Barry Broome

Broome is the founder and President of California’s only CEO-led economic development group. The board is balanced with 45 CEOs and 20 public leaders representing 2.4 million people in the Sacramento region. He launched the organization in the state capital of California in 2015 as a startup and raised $40 million in private funding through investment for a more resilient and equitable economy. Since then, Broome has attracted 75 businesses to the region in a very challenging policy environment.

Before his current role, Broome was at the helm of one of the longest-standing regional public-private partnerships for economic development. His tenure as the President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council led to the attraction of more than 165 companies creating approximately 30,000 jobs and more than $5.5 billion in capital investment to Greater Phoenix.

In Arizona, he was named the state’s Top Economic Developer and was the inaugural recipient of the Real Estate Excellence Award. Under his leadership, GPEC was ranked the No. 1 regional economic development organization in the U.S. among site-selection consultants and was recognized as Organization of the Year by the Arizona Association for Economic Development. Broome is credited with developing economic development programs that have redefined public policy and improved statewide competitiveness.

In 2009, Broome worked with the business community, public-sector leaders and state partners to orchestrate the passage of Arizona’s landmark Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Program, a $350 million tax credit to stimulate renewable energy investment in Arizona. Since the program’s passage, Greater Phoenix has drawn a dozen companies, resulting in more than 6,300 jobs and more than $1.8 billion in capital investment. Among these wins is First Solar—the world’s most dominant industry leader. Broome helped to secure one of the nation’s largest solar manufacturing projects when First Solar selected Greater Phoenix for its technology campus.

Broome also designed the Arizona Global Network, a collaborative model that unites the urban and rural markets of Greater Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff and Yuma in attracting foreign direct investment to Arizona. GPEC’s international focus has led to foreign direct investment wins for Greater Phoenix, most notably the attraction of China-based Suntech—the world’s largest producer of solar panels. Suntech is the first Chinese renewable leader to bring manufacturing jobs to the U.S., and this expansion marks the company’s first-ever U.S. manufacturing investment.

Prior to GPEC, Broome was shaping Kalamazoo, Michigan’s economy through a university, life science and venture capital strategy. Broome founded Southwest Michigan First from a small metal desk at the regional Chamber of Commerce, with a $150,000 operating budget and a $1.7 million shortfall. Five years later, Broome had raised $55 million and earned the organization recognition as a Top 20 economic development agency in the country. Also honored as Michigan’s Economic Developer of the Year, Broome built the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, launching 14 life science start-ups and 23 new ventures.

Broome serves on several boards and commissions, including the City of Phoenix Commission on the Economy; Arizona State University Economic Council; ASU Technopolis Advisory Board and Arizona Association for Economic Development. He was chair of the International Economic Development Council’s 2008 annual conference and chaired the economic development subcommittee for the City of Phoenix 2006 bond program. In 2009, he was the commencement speaker at Arizona State University’s College of Public Programs graduation. He is also an invited guest lecturer at Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University, University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.