Gregg Martinez, the economic development coordinator for the City of Page, was recently selected as the New Member of the Year for 2020-2021 by the Arizona Association of Economic Development.
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Gregg Martinez, the economic development coordinator for the City of Page, was recently selected as the New Member of the Year for 2020-2021 by the Arizona Association of Economic Development.
Martinez was nominated and selected by his peers from among more than 100 new members in the association.
At the Page City Council meeting on Nov. 17, Martinez thanked the council, Mayor Bill Diak and City Manager Darren Coldwell for taking the time to acknowledge the award.
“This should really say ‘the City of Page’ and not ‘Gregg Martinez’ on the award, as it was a complete team effort, from city management to Parks and Rec to Public Works,” Martinez said.
“There’s been a lot of changes that have happened over the last couple of years, and with any community, change is difficult. I think that with the right council, the right mayor, the right leaders in place that we’ve been able to navigate these changes in our small community relatively well.”
However, he added that there was still a lot of work to be done.
“I know that there are still small businesses that are hurting. We haven’t recovered fully from the pandemic,” he said.
“But I have seen a lot of resilience in this community, and so I’m very proud to be part of the City of Page. I love this place, this is my home, and I want to continue to strive for the best for the City of Page and for the community members.”
The selection of Martinez for the award was based on his contributions to economic development in the region, which included serving as chair of the AAED’s Rural Committee, as well as his presentations to the Arizona State University Student Economic Development Panel, AAED Tribal Council, AAED Sustainable Tourism Forum and the Federal Reserve’s San Francisco District.
Martinez is also credited with being a key player in Northern Arizona University’s Economic Policy Initiative, which analyzed the impact COVID-19 would have with northern Arizona economics. He has been featured in Elevate AZ, a quarterly journal put out by National Bank of Arizona.
In the City of Page, Martinez helped attract Grand Canyon Brewery, David Blaine’s “Ascension” balloon flight and Catholic Charities, which assists with the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Last year, Martinez and the City of Page won Best Website for tourism-related activities.
