During our 2023 Fall Ecosystem Builder Summit, attendees got a chance to explore two cities: Phoenix and Mesa. We were so grateful to The City of Mesa for sponsoring the summit and also be a part of it. During our Ecosystem tours, the Mesa group got a chance to meet Mesa entreprenuers, tour Mesa businesses, see the Mesa Asian District, and hear from the Mayor! Here’s a look at how the City of Mesa Office of Economic Development (Mesa OED) works to enhance Mesa’s economy, create quality jobs, and increase per capita income to improve the quality of life for Mesa’s residents.
Meet Kelley Keffer
Kelley Keffer is a Project Manager with Mesa OED and has been with the team since December 2012. Kelley is responsible for leading the department’s small business and entrepreneurship initiatives – Mesa Business Builder and the Mesa HUUB digital platform for small businesses; managing LaunchPoint, Mesa’s business incubator; and managing various attraction, retention, and expansion projects. She works tirelessly with hundreds of small businesses each year, providing support, resources, and training on a wide range of topics.
Kelley oversees the Mesa Business Builder programs and services for the Office of Economic Development at the City of Mesa. This includes our Small Business Assistance Program that provides free professional advising and consulting across a full spectrum of business needs, Mesa HUUB as the first city to in deploy this digital support platform, Mesa Business Builder Educates U which funds college classes for small businesses, mesabusinessbuilder.com, LaunchPoint the City's business incubator, The Business Advocate monthly newsletter with more than 5,300 subscribers, and the upcoming 17,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art small business space Mesa Business Builder @ The Studios featuring technology, equipment, tools, and resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Mesa.
What does ecosystem building mean to you?
“The most fulfilling aspect of working in economic development is working with businesses and entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and find solutions to keep them growing to enhance the diverse economic base in Mesa. To me, ecosystem building means learning about your community's inherent strengths and areas of opportunity to help foster entrepreneurship and provide meaningful support services, tools, and pathways to encourage innovation, creativity, and growth in an environment that is inviting and engaging to attract and retain talent and knowledge in the community for future sustainability.”
What made you decide to support the summit?
“Working in the space for many years and being enmeshed in the work we are doing in our City I am very curious to learn more from others doing the same type of work and see where we can share what we have learned with others.”
Photos from the Mesa Tour
