As Phoenix continues to grow its transportation system — from light rail and buses to scooters and electric bikes — the mayor recently recognized a company that has led to global attention for the city.
Before presenting awards at the Phoenix Sister Cities Global Links Business Luncheon, Mayor Kate Gallego referenced a video comedian John Crist posted while visiting two years ago.
“It feels like the Jetson’s or something going on in here,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“He was filming for his social media,” Gallego told luncheon attendees, “And he said, ‘Guys the future has arrived and it’s in Phoenix.’”
The mayor presented her brand champion of the year award to Waymo for its driverless ride hailing service.
“We have had delegations visit from more than 25 countries to see what we are doing in autonomous vehicles. We're getting attention all over the world,” she said. “We made history as the first location where a head of government rode in an autonomous vehicle when the Prime Minister of the Netherlands came and traveled through downtown Phoenix.”
Waymo vehicles cover 315 miles in Phoenix, including Sky Harbor Airport, and into the East Valley. The company's Aidan Ali-Sullivan said Metro Phoenix is the world’s largest robo taxi territory.
“Sky Harbor is now actually the most popular Waymo destination in the metro area, where we have thousands of rides to and from every week,” he said. “As a company, we are proud to point to Phoenix as a very strong example of a success story of a public private partnership.”
Ali-Sullivan said Waymo’s success in Phoenix has helped them expand to other markets. The company’s website says service is planned for Miami, Atlanta and Austin.
During the luncheon at the Abbey on Monroe, Gallego also presented Phoenix-based Avnet with the export champion of the year award and Tracey Latham of Latham Industries with the entrepreneur of the year award.
“Avnet is a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider,” she said. “They send $5 billion of products from Phoenix to the world. They have clients in over 140 countries, and so really helping us show what Phoenix can do. Avnet's been willing to travel with us when we're trying to deepen our supply chain partnerships, and particularly as we work on relationships with Mexico and elsewhere and semiconductors, they've been an incredible partner because of this deep expertise.”
Gallego called Latham a homegrown advanced manufacturer and said, “Tracy founded this leading electronics manufacturer headquartered in Phoenix, specializing in surface mount, plated through hole and mixed technology printed circuit boards that are used by a huge range of industries, including aerospace, commercial, medical, military and security.”
By supporting other entrepreneurs, Gallego said Latham is a key part of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. ”So she banks locally. When she has events, they're catered locally. The photographer is a small business. She really pays it forward and helps bring other people with her.”
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