag of 0.21, making the Lucid Air the world’s most aero-efficient luxury car."- Lucid Motors Read more...

Small Business Collaborative

LIVE NOW! The Small Business Collaborative (SBC ) website is a clearinghouse for online webinars, videos, training courses and other resources offered by the Central Arizona College, Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Development Center and other state, regional and national organizations. Ultimately, the SBC goal is to support small businesses through times of crisis and hardship while also helping them to grow stronger and more profitable. Visit www.smallbusinesscollaborative.com TODAY!

CARES Act

Proposed uses and programs for the CARES Act funding will be presented to Mayor and Council for their consideration and approval on Monday, July 6th.

Business Resources

Help for Local Businesses! For additional information, click on the links below.

Arizona Commerce Authority (Financial Support, Workforce, & More) Resources to support businesses and employees as they help combat the spread of COVID-19. Small Business Administration The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters. Facebook Small Business Grants Program Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses Arizona @ Work (Employees) Arizona employers with Immediate Openings Arizona @ Work (Employers) Arizona@Work can assist companies who are either temporarily hiring or laying off employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. AZ Job Connection Whether you’re looking for that perfect job, that perfect employee or information on an industry or workforce, AZ Job Connection is for you. Local First Available mini-grants to Arizona’s smallest locally owned enterprises FREE Webinars on planning for the potential impact on your business and practical tips to consider. National Restaurant Association To ensure that restaurants have the latest information about coronavirus, we created this industry-specific guidance for owners and operators. Office of Tourism- Immediate Employment Opportunities This site serves as the research and marketing resource for the Arizona tourism industry and media representatives.  FOR MORE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION VISIT: https://casagrandeaz.gov/financial-aid-for-small-businesses-impacted-by-coronavirus/

Community Resources

Individual Resources Virtual Learning for Arizona Students Child Care Assistance Digital Arizona Library Managing Anxiety and Stress Find a Food Bank Meals for Children Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) Find Healthcare Community Resources Internet and Technology Information for Pregnant Women Resources for Seniors Help with Utilities APS Arizona Water Company Southwest Gas City of Casa Grande Utility Other Essential Services Cox CenturyLink AT&T SPRINT T-Mobile Verizon EveryoneOn Internet Access Help for Home Owners Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Arizona Department of Housing

Resources

A FEW GOOD LINKS: Economic Development Website Community Profile Arizona Commerce Authority-Opportunity Zones Arizona Commerce Authority- Foreign Trade Zones Planning & Development

The Economic Development Newsletter was created to provide updates and resources for the City of Casa Grande community. Would you like additional information? Email us at business@casagrandeaz.gov.

‌ ‌ ‌