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have long believed that with focused
vision you produce change. Consider the
vision and passion of national leaders
such as Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or
Arizona leaders, such as Barry Goldwater, Frank
Lloyd Wright, Jerry Colangelo and Michael Crow.
I’d like to add a name to the list: Don Cardon.
His vision is focusing our state’s economic
development approach and positively changing
Arizona’s competitiveness and aggressiveness.
Cardon has set audacious goals, and he is
close to achieving them with much thanks to
the leadership style of Gov. Jan Brewer, who
selected qualified, experienced leadership
when she took office. In just six short
months, Cardon implemented a strategy for
the Arizona Department of Commerce with
all efforts laser-focused on expanding high-
wage, high-quality jobs in specific science-
and technology-related industries such as
bioscience, renewable energy, and aerospace
and defense. It includes retaining and
growing existing businesses, and attracting
new business to the state.
Specifically, Cardon and his team are
engaged in the historic rebirth of the
Commerce Department. Most would shy
away from such a task from the shear
political challenges. Not Cardon. He is
pressing forward even though his agency
received an 85 percent budget cut in
General Fund support over the past six
months. For this alone, Cardon and his staff
should be proud.
The strategy Cardon has outlined is long
overdue. The multinational organizations
i
STEVEN G. Z YLSTRA
President & CEO,
Arizona Technology Council
Change Agents
with a significant presence in Arizona—
Intel, Ventana-Roche, Honeywell, Boeing
and Raytheon—are mobile and have the
option to leave at anytime. The current
economic downturn brings tremendous
pressure on executives to explore where
quality labor and low operating costs exist.
Cardon recognizes their contributions to
Arizona’s economy, and the competitive
advantages of having these companies here.
He is engaging such business leaders to be
part of the solution for Arizona, rather than
telling them what the state will do.
Like I do, Cardon recognizes that innovation in science and technology is critical
to our future—in Arizona and around the
world. Advances occurring in our state
through research by our universities and
private businesses may solve global crises in
healthcare, energy and water, and may produce breakthroughs in robotics, aerospace,
defense and national security.
The results from this approach are
captured in the successes celebrated in
announcing Suntech Power Holdings,
Tower Automotive and others are coming
to Arizona, or from Cardon working with
the governor to secure funding for Science
Foundation Arizona.
We must focus on building critical mass
so that knowledge contrived here becomes
tangible and profitable and benefits
Arizonans. Cardon is working to ensure we
can accomplish just that and more. This
vision is changing the state, and I believe
economic advancement efforts will become
one of the pivotal success stories of Brewer’s
administration.
