MayorRowle Simmons

Prescott City CouncilBob Bell

Steve BlairJim Lamerson

Bob LuziusBob Roecker

Mary Ann Suttles

City ManagerSteve Norwood

Economic DevelopmentDirector

Jane Bristol

Business DevelopmentManager

Karen Greenspoon

City of Prescott EconomicDevelopment Office

201 S. CortezPO Box 2059

Prescott, AZ 86302

928-777-1248866-878-CITY toll free

www.PrescottED.com

Business HorizonsA quarterly publication of the City of Prescott Economic Development Office

Fall 2007

Subscribe to an email version of this newsletter by visiting www.PrescottED.com

City of Prescott Economic Development Division201 S. CortezP.O. Box 2059Prescott, AZ 86301

Prsrt. Std.U.S. Postage

PAIDPrescott, AZ

Permit No. 37

READ BUSINESS HORIZONS ONLINE: An e-version of Business Horizons is available at www. PrescottED.com. Sign up for automatic notification when the latest version is posted. Past issues are also available online.

Prescott Regional Airpark and Commerce Center

Prescott’s premier industrial development is flying high! Zoned for a wide range of uses, the 125-acre Prescott Regional Airpark is centrally located and now tak-ing contracts for lots. UniSource Energy Services has led the way by locating their district offices in the Airpark, and many businesses are following suit. Already, about 15-16 lots have sold and are being built to suit the needs of the new owners. The friendly business climate and easy access to major transportation cor-ridors has already `established Prescott as the center for trade in the region, with abundant retail establishments, professional services and manufacturing plants. The adjacent airport only adds to the attractiveness of this location, eas-ily making your business a part of the global market. Other advantages to this location include excellent signage and visibility as

well as superb parking for your office, showroom or warehouse property. But don’t worry, there are still lots available! If you are interested in locating your business in the Prescott Regional Airpark and Commerce Center, you can go to www.prescottregionalairpark.com or contact Karen Green-spoon at (928) 777-1204 or karen.greenspoon@cityofprescott.net.

Mesa Airlines to Begin Service to/from Prescott

Mesa Airlines (operated by Air Midwest) will begin service in Prescott on Oc-tober 1, 2007. Flights to Las Vegas will also be on the schedule. Mesa will be flying Beechcraft 1900 planes which is a 19 passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane. It was designed as and is primarily used as a regional air-line. It is designed to carry passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways for distances up to 600 miles. “We are delighted to return US Airways Express service to Prescott and Kingman,” said Jonathan Ornstein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mesa Air Group. “We appreci-ate the tremendous support we have received from both communities and look forward seeing our friends in these communities back flying with USAirways.” A welcome back ceremony is planned for October 1 at Love Field. Details regard-ing times and activities will be published at a later time. Public Officials as well as the public are invited to attend. Dave Maurer CEO of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce stated “Our members clearly indicated their interest in Mesa Airlines because of the direct connection to Terminal Four at Sky Harbor in Phoenix. In addition, the new, daily flight to Las Vegas opens up even more opportunities for business connections.”

The following schedule was published by Mesa Airlines:

Departure Arrival Departure Time Arrival Time FrequencyPrescott Phoenix 7:30am 8:10am Daily

Prescott Phoenix 5:50pm 6:30pm Sunday thru Friday

Phoenix Prescott 10:00am 10:40am Sunday thru Friday

Phoenix Prescott 1:10pm 1:50pm Saturday Only

Phoenix Prescott 7:20pm 8:00pm Sunday thru Friday

Prescott Las Vegas 10:55am 12:20pm Sunday thru Friday

Las Vegas Prescott 4:10pm 5:35pm Sunday thru Friday

Fares will range from $49 one way on a seven day advance purchase to $99 for full coach fare. Prescott’s Mayor Rowle Simmons released this statement regarding the return of Mesa Air: “We’re excited to have service that meets the needs of both Prescott residents and those of surrounding areas, and we are looking forward to expanded service to Las Vegas. This development demon-strates the capability of the airport as a regional economic engine.”

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Summit PlazaCenter Now

LeasingConstruction of Prescott’s new-est office building and finan-cial center is now complete. Summit Plaza is located in the heart of Downtown Prescott, occupying the block between Sheldon and Willis streets on Montezuma.

The 30,000 square foot build-houses Summit Bank and of-fers the opportunity to lease up-scale office space on each of three floors. The upper floors will enjoy beautiful views to Thumb Butte and Granite Moun-tain. This highly accessible lo-cation is only one block from the Courthouse Square and walking distance from many of Prescott’s finest restaurants. The large site has plentiful on-site parking.

Suites range from approxi-mately 1,600 sf to full floor of approximately 9,663 sf. Ame-nities include elegant 9-10 ft ceilings, state-of-the-art com-munications infrastructure and monument signage exposure. For more information, contact Karen Greenspoon 928-777-1204 or karen.greenspoon@cityofprescott.net.

Filming in Prescott

There have been several small filming events in Prescott in the past several months. A national Auto Zone commer-cial was filmed at Goldwater Lake, and a cult film: Paula Peril (who is actually a comic book character) filmed a few scenes in the alley behind St. Michael’s hotel.

More significantly, the Krus family who spent over a week in the Prescott area looking for a perfect place to raise a fam-ily will be returning to Prescott as it was one of the top 3 choices nationwide. The Krus family, if you remember, is a military family who has spent most of their married life and all of the children’s lives over-seas in the service. They have criss-crossed the United States looking for the perfect place for their family. This series will be-gin airing in the fall.

The movie Jolene which filmed for quite a few weeks in Prescott and shot in several locations is still slated to be released in the late fall.

Film crews add to the local economy by purchasing lodg-ing, food and commodities.

Filming in Prescott

There have been several small filming events in Prescott in the past several

months. A national Auto Zone commercial was filmed at Goldwater Lake,

and a cult film: Paula Peril (who is actually a comic book character) filmed a

few scenes in the alley behind St. Michael’s hotel.

More significantly, the Krus family who spent over a week in the Prescott

area looking for a perfect place to raise a family will be returning to Prescott

as it was one of the top 3 choices nationwide. The Krus family, if you

remember, is a military family who has spent most of their married life and

all of the children’s lives overseas in the service. They have criss-crossed

the United States looking for the perfect place for their family. This series

will begin air in the fall.

The movie Jolene which filmed for quite a few weeks in Prescott and shot in

several locations is still slated to be released in the late fall.

Village at the Boulders Now Complete

Village at the Boulders (VAB), for-merly the Ponderosa Plaza Mall, located at Iron Springs Road and Gail Gardner Way in Prescott was acquired by Pacific Development Partners in early 2000. More than $20 million and 6 years later, the 32-acre site is nearing the end of the redevelopment process. Ron Recht, managing principal for Pa-cific Development Partners, recently presented the Prescott City Council with an update on the center’s suc-cess in drawing national tenants to Northwest Prescott.

Featuring mountain views and a back-drop of dramatic rock formations, Vil-lage at the Boulders is emerging as the region’s newest retail power center. Once again, P r e s c o t t ’s original en-closed mall is attracting shoppers from throughout the Greater Prescott region and beyond. Prescott Mayor Rowle Sim-mons said “Village at the Boulders has become a tremendous asset to the com-munity and a great shopping venue for the entire region.”

VAB is anchored by a 155,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter. Other large stores now open include a 22,400 square foot JoAnn store, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of fabrics and crafts and a 15,000 square foot Dollar Tree, a national seller of party supplies, housewares, beauty supplies, etc., all priced at $1 or less. The JoAnn store has ranked first in the nation for similar-sized

stores for several months, with cus-tomers traveling from as far away as Flagstaff, Kingman, and Lake Havasu.

Tuesday Morning, offering home ac-cessories and gifts, recently opened in a 10,000 square foot store space. This national retailer sells merchandise from 50 to 80 percent below regular retail prices.

Another retailer new to Prescott is Big Lots store at the south end of the center. They are the largest US seller of discontinued and overstocked merchandise.

Starbucks Coffee Company has opened the Prescott region’s first full-service specialty coffeehouse with drive-thru convenience. The store will feature fresh-brewed coffee,

handcrafted hot and iced e s p r e s s o beve ra ges , coffee and n o n - c o f f e e blended bev-erages, Tazo tea, baked

pastries prepared daily, coffee brew-ing equipment and serveware, a pre-mium line of chocolates, compact discs and assorted gift items. The new store will be accessible from Iron Springs Road, just west of Gail Gardner Way. Founded in 1971, Star-bucks has more than 12,000 retail locations in 37 countries.

Hi-Health, offering health foods and nutritional supplements is opening soon at the south end of the center along Iron Springs Road in a free-standing 6,000 square foot store.

Other national stores include Game Stop (video games), Fantastic Sams (haircuts), and Go Wireless.

Jane Bristol, Economic Development Director for the City of Prescott was awarded the coveted Lampkin Award for long term economic excellence at the Arizona Association for Economic Develop-ment conference in Lake Havasu City in May. She was nominated and judged by her peers to receive this award. Mayor Rowle Simmons and City Man-ager Steve Norwood surprised Jane by attending the dinner where she received the award. Jane has been a City employee for 18 years.

Residence Inn by Marriott® Prescott, Arizona

The Residence Inn by Marriott® is an independently owned and operated Marriott International franchise. Local Prescott resident, Brad Christensen, leads the development group and is the founder and managing partner of the investment group. Mr. Christensen has been involved in hotel management for over 20 years, having either owned and/or managed hotels in Nebraska, A r i zona and New Mexico. He has owner-ship interests in hotels locat-ed in Flagstaff, Prescott and Santa Fe, New Mexico and is the founder, prime equity holder and manager for Ponderosa Hotel Management Ser-vices.

The Hotel is a 93-room all suite hotel located in a rapidly developing com-mercial area along Highway 69 across from the Prescott Gateway Mall. The Hotel is designed as a limited-service hotel with some food and beverage offerings. Amenities at Residence Inn® hotels include 50% more space than traditional guestrooms with

separate sleeping and living areas; fully equipped kitchens; compli-mentary hot breakfast buffet served in the gatehouse; daily housekeep-ing, same-day dry cleaning, laundry and grocery services, and the Sport Court® and fitness room.

The Prescott Residence Inn® of-fers weekly social events, outdoor swimming pool, firepit, grill and three meeting rooms. The Residence Inn brand represents a significant step above the average mid-priced, limited service hotels and superior design

as compared to the com-petition. The R e s i d e n c e Inn guest is typically the upper-moder-ate tier “suite p r e f e r r e d ” traveler. This

guest is staying 5+ nights and is seeking the same amenities gener-ally found in full service hotels. The Residence Inn culture is one of en-ergy, enthusiasm, engaging social events and getting to know guests as friends. The environment is so unique that the guest cannot imagine staying anywhere else.

The Hotel began construction in June, 2006 and has just opened its doors for business.

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