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Page 1 MINUTES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2024, HELD IN-PERSON AT CHANDLER CITY HALL, 175 S. ARIZONA AVE., CHANDLER, ARIZONA. Board Present: Cecilia Ashe, Chairwoman Nick Woodruff, Vice-Chair Micah Miranda, Secretary Neil Calfee, Board Member Raj Chakraborty, Board Member Ron Hardin, Board Member Jennifer Hewitt, Board Member Rommie Mojahed, Board Member Ryan Smith, Board Member Terri Kimble, Ex-Officio Joshua Wright, Ex-Officio Board Absent: Julie Graham, Board Member Jacob Knudsen, Board Member Brent Menzel, Board Member Karla Moran, Board Member Dan Serrano, Board Member Mike Spangenberg, Board Member Kari Zurn, Board Member Others Present Joe Abeita, Economic Development Chandler Escalante, Economic Development Chelsey Faggiano, Economic Development Ryan Kaup, Economic Development Kimberly Janes, Economic Development Caly Strickler, Economic Development Michael Winer, Economic Development David De La Torre, Planning Division Lauren Schumann, Planning Division 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Ms. Cecilia Ashe called the meeting to order at 8:37 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes Mr. Ron Hardin made a motion to approve the minutes from Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ryan Smith. Minutes approved unanimously. 3. Action Items Ms. Kari Zurn was elected to serve as board Chair and Ms. Julie Graham was elected to serve as Vice-Chair. Ms. Jennifer Hewitt made a motion to approve, and the motion was seconded by Mr. Ryan Smith. Page 2 4. Briefing Items A. 2026 General Plan Update Ms. Lauren Schumann, Principal Planner, provided a presentation on the 2026 General Plan, including purpose of the plan update, an overview of target dates in the planning process, and opportunities for public input. Ms. Schumann said the general plan serves as a comprehensive set of broad policies to help guide development and community goals. She added the General Plan is updated every 10 years as required by state statute. She mentioned there was broad support for the last General Plan update in 2016, which was approved by 85.8% of Chandler voters. For the 2026 General Plan, she said community feedback and buy-in on the following elements will be especially important with the Chandler approaching build out: • Circulation • Housing • Conservation, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment • Water Resources She concluded by outlining City Council’s role in shaping and adopting the general plan and timelines associated with ensuring it can be approved by voters during the 2026 primary election. B. Economic Development Strategic Plan Mr. Micah Miranda, Economic Development Director, provided the board with an update on the division’s strategic plan, including goals and activities related to the following focus areas: • Business Attraction • Business Climate Enhancement • Technology Entrepreneurship • Small Business Assistance • Adaptive Reuse & Redevelopment • Market Threat Assessments • Competitive Positioning • Workforce Development • Tourism (Visit Chandler) Mr. Miranda concluded by highlighting recent community accolades and reminding the board members of ways they can stay engaged and serve as advocates for the city’s economic development efforts. C. Visit Chandler Summer Marketing Campaign Update Ms. Kimberly Janes, Tourism Program Manager, and Ms. Caly Strickler, Tourism Marketing Analyst, provided the board with an update on Tourism initiatives. Page 3 Ms. Janes began by saying the city’s Economic Development Division is the state-recognized Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) and operates a multi-layered tourism marketing program through the Visit Chandler brand. She provided an update on Chandler’s hotel market, saying there is a total of 4,284 rooms with 2024 year-to-date occupancy of 82.1%. Ms. Strickler then provided insight on recent marketing campaigns, including: • Expedia Campaign, which launched in mid-May of 2024 and will run through the end of September. The campaign will use a mix of digital marketing banner ads and destination landing pages to promote Chandler to domestic travelers. Last year, the campaign resulted in 6,433 room nights booked at Chandler hotels. • Rediscover South Chandler Campaign, which began in May and will Juen through the end of June. The campaign aims to bring awareness to South Chandler businesses through blog articles, Instagram video reels and giveaways. As of today, the campaign has supported 37 businesses, received 5,693 total engagements, and reached 59,446 people with nearly 77,000 impressions. Ms. Janes then discussed the latest activities related to the Choose Chandler Campaign, the longstanding city initiative to encourage residents to shop in Chandler. Ms. Janes said the city recently launched the Choose Chandler Digital Pass, a shop local loyalty program where pass holders accumulate points and win prizes while discovering participating Chandler businesses. To date, more than 60 businesses and 570 pass holders are participating in the Choose Chandler Digital Pass program. Ms. Janes concluded with an overview of additional ways the board can stay informed about Visit Chandler tourism initiatives, including subscribing to the monthly e-Newsletter and following Visit Chandler on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 5. Advisory Boardmember Comments None. 6. Next Meeting Ms. Ashe announced the next Economic Development Advisory Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. A calendar invite will be sent to all board members in advance. 7. Adjournment Ms. Ashe adjourned the meeting at 9:57 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Kari Zurn, Chairwoman ________________________________ Micah Miranda, Board Secretary