This opinion column from Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden originally appeared in the Yuma Sun.

There’s been plenty of coverage lately about Arizona preparing to defend its water rights on the Colorado River. And yes, we’ve hired a law firm. Hard to blame us.

What’s gotten less attention is the other side of this story: what’s actually happening at the negotiating table. The answer isn’t complicated. Arizona and other Lower Basin states have put real solutions on the table. Colorado and its Upper Basin partners have not.

Arizona’s chief water negotiator, ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke, was blunt after collapsed. Despite months of discussions, the Lower Basin states received one consistent message from the Upper Basin: there will be no firm commitment to reduce water use, no matter how bad the hydrology gets or how low the reservoirs fall.

That’s not a negotiating position. That’s a refusal to engage.

And the stakes are real. Snowpack across the West is at record lows, with just 2.3 million acre-feet of water expected to reach Lake Powell through July — about a third of normal. The river is under serious strain, and time is not on our side.

Arizona has responded accordingly. This year alone, we’ve already absorbed more than 500,000 acre-feet in cuts. We’ve invested in conservation, recharge, and long-term infrastructure. These aren’t easy decisions. They come with real economic tradeoffs.

But that’s what shared responsibility looks like.

Other Lower Basin states stepped up too. Arizona offered to reduce its allocation by 27%. California offered 10%. Nevada nearly 17%. All of it was rejected by Upper Basin states, with Colorado chief among them. They have continued to insist that additional cuts fall primarily on the Lower Basin.

That’s not a partner. That’s a free rider.

And it reflects a broader pattern in how Colorado approaches governing.

Credibility at the negotiating table doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s built or eroded by whether a state is willing to make hard calls, take responsibility, and lead when it matters. On that front, Colorado’s track record deserves scrutiny.

Over the past decade, Colorado has enacted more than 10,000 new regulatory mandates. Job growth has slowed dramatically. More residents are leaving the state, and nearly half of its business leaders say they’re planning to invest elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Arizona has stayed focused on building a competitive, growing economy.

from Common Sense Institute Arizona and the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ Foundation found that if Arizona had followed Colorado’s policy path, we’d have 113,000 fewer workers and an economy $18.6 billion smaller.

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ade different choices. Those choices are reflected in how we’re showing up at the Colorado River table today.

None of this is to say Colorado doesn’t have rights to the river. It does. But rights come with responsibilities, especially when the system is under this level of stress. And especially when you’ve spent years sending the same message: the cuts are someone else’s problem.

The Colorado River supports 40 million people and an estimated $1.4 trillion in economic activity. A deal matters for Arizona, for the region, and for the country. But a deal that asks Lower Basin states to make deep, binding cuts while Upper Basin states make no firm commitments isn’t a solution. It’s an imbalance dressed up as compromise.

Governor Hobbs is right to push back. Arizona is right to keep every option on the table, including legal ones. And anyone who thinks we’re being unreasonable should read what Arizona’s negotiator said when the February deadline blew up: we cannot take on the task of saving this river system on our own.

Colorado has already done real damage to its own economy. We can’t let it drag ours down too. We won’t keep carrying their water.

Danny Seiden is the president and CEO of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry.

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Valleywise Health is expanding its independently accredited dental residency program to strengthen Arizona’s health care workforce while improving access to oral health services in underserved communities.

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency, which launched its inaugural cohort in 2025, recently welcomed three new residents as part of its continued growth. The program is designed to prepare dentists to deliver comprehensive, community-focused care—particularly in complex medical and social environments often encountered in safety-net settings.

The expansion marks a significant milestone for Valleywise Health, which has long played a central role in training medical professionals but only recently established its first dental residency program under its sole sponsorship.

Dr. Christopher Brendemuhl, director of dentistry at Valleywise Community Health dental clinics and chair of the Department of Dentistry, said the program is intentionally designed to cultivate a new generation of dentists committed to service.

“Our goal is to influence the next generation of dentists to be community-service minded and to truly embrace the Valleywise Health mission,” Brendemuhl said. “We want to build a group of dentists who are connected to the community, who are lifelong learners and who are passionate about serving the most vulnerable of our populations.”

The residency received initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation in August 2024 and is working toward full accreditation, an important step in solidifying its role as a long-term training pipeline.

Integrated care model reflects evolving health needs

A key feature of the program is its emphasis on integrated, team-based care. Residents rotate through Valleywise Health’s network of Federally Qualified Health Centers and its flagship medical center, gaining hands-on experience that connects oral health with broader medical treatment.

This interdisciplinary approach reflects a growing recognition across the health care sector that oral health is closely tied to overall health outcomes.

“Our residency uniquely integrates dentistry with broader medical care, offering a holistic view of health that extends beyond the dental chair,” Brendemuhl said. “This experience is enriched through rotations in specialized clinics and interdisciplinary settings where residents see firsthand how oral health impacts overall health.”

Training sites include the Comprehensive Health Center in Phoenix, where residents collaborate across specialties; the Peoria location, which offers exposure to ambulatory surgical care; and the McDowell clinic, which focuses on treating patients living with HIV/AIDS.

Building a pipeline for community-based care

The program’s expansion comes as Arizona, like much of the country, faces ongoing challenges in ensuring adequate access to health care providers—particularly in community health settings that serve low-income and medically complex populations.

Valleywise Health operates a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers across Maricopa County, positioning the residency program as a direct pipeline for dentists prepared to practice in those environments.

The organization, which has trained medical professionals since 1952 and serves as Arizona’s only public teaching hospital and safety-net health system, sees the dental residency as a natural extension of its broader workforce mission.

“This program is about more than training dentists,” Brendemuhl said. “It’s about building a workforce that understands the needs of our community and is equipped to meet them with skill and compassion.”

As Arizona continues to grow, efforts like Valleywise Health’s AEGD program highlight the critical role of locally driven workforce development in meeting the state’s long-term health care needs—particularly for populations that have historically faced barriers to care.

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The Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry convened business leaders and policymakers last Friday for its annual Update from Capitol Hill luncheon, which featured a timely and wide-ranging discussion with U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton (D) and Juan Ciscomani (R) alongside national political analysis from Jonathan Martin of Politico.

A federal outlook with Arizona implications

The conversation with Stanton and Ciscomani covered a broad policy landscape, reflecting the complex and interconnected challenges facing Arizona employers. Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ included infrastructure investment, international trade, workforce development, regulatory reform, foreign affairs, and ongoing negotiations over the Colorado River—issues with immediate and long-term consequences for the state’s economic outlook.

For Arizona’s business community, the opportunity to hear directly from members of Congress—particularly in a divided government environment—remains a central value of the event.

A battleground state in focus

Providing a national lens, Martin offered a detailed assessment of the 2026 election cycle, with particular emphasis on Arizona’s role as a key battleground state. His analysis highlighted the evolving dynamics of modern campaigns, including the growing influence of social media platforms and artificial intelligence in shaping voter behavior and information consumption.

The discussion underscored the degree to which national political trends are increasingly intertwined with local economic and policy considerations, especially in a state that continues to draw national attention.

A signature forum for dialogue

Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ President and CEO Danny Seiden emphasized the importance of maintaining strong connections between the business community and federal policymakers.

“This event continues to be one of the most important opportunities we have each year to bring Arizona’s business leaders together with the people shaping policy in Washington,” Seiden said. “We’re grateful to Congressman Stanton and Congressman Ciscomani for sharing their perspectives and engaging in a candid discussion on the issues that matter most to our state. And Jonathan Martin provided valuable insight into a rapidly evolving political environment, especially as we head into a consequential midterm election year.”

The luncheon was made possible through the support of presenting sponsor Salt River Project, along with sponsors EPCOR, Arizona Public Service, Mastercard, and Banner Health.

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More than  currently have a credit card in their name, and an estimated 18 million cards are held by Arizonans. Nationally, nearly 3 out of 4 retail sales are transacted via a credit card – accounting for $6.5 trillion in total purchasing volume in 2024 alone.

Convenience alone may help explain why so many shoppers are choosing to use credit cards. Now, a new analysis conducted by the Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC) suggests credit may be a preferable alternative to cash for many merchants and retailers, also. 

“Credit cards are the most secure and convenient way for consumers to make a purchase and for small businesses to accept payment,” said EPC spokesman Nick Simpson. “This new data shows the benefits save businesses money, increase sales and help families by providing fraud protection and create valuable rewards to help offset the rising costs of every day purchases. Credit cards are essential to our modern economy.”

Consumers using credit rather than cash tend to spend more, according to the EPC. In fact, when a merchant first begins accepting credit card payments, they experience a  in their average transaction amount.

Costs associated with using a credit card are well-known – amounting to 2-3% on a typical transaction, in order to pay for the infrastructure that enables secure and instantaneous electronic transactions. Less understood are the expenses associated with using cash. 

Cash transactions are more labor-intensive than credit, as well as vulnerable to losses due to theft or accidental miscounting. On average, according to the EPC analysis, it costs merchants approximately 9% of the purchase amount to handle and process a cash transaction. Those expenses add up: based on total transaction volume, EPC estimates U.S. merchants’ cash handling/processing costs total approximately $121 billion each year.

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The Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry will host its annual Update from Capitol Hill luncheon on Friday at the Arizona Biltmore, bringing together members of Arizona’s congressional delegation and one of the country’s most closely watched political analysts.

will feature U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Greg Stanton, along with Jonathan Martin of Politico, columnist and host of the .

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ spoke with Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ President and CEO Danny Seiden about the event and what he’s most interested in hearing.

Tell us about Update from Capitol Hill. It’s one of the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­â€™s premier annual events, isn’t it?

Danny Seiden:

It really is one of our signature events each year. What makes it so valuable is that it brings Arizona’s business community face-to-face with members of our congressional delegation at a time when so many federal decisions are directly affecting our state’s economy.

There’s no substitute for hearing directly from the people who are in the room making those decisions—whether it’s on taxes, trade, infrastructure, or regulatory policy. And just as important, it gives our members a chance to better understand the dynamics in Washington and how those decisions translate back home to Arizona.

What topics are you anticipating you’ll hear about from Congressmen Ciscomani and Stanton?

There’s certainly no shortage of issues right now. Water is always top of mind in Arizona, and I expect that to be part of the conversation given the federal government’s role in long-term solutions.

Beyond that, I think we’ll hear a lot about the broader state of Congress—how things are functioning, what’s realistic in terms of bipartisan cooperation, and what we can expect over the coming months.

There are also a lot of frontpage issues—from border policy to economic conditions to foreign affairs—that have real implications for Arizona employers. Having both Congressman Ciscomani and Congressman Stanton there gives us a valuable bipartisan perspective on those challenges.

This year the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ is welcoming Jonathan Martin from Politico. What do you believe he’ll add to the conversation?

is one of the most respected political commentators in the country. He’s been covering national politics for a long time, and he brings a level of experience and insight that’s hard to match.

He’s also a regular presence on the Sunday shows, so he’s constantly plugged into the national conversation. With this being an election year, his perspective on the state of politics—where things stand heading into the primaries and what to expect in November—will be incredibly valuable.

Honestly, there are very few people who can provide that kind of real-time, informed analysis of what’s happening in Washington and on the campaign trail. I think our attendees will really benefit from hearing his take.

How do federal decisions right now directly impact Arizona’s business community, and what should employers here be paying closest attention to?

Federal policy has a very real, day-to-day impact on Arizona employers, whether people always see that connection or not. Decisions coming out of Washington affect everything from the cost of doing business to the availability of workforce and the reliability of our supply chains.

For Arizona, trade and border policy are especially important. We’re a major gateway state, so anything that affects cross-border commerce—whether it’s customs operations, infrastructure, or security—has a direct impact on our economy. The USMCA review is coming up, for example, so we’re paying close attention to that.

Energy is another major factor right now. Global uncertainty, particularly events in the Middle East, can create volatility in energy markets, and that has a ripple effect across the economy. When fuel costs rise, it impacts everything from what we pay at the pump to the cost of transporting goods, which ultimately shows up in prices on store shelves.

And, obviously, water is also an area where federal involvement matters, particularly in terms of long-term planning and investment. I know our delegation is deeply involved in that issue.

And of course, tax and regulatory policy always play a role in shaping whether businesses can grow and compete.

I’d also point to the overall economic environment—interest rates, inflation, and federal spending decisions—all of which influence business confidence and investment.

The bottom line is that what happens shows up here in Arizona, and that’s why it’s so important for our business community to stay informed and engaged.

More about this year’s Update from Capitol Hill luncheon can be found on the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­â€™s .

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The Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry this week hosted its “Better In My Backyard” Barbecue, bringing together business leaders, lawmakers, and economic development officials to defend responsible growth in Arizona and counter a rising tide of opposition to development projects across the state.

The event was held at U-Haul’s Shoen Family Conference and Fitness Center in Phoenix,  itself a symbol of the kind of long-term corporate commitment to Arizona that the campaign aims to protect. Sebastian Reyes, president of a U-Haul subsidiary, welcomed attendees and outlined the company’s deep roots in the state.

Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ President and CEO Danny Seiden opened the program by framing growth as a practical matter for everyday Arizonans, not just a business priority. Responsible development, he argued, means more jobs, a more diverse industrial base, and greater revenue for public services like schools and infrastructure.

Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson moderated a panel that ranged across the issues shaping Arizona’s economic future — from zoning and permitting to advanced manufacturing, ballot initiative reform, and the projects currently in Arizona’s development pipeline. Panelists Chris Camacho of Axon, Jimmy Lindblom of Willmeng Construction, Senator T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge), and Courtney Coolidge of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ each stressed the importance of keeping Arizona’s pro-growth environment intact.

The conversation repeatedly returned to a concern that has grown louder in recent years: the influence of out-of-state interests using the ballot initiative process to block or slow development that local communities support.

The Better In My Backyard campaign was launched to address exactly that dynamic — providing Arizonans with factual information about key projects and pushing back against misinformation that, the panelists argued, harms communities more than the projects themselves.

The campaign has spotlighted a range of signature Arizona developments, from Axon’s new Scottsdale headquarters and TSMC’s North Phoenix semiconductor facility to the proposed renovation of Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and the construction of the VAI Resort in Glendale.

Coalition members span local chambers of commerce, retailers, and tourism organizations, united around the argument that economic momentum in Arizona depends on continuing to welcome investment rather than relitigate it.

On the legislative front, Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) last month vetoed a bill by Shope and Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro that would have created greater parity between the processes for sending a measure to the statewide ballot versus the local ballot, a direct response to what panelists described as a coordinated effort by outside groups to shape Arizona policy through the initiative process.

Coalition partners led by the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ are now backing an that they hope will pass muster with the governor.

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Arizona and the nation face surging energy demand. AI, data centers, domestic reshoring, and economic growth are stretching our grid. Advanced nuclear reactors are ready to deliver the clean, reliable, and abundant power we need. But regulatory red tape and excessive public process threaten to stand in the way.

Today’s permitting system too often prioritizes procedure over outcomes, adding unnecessary steps that slow progress and derail major projects. Public input is essential, but the effort to democratize the process has gone too far. A vocal minority with no capital invested in a project can now block even the most widely supported proposals, weaponizing public comments, exploiting environmental reviews, and abusing land use appeals to drive up costs and deny critical permits.

No energy source is immune.

In Massachusetts, just a few dozen affluent homeowners derailed a major offshore wind project, Cape Wind, by filing 26 lawsuits and fighting it for nearly 16 years. Though they publicly supported renewable energy, they opposed this project because it threatened their property values and views, placing personal interests above their stated cause and exhausting every avenue until the project collapsed.

In Tennessee, residents who generally support fossil fuels opposed a new coal-fired power plant that the Tennessee Valley Authority proposed to meet rising demand. They mobilized against it and used local permitting objections to slow the project in the very community it was meant to serve.

Arizona has seen the same abuse. In southern Arizona, a small group of residents who otherwise support renewable energy repeatedly used the public process to delay SunZia, a critical high-voltage transmission line needed to deliver renewable power from New Mexico. For more than seven years, local activists opposed the clean energy project to stop it from being built in their backyards.

In Mohave County, NIMBYism cut across both energy types. First, residents demanded a countywide moratorium on new solar development. Then, when the local electric cooperative proposed a natural gas expansion to meet growing demand, many of the same residents turned against that project as well, flooding the planning and zoning process with protests and forcing the utility to find a new site.

This is why we struggle to build in America. What began as a good-faith effort to democratize permitting has devolved into endless procedural abuse. It no longer serves a modern economy. These objections are often less about environmental protection or responsible development than about protecting personal interests and stopping projects altogether, raising risks for developers while weakening our national economy and security.

Nowhere is that risk greater than with new nuclear reactors.

According to senior officials at the U.S. Department of Energy, the nuclear sector must navigate more regulatory steps than any other energy infrastructure sector in the nation, with at least 14 points of public input across federal, state, and local levels combined.

At the federal level, these include hearings, comment periods, challenges, and appeals on NEPA environmental impact statements, Nuclear Regulatory Commission license applications, and site suitability reviews for nuclear waste storage.

At the state level, they include hearings, interventions, and appeals before the Arizona Power Plant & Transmission Line Siting Committee, Corporation Commission, and Department of Environmental Quality for certificates of environmental compatibility and air and water quality permits.

At the local level, they include hearings, comments, and appeals involving decisions by planning and zoning commissions, boards of supervisors, and city councils on rezonings, special use permits, or general plan amendments.

Each step creates another opportunity for delay, opening the door to self-interested property owners, outside special-interest groups, anti-competitive business rivals, and even hostile foreign adversaries to block critical projects by adding time, cost, and legal risk, including nuclear projects that most Americans support.

Recent events show how steep the climb already is. When Arizona’s three largest electric utilities announced plans to explore a new nuclear plant, residents protested outside Tucson Electric Power’s headquarters, and that was before a site had even been selected.

Thoughtful public comment remains essential and can improve a project’s design or location. But providing endless points for delay and opposition is neither constructive nor democratic. It wastes time and does more to stall or kill projects than improve them. Given that advanced reactors are safer and smaller than older designs, the current process already offers more opportunities for public participation than most projects reasonably require.

If we want to usher in a new era of energy abundance, unleash economic prosperity, restore domestic manufacturing, and win the AI arms race against China, we must support rapid deployment of advanced nuclear technology and reevaluate the permitting system that now threatens American economic power and leadership.

As leaders, our goal should be simple: Everyone should have a voice, but no one should have a veto. Arizona can preserve democratic process while delivering decisive nuclear deployment. It’s time to support advanced reactors and eliminate the endless proceduralism standing in the way of America’s clean, prosperous, and abundant energy future.

Michael Carbone is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing Legislative District 25 and serves as House Majority Leader. Follow him on X at @MichaelCarbone.

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The Industrial Commission of Arizona voted last week to adopt strengthened workplace heat safety guidelines for employers statewide, delivering an outcome the business community called a practical, Arizona-driven solution to a genuine challenge.

The commission’s action follows nearly a year of work by the Governor’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force, which brought together business, labor, and occupational safety experts to develop guidance grounded in real-world conditions. The Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry and the Arizona Manufacturers Council participated throughout that process, with Grace Appelbe representing both organizations.

Appearing before the commission, Appelbe urged members to support the task force recommendations, describing them as the product of genuine collaboration and the right fit for the state’s diverse economic landscape.

“The recommendations before you reflect a thoughtful, Arizona-specific approach grounded in real-world experience,” Appelbe told the commission. “They focus on practical measures — water, shade, rest, acclimatization, and training — while preserving the flexibility needed across different industries and job sites.”

The guidelines adopted by the commission build on the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s existing Heat Stress State Emphasis Program, launched in 2023. In the months ahead, the commission will expand employer training on heat risks, encourage the development of workplace heat safety plans, and collect data on the effectiveness of heat safety interventions across the state. Commissioners plan to revisit the recommendations in December.

For Arizona’s business community, the outcome reflects a broader principle that worker safety and economic sustainability are not in conflict — but that the path to both runs through collaboration rather than mandate.

“That balance is critical,” Appelbe said in her testimony. “In other states, more rigid, one-size-fits-all mandates have created compliance challenges without necessarily improving outcomes. Arizona has taken a better approach — one that prioritizes safety while recognizing operational realities.”

The commission’s chairman described the vote as a beginning rather than an endpoint, noting that guidelines carry the advantage of taking effect immediately, allowing employers to act now while the state continues gathering data to inform any future rulemaking.

Appelbe told the commission that the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ and Manufacturers Council are prepared to be active partners in what comes next. “We stand ready to work with the Commission and its staff on the distribution and implementation of these employer guidelines to ensure Arizona’s workers are informed and protected,” she said.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ and Manufacturers Council have been engaged in the heat safety conversation since the task force was convened by executive order in 2025. Appelbe said the business community’s consistent goal throughout has been to ensure that any guidance coming out of the process works in actual workplaces — across manufacturing floors, construction sites, agricultural operations, and the full range of industries that make up Arizona’s economy.

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Amid ongoing concerns about the Colorado River, it is understandable that Arizonans would ask hard questions about water use from new industries, including data centers. Under different scenarios, the Central Arizona Water Conservation District has estimated reductions between 20 and 57 percent to municipal water entitlements, which could require some cities to rely on alternative supplies or banked water savings reserves.

But the fear of shortages shouldn’t stop state and local officials from viewing growth in context with the broader water picture. Our state has some of the toughest water laws in the nation. Arizona’s water managers are among the best in the country, and remarkably, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ses less water today than it did in the 1950s, despite a population that has grown sevenfold and an economy that has expanded dramatically.

That record should give us confidence, not fear.

Given our strong track record for conservation, Arizona should continue welcoming responsible businesses, especially those with a demonstrated commitment to water conservation and stewardship. That includes data centers, which are becoming as essential to modern life as power lines, water systems, and fiber-optic networks.

Just as important, many modern data centers are being designed with water efficiency in mind.

Many hyperscale facilities use closed-loop cooling systems that require a one-time initial water fill and then use only minimal additional water beyond domestic needs. Others rely on dry cooling or similarly advanced methods that greatly reduce or eliminate traditional evaporative water use.

Arizona is already seeing this shift in practice.

CyrusOne uses air cooling and a closed-loop system at its Chandler campus, which largely eliminates ongoing evaporative water demand after the initial fill.

Google uses advanced dry-cooling technology at its Mesa data center to reduce long-term water use.

Meta uses a closed-loop, multi-pass system at its Mesa facility to recycle and recirculate water before discharge.

These examples make an important point: data center operators are not ignoring Arizona’s water realities. They are adapting to them.

That is not surprising. As the has noted, data centers have strong economic incentives to improve operational efficiency in both energy and water use. Conservation is not just good stewardship. It is also smart business. Data centers also provide critical revenues that are necessary to help fund the next tranche of major water conservation investments.

The construction of new digital infrastructure requires millions of dollars in new capital investment, which translates to assessed value, jobs, and secondary impacts that increase state and local revenues. A single 250 megawatt data center, for example, brings in nearly $45 million in annual real and business property taxes and pays over $15 million in sales taxes on its annual electric bill alone.

Arizona should absolutely position itself to take advantage of this investment and use it to fund the future water infrastructure projects for this state. No additional fees or surcharges are required.

Although the uncertainty on the Colorado River is real, our state’s largest cities and towns have the water they need to accommodate future growth, and they should continue to attract the latest and most cutting-edge industries to our state, especially those like data centers that are adopting the latest technology in water-efficient infrastructure.

Arizona has never succeeded by retreating from the future. Our state has long embraced innovation, growth, and responsible stewardship of limited resources. The next era of economic development will depend on technological infrastructure, and data centers will be part of that future.

Economic growth, technological advancement, and water stewardship do not have to be in conflict. Arizona can and should lead on all three.

Michael Carbone is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing Legislative District 25 and serves as House Majority Leader. Follow him on X at @MichaelCarbone. Justin Wilmeth is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 2 in North Phoenix and is Chairman of the House Committee on Artificial Intelligence & Innovation. Follow him on X at @JustinWilmethAZ.

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As Arizona’s largest private employer, Banner Health is highlighting its outsized role not only in health care, but in the state’s broader economy.

In its newly released 2025 annual report, the Phoenix-based nonprofit health system said it invested $1.1 billion back into the communities it serves, supporting patient care, workforce development, research, and prevention efforts. The report also estimates Banner’s operations generate a $12 billion annual economic impact across Arizona.

The figures reinforce Banner’s standing as one of Arizona’s most consequential institutions for both public health and economic growth.

According to the report, Banner supports 140,000 jobs statewide, including 60,000 direct employees and another 80,000 indirect jobs tied to its operations and related economic activity.

For Arizona’s business community, those numbers underscore how health care systems increasingly serve as pillars of regional economic development, workforce stability, and long-term competitiveness.

“A strong health care system is foundational to a strong economy,” Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden said. “Banner Health’s continued investment in Arizona’s workforce, communities, and long-term health outcomes demonstrates how essential institutions like this help make our state a place where businesses can grow, families can thrive, and talent wants to live and work.”

That broader economic perspective is reflected in Banner’s nonprofit model, which emphasizes reinvestment in patient care, technology, workforce development, and community-based services across Arizona.

“As a nonprofit health system, every dollar we earn is invested into our care, services, technology, talent and communities, not Wall Street shareholders,” Banner Health President and CEO Amy Perry said in the report’s .

That reinvestment model is especially visible in Banner’s workforce pipeline efforts, a critical issue as Arizona continues to grapple with population growth and a rising demand for health care professionals.

The annual report notes Banner trains more than 1,300 residents and fellows each year, supports 7,000 nursing students annually, and provides hands-on health care career experiences for more than 3,500 high school students through programs such as Camp Scrubs.

Those investments come as Arizona employers across sectors continue to emphasize the importance of talent development and workforce readiness.

Beyond its role as an employer, Banner also detailed major investments aimed at improving health outcomes in Arizona communities.

Among the report’s highlights, the system said it served 70,000 meals to low-income seniors through the Banner Olive Branch Senior Center and distributed more than 1 million pounds of food through its pantry operations.

Banner’s BIG Pink Bus mobile mammography program also screened nearly 1,000 women, with 18% receiving their first-ever screening, expanding access to preventive care in communities that may otherwise face barriers to early detection services.

The report also cites measurable gains in preventive care among Medicaid populations, including a 114% increase in colorectal cancer screenings and more than an 1,100% increase in blood pressure checks year over year.

For employers and policymakers alike, those gains carry implications that extend beyond the health sector.

A healthier workforce can translate into reduced absenteeism, improved productivity, and lower long-term health costs — all factors that influence Arizona’s economic competitiveness.

As the state continues to attract new residents, businesses, and investment, Banner’s report makes clear that health care infrastructure remains a central driver of Arizona’s economic momentum.

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