Gilbert Economic Development Performance Management

Business Development

The Business Development line of service attracts new businesses in target industries to Gilbert, assists the growth and retention of existing Gilbert-based businesses, supports Gilbert entrepreneurs, and facilitates the investment in and development of critical employment-oriented assets.  

This is accomplished through programs that engage site selectors, conduct lead generation activities, and collaborate with stakeholders like the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce while fostering relationships with developers and real estate brokers. In addition to leveraging regional and statewide economic development partnerships, OED implements several business technical assistance and workforce development programs. 

Attract New Target Business and Industry to Gilbert 

Annual Lead Generation

The successful attraction of business and investment to Gilbert depends on the generation of new business development opportunities tracked each fiscal year by business development leads. This is achieved via active engagement with partners like site selectors, developers and brokers, regional and state economic development organizations, and others.

• Goal: Generate new business development leads each year 
• Metric: Total number of leads generated 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Fiscal year
• Target: At or above the rolling average of the last 5 years 

Annual Percentage of STEM/STEM-Related Jobs

Proactive business attraction efforts are focused on growing STEM/STEM-related jobs in the community. STEM/STEM-related jobs are referred to as ‘tomorrow’s jobs’ which require a higher level of educational attainment and often have median salaries above the national average for all salaries. Increasing STEM/STEM-related jobs creates an opportunity to increase the economic well-being and quality of life of Gilbert residents. 

• Goal: Maintain or increase the % of STEM/STEM-related jobs in Gilbert  
• Metric: % of STEM/STEM-related jobs in Gilbert as a proportion of all jobs in Gilbert 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Calendar year
• Target: At or above % for Phoenix MSA 

Retain and Grow Gilbert-Based Businesses 

Engagement with Gilbert-based Businesses

A healthy and thriving local business economy is critical to creating a sustainable community for the long term. Engaging with Gilbert-based businesses through 1:1 meetings, industry events and roundtables, technical assistance programs, or other means is a key component to supporting business retention and expansion in the community.  

• Goal: Engage Gilbert-based businesses 
• Metric: # of Gilbert-based business engagements each year 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Fiscal year
• Target: Engage with 100 Gilbert-based businesses per year 

Annual % Increase in Total # of Jobs

Engaging with Gilbert-based businesses to support their retention and expansion in the community is anticipated to increase the total number of jobs in Gilbert. 

• Goal: Increase the total number of jobs in Gilbert  
• Metric: % increase in the total number of jobs in Gilbert 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Calendar year
• Target: At or above % increase for Phoenix MSA 

Redevelopment

The Redevelopment line of service creates and implements the redevelopment vision and plans for Gilbert’s designated redevelopment areas. By executing these efforts, redevelopment is focused on providing a vision for future development, attracting economic investment, and supporting neighborhood improvement in these areas.  

This is accomplished through a program of work that engages key community stakeholders, encourages redevelopment and revitalization through public and private partnerships, and collaborates with other departments like Public Works, Development Services, Engineering, and Parks and Recreation to deliver quality development and transformative public infrastructure to enhance community, culture, mobility, and improved connection to opportunity. 

Attracting Economic Investment 

FCV per acre of properties (Heritage District)

Redevelopment works to improve neighborhoods and commercial areas. Implementing the Heritage District Redevelopment Plan to support these improvements is expected to increase the value of property in the Heritage District. 

• Goal: Maintain or increase the FCV of properties in the Heritage District 
• Metric: Full Cash Value (FCV) of Properties in the Heritage District 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Tax year  
• Target: At or above the previous year’s value 

Annual Sales Tax Revenue (Heritage District)

Redevelopment works to attract new investment to the Heritage District. Engaging with the development community to attract economic investment is expected to increase sales tax revenue in the Heritage District. 

• Goal: Maintain or increase the sales tax revenue from the Heritage District 
• Metric: Annual Sales Tax Revenue from the Heritage District 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Fiscal year  
• Target: At or above the previous year’s value 

Ensuring a Clean, Green, Safe, and Vibrant Downtown

Redevelopment works to increase the number of visitors to the Heritage District. Providing a clean, green, safe, and vibrant downtown to ensure visitors to the Heritage District feel safe supports the ability to increase visitors to the area.  

Positive Rating of Feeling Safe in the Heritage District

• Goal: Maintain a 95% or higher positive rating of feeling safe in the Heritage District 
• Metric: % Positive Rating on the National Community Survey of Feeling Safe in the Heritage District  
• Metric Frequency: Biennial – the last National Community Survey was conducted by the Town of Gilbert in 2023
• Target: At or above a 95% rating

Tourism

The Tourism line of service works to increase visitor spending and assists the growth of Gilbert-based businesses.  

This is accomplished through a program of work that strategically packages destination amenities and promotes Gilbert’s unique and desirable attributes to Gilbert’s core visitor audiences: visiting friends and family, business travelers, youth and amateur sports, day visitors, and Arizona event attendees.  

Connecting Visitors to Regional Recreational Opportunities to Extend Length of Stay 

The Tourism line of service connects visitors to regional recreational opportunities to extend their stay and increase total visitor spending. We expect that curating itineraries and promotions supporting this performance area will increase hotel and short-term rental demand and visitor spending. We track the performance of Tourism through Hospitality Room Demand, Short-Term Rental Demand, and overall spending within AZ Legislative District 14.

Hospitality Room Demand

• Goal: Capture higher spend visitors and increase overall visitor spending 
• Target: At or above a 2% Year-over-Year Increase
• Metrics: Room Demand
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Fiscal year

Short-Term Rental Demand

• Goal: Capture higher spend visitors and increase overall visitor spending 
• Target: At or above a 2% Year-over-Year Increase
• Metrics: short-term rental demand
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Fiscal year

Visitor Spending for AZ Legislative District 14

• Goal: Capture higher spend visitors and increase overall visitor spending 
• Target: At or above a 1% Year-over-Year Increase
• Metrics: visitor spending by legislative district 
• Metric Frequency: Annual – Calendar year released by the Arizona Office of Tourism following the Governor’s Conference on Tourism