Diversifying the Desert
Joe Snell wants to change Tucson’s landscape. No, not the pristine Sonoran Desert with its beautiful array of flora and fauna that can only be found here. Rather, he wants to change the economic landscape and diversify it so that Tucson attracts more top-notch companies in a variety of industries.
Snell is TREO’s first president and CEO and since 2005 he has shaped the organization and laid the blueprint for its current success.
“The community took a bold move in establishing TREO,” Snell said. “Tucson was growing into poverty and was losing pace with other cities including Phoenix.”
Under Snell’s leadership TREO has succeeded in getting Tucson on the radar of national site selectors who handle more than 90 percent of large company relocations and expansions worldwide.
“TREO is working very well,” he said. “It’s known and trusted.”
In six years TREO has helped boost the development of a sustainable economic engine for the region. TREO has facilitated the relocation and/or expansion of more than 40 companies in the Tucson region. This represents more than 10,550 jobs and a $2 billion economic impact.
“That’s a tremendous impact for an
economic development group in a start-up phase,” he said.
When Snell arrived in Tucson he was fresh off his success in leading Denver to economic powerhouse status. While there he helped to position the Denver region as a community of the future. During his tenure Denver was consistently ranked as one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets for creation of high-wage jobs.
A Denver native, Snell got his start in economic development in Rio Rancho, N.M. (a suburb of Albuquerque), where he learned the ropes and developed his style. Now, after more than 24 years working in economic development, Snell has the skills to change Tucson’s landscape.
Snell acknowledges there are challenges ahead – one of them being the continued engagement of the region’s leadership to improve the product. To that end Snell has assembled a large board of directors representing the top community and business leaders.
“We’ve put together a critical mass of the region’s top leaders, both public and private,” he said. “We have a unified voice. Until you do that, you can’t drive change.”
From here Snell is building an infrastructure to more aggressively brand the region as a viable business center.
Snell is also committed to leveraging Phoenix as a partner in promoting the Sun Corridor.
Snell concedes that the challenge is significant. He notes that in order to accomplish these goals it is critical that TREO not fall victim to what he calls “mission creep.”
He said, “You’ve got to know your brand and stay true to that. Leverage your resources.”
Snell added, “We’re not going to create jobs. If you create a competitive business environment, jobs follow.”
“The best thing TREO can do is frame issues and engage in a dialogue – one where we ask the question ‘How are we competitive? And how are we not competitive?’ Then the community must determine what it values.”
Another part of Snell’s mission is to keep TREO focused. “I’m working to prioritize the issues and gaps. As TREO, we can’t solve all the issues. Other organizations have agreed to take on complementary roles,” he said.
Despite challenges, Tucson holds untold promise in terms of economic development. Snell said, “Tucson has all the qualities needed to be a world-class city. We just need to step through the door.”