By Rita Rien | Pinal Partnership
Pinal County is making front page headlines as economic development success, water and transportation issues are in the forefront of activity across the region, state and nation. What you may not know is how the action-oriented committees of Pinal Partnership are leading the charge to develop solutions and educate and inform local leaders in these fields.
Pinal Partnership was created in 2005 as a member-based nonprofit advocating for economic development and responsible growth in Pinal County. Our member base includes public and private sector leadership from Pinal County and beyond. Most of our work is accomplished through two main forums: our monthly breakfast events and through our committees structured to address our most important issues.
Our committees engage in problem-solving solutions to help us keep up with our ever-evolving county. Some of the most impactful issues championed by the Partnership have been to advocate for safer and more efficient roads via the voter approved Regional Transportation Authority, a study that led to the creation of Pinal County’s Open Space and Trails Department, the Maricopa-Stanfield Groundwater Basin Study and many others. We invite you to visit our committee pages at www.pinalpartnership.com to see some of the results from these actions.
For example, visit our Business and Education Committee page to view a recent “Deep Dive” session with Boeing and Mesa Community College representatives detailing how their partnership has led to certificate programs to put students on the fast track to high-paying jobs with tremendous growth potential. Local business and education leaders then participated in breakout sessions to determine how these best practices could be applied to our workforce development and career pathways programs. Deep Dive sessions will continue with future presentations generated as part of the Business, Education and Workforce Development Summit held in November 2021.
Our Government Relations Committee page includes an action plan, recently published legislative, congressional and supervisor district maps and recaps from previous meetings that include an easy to digest summary of federal infrastructure bill funding for rural communities in Arizona.
Our Water Resources Committee is on the cusp of completing a three-year, grant-funded effort to study water resource solutions. From agricultural sustainability measures to municipal groundwater recharge and conservation, you can review the study parameters and future results on their page.
If you want to learn more about Pinal Partnership or want to become a member and get involved in our committees, please go to our website at www.pinalpartnership.com or contact me directly at 949-547-2714.
