November 10, 2025 • 25 mins
Neil Giuliano is a passionate leader and has led the Greater Phoenix Leadership since 2015. This organization leads CEOs by aligning leadership and resources at the intersection of the business, education, philanthropy and public policy sectors to improve economic vitality and quality of life.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am Rich Barrett from John Jay and Rich, your
host of the CEOs You Should Know Phoenix podcast. It's
free on the iHeartRadio app just look forward. It's my
pleasure to introduce to you Neil Juliano, CEO of Greater
Phoenix Leadership. For over fifty years, GPL's been connecting CEOs
from some of Arizona's largest and most impactful enterprises who
align leadership and resources at the intersection of business, education
(00:22):
and philanthropy and the employee over three hundred and twenty
thousand residents in the region in partner with a variety
of community organizations throughout the valley. Here's my conversation with
Neil Grolano on CEOs You Should Know. Welcome to CEOs
You Should Know. I'm your host, Rich Barrott from John
Jay and Rich and our guest today Neil Juliano. Yes, sir,
from the Greater Phoenix Leadership. Which is kind of interesting
(00:46):
because in the little intake of questions, it's like, tell
us about your company, and the first thing you say is, eh,
we're not really a company. No, So what would you
say that you do around here? Neil? What is your
Because you've been around Phoenix for a long time. I
have that, and I know you were. You were mayor
of Tempe for a while from like ninety four two
(01:07):
thousand and four, and I feel like that city has
become a super city in that time, where it's it's
grown in tech ways. There's robots roaming the streets. Yes,
there's waybows everywhere. Well, first let's start there. Well, because
you start, this is where I know you kind of
emerging from as being the mayor of Tempe. And what
(01:27):
was that like for you?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, there's nothing.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
First of all, thank you for having me on our
plusure Greater Phoenix Leadership is a consortium of one hundred
and thirty CEOs in the region, leading some of Arizona's
largest business enterprises, and we work to make the community better.
We work for the common good, whether it's a transportation initiative,
a Phoenix Bond program, anything to do with elevating our society,
increasing prosperity, and making sure that it's a wonderful place
(01:52):
to live, work and play. And the organization has been
around for fifty years now. It's started as the Phoenix forty.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Has it really been around for fifty years?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Nineteen seventy five, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Well, look, now, without getting into politics of any kind,
you said the magic words that I've been screaming from
the rooftops for the longest time. It's like, does anybody
have a great idea to make this place better? That
should be your politics. Yes, it shouldn't be partisan, Like, well,
that person came up with an idea, So we're not
going to do it because they're not on our side.
And I know that you and your work have always
(02:23):
been how do we make it better?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Right there?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
We come together, how do we align on things that
are really important to advance our overall placement and our
overall well being in the community that we live in.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's what we're all about.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
What was some of the groundwork that you did back
in the day, which is a bit like you were
you left the mayorship in two thousand and four, CORRECTCT,
So what was some of the groundwork that you lay
that now we're seeing the fruits of the like maybe
the transportation and some of the cool buildings that are
up now.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Oh, that's a great question.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So while I was mayor, I was the chair of
the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional Council of all
the mayors in the whole region in Marcopa County. And
then I also chaired the two thousand and four transportation
policy recommendations that led to the building of the one
oh one, the building of the two two, So the
initial freeway program beyond the very first start of it
(03:19):
twenty years ago, and our and the organization Greater Phoenix
Leadership in two thousand and four was very involved in
getting that passed by the voters. And here we were
twenty years later, in twenty twenty four. I'm helping with
Greater Phoenix Leadership. I'm no longer on the public sector side.
I'm on the business community side again, making sure the
voters approved the extension of that half cent sales tax
(03:41):
for transportation infrastructure, which the voters approved in November of
twenty twenty four. And now we'll see continued improvements to
existing infrastructure and some new infrastructure in the outer skirts
of the valley.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Well, I've actually heard. I've heard that not only is
the three ZHO three going to get bigger, that we
might get a four oh four.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, I don't know if I'll be around for that,
but is that pretty far off.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's not immediate, let me just kind of put it
that way, but it is in the thought of what
do we need to be thinking about.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
If we're not thinking about.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
What we need to do to improve our quality of
life and prosperity in this region for fifteen years, twenty
years from now, even longer than that, then we're not
doing our jobs.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Do you know what? I hear about a lot from
people that don't live here that they're worried about the
Phoenix areas, Like, what are you guys doing about water
in the next twenty thirty years? And I'm sure you
were involved, and you know you've got to have a
plan for water before you build a mega complex of
any type, right, Yeah, Well, well, first of.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
All, we have to understand there's different issues about water.
There's groundwater, there's water from the Colorado River, these allocations
that are divided between the lower basin states the upper
basin states. So it's much more complicated than just the
word water. I will tell you that Arizona has planned
better than probably any other state with regard to their
water resource and landing long into the future. We've been
(05:02):
doing that for a long time. So yeah, there may
be pockets of groundwater challenges as you go further and
further out from the core of the valley. But our
water planning is so solid that we know we can
provide the waters that's necessary for growth, and we know
that we have to have a continued conversation with agriculture.
(05:23):
The really great bill was passing this legislative session that
Governor hobbsign called ag to urban Right, so we're going
to transition some agriculture land to urban land because contrary
to what people believe, agriculture land uses far, far, far
more water than a new development of homes in a
particular area, so oh really, oh far more. So this
(05:46):
is conversations that are taking place. It's our responsibility to
have those in a thoughtful, respectful manner, and we will
continue to have those conversations.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Okay, So break this down to me like I'm in
grade school. Okay, So there's a giant cotton fields somewhere
in the West Valley and they decide they're gonna sell
it and put up a subdivision in a mall.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
It will use far less water, so not even not
even close to the same amount of water.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So in that way, you've got progress you've got gentrification
or or you know, building, but you're saving on water.
They're gonna use far less. So you might look at
that from a Oh, okay, well you don't have to
worry about that seven hundred acre farm anymore because they're
gonna have plenty of what they need for what they need.
So all those homes, all those showers, all those car washes,
(06:33):
all those lawns aren't gonna take as much.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Is close?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Like what sort of difference from from that?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
From a like, it's almost two thirds lesson I could
be wrong on that.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I don't have the exact APPA, but just a ballpark.
It's a large number. How come a large number?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
How come I can't get you to run for governor?
You seem like you really love Arizona. I do love.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
We have a great governor. She's doing a great job
this well for the down fantastic. Okay, Yeah, I think
it's been fantastic, and it's something the business community supported
and the agricultural community. Everyone came together to find a
way forward for this challenge.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
And that's the way we'll have to address all these issues.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And I'm going to get too, of course your position,
But because I've got you. I feel like you might
be an Arizona expert on a few things. So if
one of your friends or cousins was moving from somewhere else,
what neighborhood right now would you tell them is a
great place to raise your kids? Right now?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I think that depends on what lifestyle you want. There
are some areas that are becoming in a very positive
way more urban. There are areas that are suburban with
larger lots. There are areas that are suburban with smaller
lots to allow infield development.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Okay, then let me give you a few I want
a big yard for my kids and dogs to run
around in.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
You're probably going to want to go to the outskirts
of the valley. You might want to go to Southeast Mesa.
You may want to go to Gilbert or South Chandler.
You're probably not going to do that in Tempee because
there are not that many large lots in Tempted.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
What about like, I want to access to the city,
but I don't want to live in the city because
I got kids and I need three bedrooms.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Find a place along the new light rail line. Oh,
that is gretty existing light rail road.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So that light rail line is so cool, and I've
kind of seen what it's doing to me. I mean,
I love the growth of Gilbert Chandler. Right now, I'm
like almost knocked out by what's happened in downtown Mesa
if you don't go there for a little bit. The
music scenes starting to pop again, the food scenes starting
to pop again, and it's all because of that light rail,
(08:32):
the apartments that are popping up, the shops underneath.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
What we know from the research is that about seventy
percent of the growth of the economy over the last
twenty five years is within three to four miles of
one of our major transportation infrastructure corridors.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Isn't that interesting?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Okay, So that's how we get around, whether we want
it that way or not. That is the that is
our lifestyle, right, we need to be near transportation infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Well that's a cool thing. Now, let's talk about greater
Phoenix leadership. Sure, and we'll go back to the fact
that you say it's not a company per se, it's
a resource. And I wonder how you go from running
a big town in the USA to moving over this
(09:21):
and how you thought, well, I could better serve my community,
not necessarily being a mayor or maybe not in government,
but being around the government. Tell me about that, well,
you know.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Greater Phoenix Leadership is a business advocacy organization comprised of
business leaders at the CEO level who want to make
a difference, and so we work with them to help
them access ways that they can spend their time in
some cases spend their resources on how to do make
a difference in the.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Community outside from running their business.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
We don't tell each you know, the members don't tell
each other how to run their businesses, but they do
come to together when there's an urgent need or when
there's a long term planning need. And the long term
planning lead, of course, has been transportation infrastructure for a
long time. The urgent lead need I only have to
go back to COVID. It was a group of genpro
members that got together very very quickly. They identified the
(10:19):
locations for people to receive.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Vaccines.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
They identify the locations for people to be tested even
before the vaccines. They put together all the resources, came
together and really showed what it takes to come together
in that kind of situation, and in partnership with the state,
in partnership with Maricopa County in partnership with everyone that
needed to be involved. But this is the group of
people that can get together, make a decision, move forward
(10:47):
on an issue very very quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I guess in hindsight too, Arizona had that down. In
Phoenix area had that down pretty well, pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Absolutely we did.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, so that's going to feel good about that.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, we did what we needed to do and it
was successful.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
When you talk about vitality in quality of life, how
does what you do dip into that world and influence that.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Yeah, So we help the various CEOs who are on
all the different boards within the community, whether it's the
arts and culture boards, whether it's on some of the
other business advocacy boards, whether it's on being involved with
the bond program that the City of Phoenix put together,
and all the different committees. There was probably a greater
Phoenix Leadership member, if not sharing one of those bond
(11:34):
committees out in the neighborhoods in the City of Phoenix
certainly involved in it, and they're talking about what are
the local needs, Where do we need to spend our
collective resources to enhance and improve the quality of life
of the people who live here, and the bond program
went forward under Mayor Diego and it was approved and
now it's being implemented.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Do you, as a guy who drives around a lot,
think to yourself, we could put seventy two lanes in
each direction in ten west would always be slow in
the afternoon. Yeah, well, what is that?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I don't think it's seventy two lanes.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
But what we have to realize and what most people
here when we're stuck in traffic might not realize, we're
stuck in traffic at a very very small amount of
time compared to other people.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I guess that's true. If you go like Houston or.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Anywhere, we have the lowest commute time of any major metrops.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We really are in the United States. And why do
you think that is?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
We're not as large as those others, yet we're the
fifth largest city and it's pretty big.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
It's pretty big.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
But we have learned to navigate the area, and we
have put in a system that doesn't require everybody to
use the same system. You can go north and south
on the east or west side of the valley. Now
you can go east and west on the north and
west side of the valley. Now you can go up
the middle with either the seventeen.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Or the fifteen one.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
So we have a much more comprehensive transportation planning program
that has existed here for now forty years.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
And if you want to go the long way, you
cannot stop. I do that, yeah, because I'd rather. It's
not that I'm like, I'm too good to be in traffic.
I'm just an antsy fella and i want to move,
so I'll drive out of my way if it's if
it's going to move. And then you just check out
different parts of town and then that's when you're like, hey,
we should go eat dinner there. We should go. So
before we get into this, I feel like you have
(13:18):
hot takes on everything.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
So I've been here now fifty two years.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So if I if I pin you down, will you
make some picks on things? Sure? Okay, all right, let's
do a couple of food things for you.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I may not get far from Tempee, though.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
That's okay. It's okay if you're in and around Tempe.
Is good because the first question I'm going to ask
you is best burger for lunch? And you should say
the chuck Box.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Still the Chuckbox It's always been, still and will be
the chuck box.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
You should say that. What about a steak?
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You know, I'm kind of old fashioned if I love
the history at Stockyards and I but I also love
the ambiance of a steak forty four?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
So depending upon the night, and depending upon who I'm
hosting and where I'm going, it's usually one.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Of those toughest one of them all. Mexican.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Oh you know, I'm this is I'm not going far
from home. I'm still a Rositas fan. Oh yeah, downtown Tempee.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
You can't go wrong.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Then go in there for what forty some years?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
What about if you would have an adult beverage with
a date? What's a date? A date date? What's your sweetie?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, adult beverage like a.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Good like you know Cosmo or I don't know.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Yeah, you know, I'm I'm kind of classic in that respect.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Too easy eighty eight.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I'm the Scotts Sale Mall up there a place where
I go grab a drink with friends or hang out.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
You've got a good chicken sandwich there too.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I've had the chicken there many, many, many, many times.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And they're famous for their the uh oh my gosh,
the espresso martini. Yes, that's the jam over there. Yes right.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I'm not a big drinker myself, but my friends who
are I can take them to places like that.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, you have a friend coming from out of town
and you want to impress them with the nightlife. Where
do you start? Where do you wind up?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, that depends on the weekend, on where it is
and if there's something going.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Let's let's take like event. Let's take no event. There's
no events, there's no car show, there's no golf thing
going on, just a just a beautiful October evening.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Hmmm. I would probably do a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I would take them on the dreamy draw Drive, you know,
go up and take the drive where you're sort of
outside of Phoenix, but you're not outside of Phoenix, and
you're you're on this really nice modern I wouldn't really
call it an expressway, but it's our little freeway up there,
but you're.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Driving through mountains.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Yeah, it's pretty, you know, it's it's I think.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It's amazing, and it's something that people from outside of Arizona.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Will not see.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
They won't think about it, don't.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
They don't have that in their transportation.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
So I like the drive with some music.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I love doing that.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
I'm still a South Mountain person too. I think it's
cool to go up all the way up South Mountain
and look at the lights and and kind of hang
out up there for a little while.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
What about brunch at the farm?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
A brunch at the farm is good.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
That's a good Sunday thing, right.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Love brunch at the farm.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
That's pretty cool. Yeah. So, now, how many people are
working with you at the at the Greater Phoenix Leadership?
How many people on staff there?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
We're a very small organization of seven people. Oh, really
only seven people. And we organize ourselves. We have standing
committee for education issues, one for all the community infrastructure issues,
one for all the social impact issues. And then we
have a public policy committee that looks at things holistically.
What's going on with the legislature, what's going to be
(16:33):
going on at the legislature in twenty twenty six, for example,
and where does it align with what's important on the
CEO's agenda coming up in the next year or two.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
And who are we partnering with?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Oh, you're always busy there.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
We're all about partnering and collaborating with others.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
You will very, very very rarely see a press release
from our organization. You will not see photos of our
members out doing things. We are the behind the scenes
group of community leaders who is just happy to step
in and fill in avoid if it's needed, and help
out with something.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
How do you decide what you get involved with from
a philanthropic standpoint.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Well, most of all of our members really have their
own corporate philanthropy programs. They're an aggregate corporate philanthropy program
would be something that aligns with our actual issues. So,
for example, if there's an education issue that we really
care about, whether it's graduation rate or attainment and so forth,
some of them may get together and say, hey, we're
really going to lean into this and we're going to
(17:33):
help this this year. We're very involved right now with
the next iteration of Rio Solado. What is going to
happen on the fifty miles going west from Tempe all
the way through Phoenix to Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
On the west side, what is going to happen.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Well, all those communities are going to decide what's going
to happen. What we're trying to do is say is
to say and there's a study being done about it
right now that we're helping to fund. What is something
that can bring you all together? What links the whole
region together with regard to the Salt River, the Rio
Salado and the adjacent land around that. So we think
(18:11):
there's great promise there. We see leadership from Mayor Diego,
the mayors of the other cities, the two tribal nations,
all of whom have land in the real reimagined project
area some fifty five miles east to west. And so
we're very involved in helping everyone think that through as well.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
What do you think the best kept secret about like
our little our little neighborhood here that nobody really discovers
that they should that you want to scream from the rooftops.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
What do you mean?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
It could be? It could be food, It could be
a walk, it could be it could be you know anything, yo,
you know?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
For me, I I'm a hiker. So if it's an
easy day and.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
I have friends from out of town, I'll take them
simply over to Papago Park and we'll climb some of
the buttes. We'll do the classic little hole in the
rock at sundown. We've done that so many times it's
kind of corny for us now, Yeah, but I will
tell you my friends who come from people are repressed,
just think it's the coolest thing.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Right, And then you can always go to Camelback. You
can do the Echo Trail at Camelback, you can do
superstitial and just be a little bold. If you want
to spend a weekend and you're really brave, go out
to four Peaks. Oh yeah, go out there at about
five o'clock at night, hike for two or three hours, camp,
and then the next morning you go up to the
top and then you go all the way down.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I'm glad you're in the position that you're in because
you're kind of uniquely qualified for what you do. Because
I can you can tell that this is your spot.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah, this is my home.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
This is your spot. You know, you wouldn't want to
live in Chicago, right, That's not for you. This is
for you.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
I've been here now since I was a freshman at
ASU in nineteen seventy four.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Oh wow, so.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I've seen a lot. It's changed a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
What about ASU? How much that's changed? As far as
technology and innovation.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
ASU has evolved and transitioned to be what it needs
to be for one of the fastest growing areas in
the country and one of the fastest growing states in
the country. Their mission is to serve Arizona's and bring
others here as well, and they're they're knocking it out
of the park in that regard.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
I think it's pretty impressive. The innovation is astounding as
to where it was. What about for you seeing driverless
cars all over the streets of Tempe, that's.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
You know, I'm getting used to it and it's an
interesting thing. It's fun to do every once in a while,
but you know, it is the future. I'm old enough
to remember the Jetson's cartoon and maybe we're not far
off from the Jetson.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And you've seen the little robots delivering food rolling around right.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
They go right by my house with the little guy
in the bike behind them, who's their tracker to make
sure it's doing They have trackers too, well, they're still learning. Okay,
I've only seen the robots on their own. Oh no,
there's the well, there's several different groups of the robots
going around, one with that has someone on a bike
behind them is monitoring where it turns and how it turns,
and making sure it's all going to work into the future, which.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It will do. You recruit CEOs from other companies at
this point.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You know, it's very much a process of some of
the members say, Hey, I know Rich, Rich is the
leader's CEO of this business doing this kind of work
in the community. Rich would be a great addition to
the group. Let's talk to Rich. So it's very much
an organic nomination process for new members. We don't have
a sales team, we don't have membership quotas. When we grow,
(21:31):
we grow because we have identified people who would be
really great to have in the organization and they're interested
in being in the organization.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Is it more stressful what you do now or being
the mayor of Tempe?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, it's different kinds of stress. You know.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
When you're the mayor of Tempee, you're like in the
middle of the figure eight, and on one side of
the eight is everything that's going on in the internal
organization and the other side of the figure eight is
everything that's happening in the community, and you can't escape
either one of them at any time, and you sort
of navigate that and circle the eights back and forth
all the time, and you have an incredibly great team
(22:08):
to do it with. With what I'm doing now, it's
a great honor because I'm working with literally some of
the smartest, most successful, talented people in the state of
Arizona who are running some of our largest business enterprises,
delivering program services, all the things that we need for
our lives to exist in this region. And I get
to work with them, and it's a great honor to
(22:28):
do it.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
You've obviously gleaned some good advice over the years from
some of the CEOs. If I am a young entrepreneur
starting my own business in Tempe right now and I've
got six seven employees, what's a good piece of advice
for making that business stay and keep vital irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Number One, know what your core deliverable is. Know what
your business is and focus on that. Don't stray from
what keep it simple what your business is. Second, listen, learn,
take feedback, modify, adjust, and stay focused on what I
call your desired outcome. Some people talk about, oh, you
(23:09):
have to have a vision. Well, vision's a nice word,
but really you want to be focused on what your
desired outcome and how do we reach our desired outcome
every single day? And we begin with the end in mind,
and we finish a day before we start it. We
finish a week before we start it, we finish a
quarter before we start it, and then we begin to
plan where we're finishing a six month period of activity
(23:30):
before we even start it, because we know what's going
to happen, we know the talent that we have to
implement the plans that we've already put in.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Place, and that's how we work.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
And that's we did that at the city, we're doing
that at Greater Phoenix Leadership.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
That's what successful CEOs do all the time.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Well, I mean, I want to subscribe to your newsletter.
I think that sounds amazing. That's really great advice. Now,
how can if somebody wants to get if they're a
CEO or you just want to learn more about your organization,
where can we tell people to go?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yeah, we have our website gp l I NC dot org,
gplinc dot org and then just yeah, that's kind of
the best place where you can you can find out
what's going on with our activities and so forth. But
like I said, we're very much we're still in some ways.
It's kind of like the Phoenix forty when It was
(24:18):
started in nineteen seventy five by a group of business
leaders who at the time met with Governor Raoul Castro
at the Arizona Biltmore in February of nineteen seventy five
and they said, Governor, we think we need to kind
of come together to help what's going on here. Then
they all went and met with the mayor at the
time and said, we think there's an issue with education,
(24:38):
we think there's an issue with crime, we think there's
an issue with transportation. We want to be involved in
helping you do what will make our city successful.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Boy, they were ahead of the game, weren't they.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
That's what we've been doing for fifty years.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah, still working on some of those, still.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Working on You're always going to be working on everything.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Were never done well.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I think totally fascinating talking to you. The website again
is gp l i NC dot org, which we will
link here to the podcast if you click below. So
if anybody wants to learn anymore. What a privilege speaking
with you. I thank you for your time and thanks
for being on CEOs. You should know.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Thank you for havanks. Neil very much appreciate it.
I am Rich Barrett from John Jay and Rich, your
host of the CEOs You Should Know Phoenix podcast. It's
free on the iHeartRadio app just look forward. It's my
pleasure to introduce to you Neil Juliano, CEO of Greater
Phoenix Leadership. For over fifty years, GPL's been connecting CEOs
from some of Arizona's largest and most impactful enterprises who
align leadership and resources at the intersection of business, education
(00:22):
and philanthropy and the employee over three hundred and twenty
thousand residents in the region in partner with a variety
of community organizations throughout the valley. Here's my conversation with
Neil Grolano on CEOs You Should Know. Welcome to CEOs
You Should Know. I'm your host, Rich Barrott from John
Jay and Rich and our guest today Neil Juliano. Yes, sir,
from the Greater Phoenix Leadership. Which is kind of interesting
(00:46):
because in the little intake of questions, it's like, tell
us about your company, and the first thing you say is, eh,
we're not really a company. No, So what would you
say that you do around here? Neil? What is your
Because you've been around Phoenix for a long time. I
have that, and I know you were. You were mayor
of Tempe for a while from like ninety four two
(01:07):
thousand and four, and I feel like that city has
become a super city in that time, where it's it's
grown in tech ways. There's robots roaming the streets. Yes,
there's waybows everywhere. Well, first let's start there. Well, because
you start, this is where I know you kind of
emerging from as being the mayor of Tempe. And what
(01:27):
was that like for you?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, there's nothing.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
First of all, thank you for having me on our
plusure Greater Phoenix Leadership is a consortium of one hundred
and thirty CEOs in the region, leading some of Arizona's
largest business enterprises, and we work to make the community better.
We work for the common good, whether it's a transportation initiative,
a Phoenix Bond program, anything to do with elevating our society,
increasing prosperity, and making sure that it's a wonderful place
(01:52):
to live, work and play. And the organization has been
around for fifty years now. It's started as the Phoenix forty.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Has it really been around for fifty years?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Nineteen seventy five, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Well, look, now, without getting into politics of any kind,
you said the magic words that I've been screaming from
the rooftops for the longest time. It's like, does anybody
have a great idea to make this place better? That
should be your politics. Yes, it shouldn't be partisan, Like, well,
that person came up with an idea, So we're not
going to do it because they're not on our side.
And I know that you and your work have always
(02:23):
been how do we make it better?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Right there?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
We come together, how do we align on things that
are really important to advance our overall placement and our
overall well being in the community that we live in.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's what we're all about.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
What was some of the groundwork that you did back
in the day, which is a bit like you were
you left the mayorship in two thousand and four, CORRECTCT,
So what was some of the groundwork that you lay
that now we're seeing the fruits of the like maybe
the transportation and some of the cool buildings that are
up now.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Oh, that's a great question.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So while I was mayor, I was the chair of
the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional Council of all
the mayors in the whole region in Marcopa County. And
then I also chaired the two thousand and four transportation
policy recommendations that led to the building of the one
oh one, the building of the two two, So the
initial freeway program beyond the very first start of it
(03:19):
twenty years ago, and our and the organization Greater Phoenix
Leadership in two thousand and four was very involved in
getting that passed by the voters. And here we were
twenty years later, in twenty twenty four. I'm helping with
Greater Phoenix Leadership. I'm no longer on the public sector side.
I'm on the business community side again, making sure the
voters approved the extension of that half cent sales tax
(03:41):
for transportation infrastructure, which the voters approved in November of
twenty twenty four. And now we'll see continued improvements to
existing infrastructure and some new infrastructure in the outer skirts
of the valley.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Well, I've actually heard. I've heard that not only is
the three ZHO three going to get bigger, that we
might get a four oh four.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, I don't know if I'll be around for that,
but is that pretty far off.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's not immediate, let me just kind of put it
that way, but it is in the thought of what
do we need to be thinking about.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
If we're not thinking about.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
What we need to do to improve our quality of
life and prosperity in this region for fifteen years, twenty
years from now, even longer than that, then we're not
doing our jobs.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Do you know what? I hear about a lot from
people that don't live here that they're worried about the
Phoenix areas, Like, what are you guys doing about water
in the next twenty thirty years? And I'm sure you
were involved, and you know you've got to have a
plan for water before you build a mega complex of
any type, right, Yeah, Well, well, first of.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
All, we have to understand there's different issues about water.
There's groundwater, there's water from the Colorado River, these allocations
that are divided between the lower basin states the upper
basin states. So it's much more complicated than just the
word water. I will tell you that Arizona has planned
better than probably any other state with regard to their
water resource and landing long into the future. We've been
(05:02):
doing that for a long time. So yeah, there may
be pockets of groundwater challenges as you go further and
further out from the core of the valley. But our
water planning is so solid that we know we can
provide the waters that's necessary for growth, and we know
that we have to have a continued conversation with agriculture.
(05:23):
The really great bill was passing this legislative session that
Governor hobbsign called ag to urban Right, so we're going
to transition some agriculture land to urban land because contrary
to what people believe, agriculture land uses far, far, far
more water than a new development of homes in a
particular area, so oh really, oh far more. So this
(05:46):
is conversations that are taking place. It's our responsibility to
have those in a thoughtful, respectful manner, and we will
continue to have those conversations.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Okay, So break this down to me like I'm in
grade school. Okay, So there's a giant cotton fields somewhere
in the West Valley and they decide they're gonna sell
it and put up a subdivision in a mall.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
It will use far less water, so not even not
even close to the same amount of water.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
So in that way, you've got progress you've got gentrification
or or you know, building, but you're saving on water.
They're gonna use far less. So you might look at
that from a Oh, okay, well you don't have to
worry about that seven hundred acre farm anymore because they're
gonna have plenty of what they need for what they need.
So all those homes, all those showers, all those car washes,
(06:33):
all those lawns aren't gonna take as much.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Is close?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Like what sort of difference from from that?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
From a like, it's almost two thirds lesson I could
be wrong on that.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I don't have the exact APPA, but just a ballpark.
It's a large number. How come a large number?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
How come I can't get you to run for governor?
You seem like you really love Arizona. I do love.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
We have a great governor. She's doing a great job
this well for the down fantastic. Okay, Yeah, I think
it's been fantastic, and it's something the business community supported
and the agricultural community. Everyone came together to find a
way forward for this challenge.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
And that's the way we'll have to address all these issues.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And I'm going to get too, of course your position,
But because I've got you. I feel like you might
be an Arizona expert on a few things. So if
one of your friends or cousins was moving from somewhere else,
what neighborhood right now would you tell them is a
great place to raise your kids? Right now?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I think that depends on what lifestyle you want. There
are some areas that are becoming in a very positive
way more urban. There are areas that are suburban with
larger lots. There are areas that are suburban with smaller
lots to allow infield development.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Okay, then let me give you a few I want
a big yard for my kids and dogs to run
around in.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
You're probably going to want to go to the outskirts
of the valley. You might want to go to Southeast Mesa.
You may want to go to Gilbert or South Chandler.
You're probably not going to do that in Tempee because
there are not that many large lots in Tempted.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
What about like, I want to access to the city,
but I don't want to live in the city because
I got kids and I need three bedrooms.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Find a place along the new light rail line. Oh,
that is gretty existing light rail road.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So that light rail line is so cool, and I've
kind of seen what it's doing to me. I mean,
I love the growth of Gilbert Chandler. Right now, I'm
like almost knocked out by what's happened in downtown Mesa
if you don't go there for a little bit. The
music scenes starting to pop again, the food scenes starting
to pop again, and it's all because of that light rail,
(08:32):
the apartments that are popping up, the shops underneath.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
What we know from the research is that about seventy
percent of the growth of the economy over the last
twenty five years is within three to four miles of
one of our major transportation infrastructure corridors.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Isn't that interesting?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Okay, So that's how we get around, whether we want
it that way or not. That is the that is
our lifestyle, right, we need to be near transportation infrastructure.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Well that's a cool thing. Now, let's talk about greater
Phoenix leadership. Sure, and we'll go back to the fact
that you say it's not a company per se, it's
a resource. And I wonder how you go from running
a big town in the USA to moving over this
(09:21):
and how you thought, well, I could better serve my community,
not necessarily being a mayor or maybe not in government,
but being around the government. Tell me about that, well,
you know.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Greater Phoenix Leadership is a business advocacy organization comprised of
business leaders at the CEO level who want to make
a difference, and so we work with them to help
them access ways that they can spend their time in
some cases spend their resources on how to do make
a difference in the.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Community outside from running their business.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
We don't tell each you know, the members don't tell
each other how to run their businesses, but they do
come to together when there's an urgent need or when
there's a long term planning need. And the long term
planning lead, of course, has been transportation infrastructure for a
long time. The urgent lead need I only have to
go back to COVID. It was a group of genpro
members that got together very very quickly. They identified the
(10:19):
locations for people to receive.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Vaccines.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
They identify the locations for people to be tested even
before the vaccines. They put together all the resources, came
together and really showed what it takes to come together
in that kind of situation, and in partnership with the state,
in partnership with Maricopa County in partnership with everyone that
needed to be involved. But this is the group of
people that can get together, make a decision, move forward
(10:47):
on an issue very very quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I guess in hindsight too, Arizona had that down. In
Phoenix area had that down pretty well, pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Absolutely we did.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, so that's going to feel good about that.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, we did what we needed to do and it
was successful.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
When you talk about vitality in quality of life, how
does what you do dip into that world and influence that.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Yeah, So we help the various CEOs who are on
all the different boards within the community, whether it's the
arts and culture boards, whether it's on some of the
other business advocacy boards, whether it's on being involved with
the bond program that the City of Phoenix put together,
and all the different committees. There was probably a greater
Phoenix Leadership member, if not sharing one of those bond
(11:34):
committees out in the neighborhoods in the City of Phoenix
certainly involved in it, and they're talking about what are
the local needs, Where do we need to spend our
collective resources to enhance and improve the quality of life
of the people who live here, and the bond program
went forward under Mayor Diego and it was approved and
now it's being implemented.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Do you, as a guy who drives around a lot,
think to yourself, we could put seventy two lanes in
each direction in ten west would always be slow in
the afternoon. Yeah, well, what is that?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I don't think it's seventy two lanes.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
But what we have to realize and what most people
here when we're stuck in traffic might not realize, we're
stuck in traffic at a very very small amount of
time compared to other people.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I guess that's true. If you go like Houston or.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Anywhere, we have the lowest commute time of any major metrops.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We really are in the United States. And why do
you think that is?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
We're not as large as those others, yet we're the
fifth largest city and it's pretty big.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
It's pretty big.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
But we have learned to navigate the area, and we
have put in a system that doesn't require everybody to
use the same system. You can go north and south
on the east or west side of the valley. Now
you can go east and west on the north and
west side of the valley. Now you can go up
the middle with either the seventeen.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Or the fifteen one.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
So we have a much more comprehensive transportation planning program
that has existed here for now forty years.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
And if you want to go the long way, you
cannot stop. I do that, yeah, because I'd rather. It's
not that I'm like, I'm too good to be in traffic.
I'm just an antsy fella and i want to move,
so I'll drive out of my way if it's if
it's going to move. And then you just check out
different parts of town and then that's when you're like, hey,
we should go eat dinner there. We should go. So
before we get into this, I feel like you have
(13:18):
hot takes on everything.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
So I've been here now fifty two years.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So if I if I pin you down, will you
make some picks on things? Sure? Okay, all right, let's
do a couple of food things for you.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I may not get far from Tempee, though.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
That's okay. It's okay if you're in and around Tempe.
Is good because the first question I'm going to ask
you is best burger for lunch? And you should say
the chuck Box.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Still the Chuckbox It's always been, still and will be
the chuck box.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
You should say that. What about a steak?
Speaker 3 (13:45):
You know, I'm kind of old fashioned if I love
the history at Stockyards and I but I also love
the ambiance of a steak forty four?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
So depending upon the night, and depending upon who I'm
hosting and where I'm going, it's usually one.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Of those toughest one of them all. Mexican.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Oh you know, I'm this is I'm not going far
from home. I'm still a Rositas fan. Oh yeah, downtown Tempee.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
You can't go wrong.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Then go in there for what forty some years?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
What about if you would have an adult beverage with
a date? What's a date? A date date? What's your sweetie?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, adult beverage like a.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Good like you know Cosmo or I don't know.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Yeah, you know, I'm I'm kind of classic in that respect.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Too easy eighty eight.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
I'm the Scotts Sale Mall up there a place where
I go grab a drink with friends or hang out.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
You've got a good chicken sandwich there too.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I've had the chicken there many, many, many, many times.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And they're famous for their the uh oh my gosh,
the espresso martini. Yes, that's the jam over there. Yes right.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I'm not a big drinker myself, but my friends who
are I can take them to places like that.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, you have a friend coming from out of town
and you want to impress them with the nightlife. Where
do you start? Where do you wind up?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, that depends on the weekend, on where it is
and if there's something going.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Let's let's take like event. Let's take no event. There's
no events, there's no car show, there's no golf thing
going on, just a just a beautiful October evening.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Hmmm. I would probably do a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I would take them on the dreamy draw Drive, you know,
go up and take the drive where you're sort of
outside of Phoenix, but you're not outside of Phoenix, and
you're you're on this really nice modern I wouldn't really
call it an expressway, but it's our little freeway up there,
but you're.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Driving through mountains.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Yeah, it's pretty, you know, it's it's I think.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
It's amazing, and it's something that people from outside of Arizona.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Will not see.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
They won't think about it, don't.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
They don't have that in their transportation.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
So I like the drive with some music.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
I love doing that.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
I'm still a South Mountain person too. I think it's
cool to go up all the way up South Mountain
and look at the lights and and kind of hang
out up there for a little while.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
What about brunch at the farm?
Speaker 2 (15:59):
A brunch at the farm is good.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
That's a good Sunday thing, right.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Love brunch at the farm.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
That's pretty cool. Yeah. So, now, how many people are
working with you at the at the Greater Phoenix Leadership?
How many people on staff there?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
We're a very small organization of seven people. Oh, really
only seven people. And we organize ourselves. We have standing
committee for education issues, one for all the community infrastructure issues,
one for all the social impact issues. And then we
have a public policy committee that looks at things holistically.
What's going on with the legislature, what's going to be
(16:33):
going on at the legislature in twenty twenty six, for example,
and where does it align with what's important on the
CEO's agenda coming up in the next year or two.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
And who are we partnering with?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Oh, you're always busy there.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
We're all about partnering and collaborating with others.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
You will very, very very rarely see a press release
from our organization. You will not see photos of our
members out doing things. We are the behind the scenes
group of community leaders who is just happy to step
in and fill in avoid if it's needed, and help
out with something.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
How do you decide what you get involved with from
a philanthropic standpoint.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Well, most of all of our members really have their
own corporate philanthropy programs. They're an aggregate corporate philanthropy program
would be something that aligns with our actual issues. So,
for example, if there's an education issue that we really
care about, whether it's graduation rate or attainment and so forth,
some of them may get together and say, hey, we're
really going to lean into this and we're going to
(17:33):
help this this year. We're very involved right now with
the next iteration of Rio Solado. What is going to
happen on the fifty miles going west from Tempe all
the way through Phoenix to Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
On the west side, what is going to happen.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Well, all those communities are going to decide what's going
to happen. What we're trying to do is say is
to say and there's a study being done about it
right now that we're helping to fund. What is something
that can bring you all together? What links the whole
region together with regard to the Salt River, the Rio
Salado and the adjacent land around that. So we think
(18:11):
there's great promise there. We see leadership from Mayor Diego,
the mayors of the other cities, the two tribal nations,
all of whom have land in the real reimagined project
area some fifty five miles east to west. And so
we're very involved in helping everyone think that through as well.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
What do you think the best kept secret about like
our little our little neighborhood here that nobody really discovers
that they should that you want to scream from the rooftops.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
What do you mean?
Speaker 1 (18:43):
It could be? It could be food, It could be
a walk, it could be it could be you know anything, yo,
you know?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
For me, I I'm a hiker. So if it's an
easy day and.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
I have friends from out of town, I'll take them
simply over to Papago Park and we'll climb some of
the buttes. We'll do the classic little hole in the
rock at sundown. We've done that so many times it's
kind of corny for us now, Yeah, but I will
tell you my friends who come from people are repressed,
just think it's the coolest thing.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Right, And then you can always go to Camelback. You
can do the Echo Trail at Camelback, you can do
superstitial and just be a little bold. If you want
to spend a weekend and you're really brave, go out
to four Peaks. Oh yeah, go out there at about
five o'clock at night, hike for two or three hours, camp,
and then the next morning you go up to the
top and then you go all the way down.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I'm glad you're in the position that you're in because
you're kind of uniquely qualified for what you do. Because
I can you can tell that this is your spot.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah, this is my home.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
This is your spot. You know, you wouldn't want to
live in Chicago, right, That's not for you. This is
for you.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
I've been here now since I was a freshman at
ASU in nineteen seventy four.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Oh wow, so.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I've seen a lot. It's changed a lot.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
What about ASU? How much that's changed? As far as
technology and innovation.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
ASU has evolved and transitioned to be what it needs
to be for one of the fastest growing areas in
the country and one of the fastest growing states in
the country. Their mission is to serve Arizona's and bring
others here as well, and they're they're knocking it out
of the park in that regard.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
I think it's pretty impressive. The innovation is astounding as
to where it was. What about for you seeing driverless
cars all over the streets of Tempe, that's.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
You know, I'm getting used to it and it's an
interesting thing. It's fun to do every once in a while,
but you know, it is the future. I'm old enough
to remember the Jetson's cartoon and maybe we're not far
off from the Jetson.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And you've seen the little robots delivering food rolling around right.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
They go right by my house with the little guy
in the bike behind them, who's their tracker to make
sure it's doing They have trackers too, well, they're still learning. Okay,
I've only seen the robots on their own. Oh no,
there's the well, there's several different groups of the robots
going around, one with that has someone on a bike
behind them is monitoring where it turns and how it turns,
and making sure it's all going to work into the future, which.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It will do. You recruit CEOs from other companies at
this point.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You know, it's very much a process of some of
the members say, Hey, I know Rich, Rich is the
leader's CEO of this business doing this kind of work
in the community. Rich would be a great addition to
the group. Let's talk to Rich. So it's very much
an organic nomination process for new members. We don't have
a sales team, we don't have membership quotas. When we grow,
(21:31):
we grow because we have identified people who would be
really great to have in the organization and they're interested
in being in the organization.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Is it more stressful what you do now or being
the mayor of Tempe?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, it's different kinds of stress. You know.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
When you're the mayor of Tempee, you're like in the
middle of the figure eight, and on one side of
the eight is everything that's going on in the internal
organization and the other side of the figure eight is
everything that's happening in the community, and you can't escape
either one of them at any time, and you sort
of navigate that and circle the eights back and forth
all the time, and you have an incredibly great team
(22:08):
to do it with. With what I'm doing now, it's
a great honor because I'm working with literally some of
the smartest, most successful, talented people in the state of
Arizona who are running some of our largest business enterprises,
delivering program services, all the things that we need for
our lives to exist in this region. And I get
to work with them, and it's a great honor to
(22:28):
do it.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
You've obviously gleaned some good advice over the years from
some of the CEOs. If I am a young entrepreneur
starting my own business in Tempe right now and I've
got six seven employees, what's a good piece of advice
for making that business stay and keep vital irrelevant.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Number One, know what your core deliverable is. Know what
your business is and focus on that. Don't stray from
what keep it simple what your business is. Second, listen, learn,
take feedback, modify, adjust, and stay focused on what I
call your desired outcome. Some people talk about, oh, you
(23:09):
have to have a vision. Well, vision's a nice word,
but really you want to be focused on what your
desired outcome and how do we reach our desired outcome
every single day? And we begin with the end in mind,
and we finish a day before we start it. We
finish a week before we start it, we finish a
quarter before we start it, and then we begin to
plan where we're finishing a six month period of activity
(23:30):
before we even start it, because we know what's going
to happen, we know the talent that we have to
implement the plans that we've already put in.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Place, and that's how we work.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
And that's we did that at the city, we're doing
that at Greater Phoenix Leadership.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
That's what successful CEOs do all the time.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Well, I mean, I want to subscribe to your newsletter.
I think that sounds amazing. That's really great advice. Now,
how can if somebody wants to get if they're a
CEO or you just want to learn more about your organization,
where can we tell people to go?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Yeah, we have our website gp l I NC dot org,
gplinc dot org and then just yeah, that's kind of
the best place where you can you can find out
what's going on with our activities and so forth. But
like I said, we're very much we're still in some ways.
It's kind of like the Phoenix forty when It was
(24:18):
started in nineteen seventy five by a group of business
leaders who at the time met with Governor Raoul Castro
at the Arizona Biltmore in February of nineteen seventy five
and they said, Governor, we think we need to kind
of come together to help what's going on here. Then
they all went and met with the mayor at the
time and said, we think there's an issue with education,
(24:38):
we think there's an issue with crime, we think there's
an issue with transportation. We want to be involved in
helping you do what will make our city successful.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Boy, they were ahead of the game, weren't they.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
That's what we've been doing for fifty years.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah, still working on some of those, still.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Working on You're always going to be working on everything.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Were never done well.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I think totally fascinating talking to you. The website again
is gp l i NC dot org, which we will
link here to the podcast if you click below. So
if anybody wants to learn anymore. What a privilege speaking
with you. I thank you for your time and thanks
for being on CEOs. You should know.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Thank you for havanks. Neil very much appreciate it.
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