What one of Arizona’s top economic development pros sees in metro Phoenix’s future

Article originally posted on AZ Central on September 11, 2025

Christine Mackay could never have predicted how her home metro would change when she started her first job in economic development decades ago.

When she got hired in Chandler, one of her first big projects was landing a new call center in the city.

It’s a far cry from companies she’s since shepherded to build or expand in the Phoenix area — a roster that includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Mayo Clinic, Bank of America, PayPal, Wells Fargo, Intel Corp., General Motors, Orbital Sciences, Honeywell Inc., Toyota Financial Services and Avnet Inc., just to name a few.

But it was the type of development that the region was focused on in the 1990s, drawing in companies that would bring back-office and customer support jobs for local residents.

“They were calling you and bothering you during your dinner asking you what kind of long distance you carried,” she said, adding that her team was “all proud” to bring the project to the area.

Since then, much has changed. Arizona — once marketed as a more affordable alternative to California, Oregon and Washington — is now home to a leading and growing advanced technology market. Meanwhile, Mackay moved to an economic development role in Phoenix, where she played a pivotal role in the region’s transformation.

She’ll soon start a new role as the head of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. There, she’s tasked with figuring out what’s next for the area — and navigating its biggest challenges.

The local boom has borne new difficulties for economic developers. They once touted the region’s affordable housing, but home and rental prices have skyrocketed over the last decade. They increasingly must sell companies on sites that lack backbone infrastructure like streets and utility connections as shovel-ready land is gobbled up. And they must contend with residents that are getting fed up with new development in their neighborhoods.

Still, Mackay said there’s reason to be excited. She said the region has plenty of strengths that have made it a darling of technology, healthcare and other business sectors, and she envisions a future economy dominated by futuristic industries like advanced drone mobility, quantum computing, bioscience and space exploration.

“It’s no longer where you put your golf courses and your call centers and your retirement communities,” Mackay said of the Valley. “This is a cutting-edge region that has proved to the world that we can attract the biggest and best and brightest. I think the handcuffs are off.”

‘Hungry and lean’: Phoenix’s boom shows no signs of abating

It isn’t the first time that the metro has boomed.

Arizona gained statehood in 1912. For decades, its economy was defined by “The Five C’s” — citrus, cotton, cattle, copper and climate.

That started to change in the mid-1900s. World War II sparked concerns from defense strategists about potential attacks on the country’s coasts, where much of its industrial might and population were concentrated. Meanwhile, residential air conditioning was becoming increasingly common, making desert summers far more bearable for new residents.

Those shifts spurred significant economic and population growth. Large companies and military contractors — most notably, Motorola Inc. — began popping up in Phoenix. They brought people with them, and the city’s population quadrupled over the course of the 1950s.

That growth continued in the following decades. But in the 1980s and 1990s, Mackay said the city began to lose its way. By the early 2000s, its economy was overly dependent on the real estate industry.

“We really rested on our laurels,” Mackay said. “But not for the Great Recession, I don’t think we would have found the path that we have moving forward today — which is, we’re hungry and lean, and we’re fighting for everything that we want.”

Mackay views that attitude as one of the region’s biggest strengths. Arizona competes with Texas, Ohio, California, New York and other states for corporate headquarter relocations, new manufacturing plants and other big projects — and often wins the race by creating tailored approaches to lure companies in.

It touts a healthy workforce, reliable utilities and a collaborative, innovative ecosystem. Livability factors — like the region’s unique desert scenery, booming restaurant scene and easy access to outdoor recreation — also help.

“It’s warm and welcoming,” Mackay said. “If I’m working with a startup company, I can send out a text to five CEOs right now and they’ll offer to meet them for breakfast tomorrow and tell them what it’s really like to be in Phoenix.”

‘We’re a big city now’: New challenges emerge for economic developers

At the turn of the century, community meetings for new developments in the desert often consisted of a zoning attorney, a plate of cookies and some sodas at a table.

Mackay said it was rare that a resident poked their head in to inquire about what was going up in their neighborhood.

“No one would ever show up,” she said.

Those days are long gone. Amkor Technology’s recent proposal to set up shop in Peoria drew backlash from local residents concerned about land use and the advanced packaging plant’s potential impact on traffic, water quality and air quality. The company ultimately moved sites.

BNSF Railway wants to build a new intermodal facility near Wittman, but has seen intense opposition from residents concerned about its impact on their rural lifestyle. And several cities have been the targets of fierce fights over proposed affordable housing complexes in recent years.

Those headlines are a direct byproduct of the region’s growth — and the controversies impact its ability to attract companies, solve the its housing crisis and build new infrastructure.

“We have to recognize the fact that we’re a big city now,” Mackay said, calling growth “a double-edged sword.”

It’ll be the main challenge she faces as she steps into her new position. Mackay said her first days on the job will consist of “getting the lay of the land” in various parts of the region.

“I want to work really closely with the economic developers and the mayors and the city managers,” she said. “What’s important to them? Every city doesn’t want everything.”

She also hopes to interact with community members and encourage other officials to do so as well.

“We need to make sure that our citizens see us a lot of the year, and not just when we have a project,” Mackay said.

What’s next for the Valley?

As Mackay sees it, the region has a lot of “bragging rights.” She wants to put its success stories to good use to draw cutting-edge jobs.

That includes roles that involve researching information technology and artificial intelligence, which she views as emerging economic drivers. She hopes to work with the region’s universities to attract and train designers, software engineers and “game changing people” who will spearhead technological advancements.

“The engineers that they have in their population are incredible, and I think telling that story in those areas is going to be a big focus for us,” Mackay said.

She said bringing corporate headquarters to the region is “critically important.” She also sees opportunities in cultivating the region’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. While the area has come “lightyears” in attracting venture capital, Mackay said she hopes to encourage investors to get behind new types of businesses.

“Everybody comes to Arizona to make real estate investments, but they don’t see all of these great startup companies that are here that they could be investing in,” she said, adding that economic developers want to create a “sticky” environment for homegrown companies. “We’re all working to figure out how to crack that nut.”

Ultimately, she’s tasked with figuring out what’s next for the region. Mackay said that’ll look different in various cities.

“We’ve come to this place where we can really plan for the region,” she said. “What each city wants to be when it grows up isn’t going to be the same, and I think that’s part of GPEC’s job — to help each of those cities decide, what is it you want to be?”