At the end of each year, Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer hands out his Ham(m)er Awards to recognize the people and groups who contributed in a big way to the year that was. This year’s edition looks back on a year that was unlike any other.

Hit by a once-in-a-century pandemic that created an instant economic worldwide collapse, and soon after racial unrest triggered by the tragic murder of George Floyd, it’s fair to say that 2020 has been a tough year. We’ve lost more than one out of every one thousand Americans to the virus, we’re still down more than 10 million jobs and there’s continued social unease. 

But these difficulties brought out the best in many of us and that’s the focus of this year’s Hammers.

The public health heroes

Let’s start with the obvious. No group is more deserving of recognition than the frontline healthcare workers who have worked nonstop despite near-constant personal danger to keep us well and to educate us on what we should do to keep well. Our hospitals, including Banner, Honor Health, Dignity (CommonSpirit Health), Mayo and others have been working overtime on top of overtime. 

I want to especially call out Dr. Cara Christ for leading Arizona’s response. If you want the definition of an impossible and thankless job, it’s leading a state health agency during a pandemic.

A Hammer Award also goes to Dr. Amish Shah, an E.R. doc who is also a state representative. His blog posts early in the pandemic provided crucial information to the general public.

State Rep. Lorenzo Sierra deserves a Hammer for his deeply personal account of his harrowing battle with Covid that he shared in USA Today and with media outlets across the country.

Our universities stepped up massively. Led by Dr. Michael Crow, Arizona State University developed an easy and effective  for Covid that was a welcome alternative for those who don’t like something stuck up their nose. Dr. Bobby Robbins, a distinguished medical doctor, developed several efforts to assist in the pandemic, including a huge  to store vaccines. NAU stepped up under the direction of Dr. Rita Cheng as well, lending needed  in the development of vaccines. 

Testing. Testing. Testing. Kudos and a Hammer to Dave Dexter and Sonora Quest for rapidly developing the leading  for Arizonans. Testing remains critical to controlling the spread and we’re fortunate to have a major testing lab based in Arizona. 

Speaking of testing, A.P. Powell deserves a Hammer for setting up testing sites in underserved communities. A.P. also used his Bridge Forum to promote much needed dialogue between neighborhood leaders and senior law enforcement leadership. 

Our friends at Vitalant deserve a Hammer for their continuous efforts to encourage blood and plasma donations. Vitalant’s work is always essential, but in 2020 it was absolutely critical to help the scientific community learn more about Covid antibodies and convalescent plasma. Plus, they’ve ensured that blood donations can continue safely.

Frontline workers. The men and women who work in our grocery stores, serve our coffee and keep America running deserve our deepest thanks…and more. Many months ago, Peggy Noonan wrote that those who are undocumented who are keeping the gears of the American economy turning should be put on a track to citizenship. I agree. 

Over the air

Arizona’s media outlets have been essential partners in getting information out to the public throughout the pandemic.

Day in and day out, KTAR’s Jim Cross has been a go-to source for useful news about the pandemic’s impact on the state and national economies. The consummate workhorse, Jim was deservedly part of the . In addition to joining the Hall of Fame, he deserves a Hammer. I’ll let him decide which is the more flattering honor. 

ABC 15’s Garrett Archer, the Data Guru, boils down the flood of data from the state Department of Health Services into easy-to-follow daily digests. He points out positive and negative trends, avoids alarmist reporting, but also gives this crisis we’re living through the seriousness it deserves. He’s also relied on his years of experience as a congressional aide, campaign hand, and Secretary of State’s Office staffer to help us understand all there is to know about ballot counting. 

It’s also worth noting that AzDHS has done yeoman’s work in providing the public a wealth of information. I’m looking forward to seeing a daily tracker in 2021 on the number of vaccinations given across the state.

Crisis response

The Paycheck Protection Program is the most successful small business program ever developed or administered in the history of the country. The relatively smooth administration happened because multiple parties in Arizona stepped up in a major way. 

A Hammer Award goes to Paul Hickman, the head of the Arizona Bankers Association, for leading the charge. His organization was in regular contact with Capitol Hill and his member institutions were essential in getting the funds flowing to small businesses that desperately needed the help.

A Hammer also goes to David Adame of Chicanos Por La Causa for helping to save thousands of jobs through Prestamos, a Community Development Financial Institution, which issues microloans to struggling small businesses in underserved communities.

More than 80,000 Arizona companies secured over $8.5 billion in largely forgivable loans. A new round is on its way. I want to thank the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce for the fantastic materials it distributed on PPP and other relief for businesses that have now been downloaded a billion times. 

A Hammer goes to Sandra Watson and her entire team at the Arizona Commerce Authority for putting together comprehensive programming for small businesses on how to navigate the pandemic. I believe that Sandra is the best economic development professional in America. The proof? During a pandemic it was announced that  would come to Arizona. This news would be eclipsed in the evening of the same day when it was announced that  would invest more than $12 billion and bring nearly 2,000 jobs to Arizona, the biggest deal in our state’s history. 

Sandra was charged with leading the Arizona Together fund, the business community’s response to the pandemic. This fund chaired by Eileen Klein has distributed millions of dollars in aid. Many donors deserve credit. Special recognition goes to Catherine Ivy of the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation for her generous $5 million donation and to Michael Bidwill for being the first to contribute seven figures. 

Speaking of the economy, a Hammer goes to Jim Rounds and the crew at Rounds Consulting Group for their outstanding work to help industries of all types not only understand the impact the pandemic has had on the Arizona economy, but also what policymakers can do to help Arizona recover in a position of strength.

A Hammer goes to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for hosting weekly conference calls with the business community during the early stages of the pandemic. These practical calls helped to ensure that Arizona businesses were well represented in Washington when it came to Covid relief. She delivered. 

Kim Sabow and the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association deserve a Hammer Award for rolling out the best safety program on the market. The AZSAFE + CLEAN hotel certification program is the model that can be used for other industries. Kim’s industry was hit first and worst, so credit to her for leading her industry through the most difficult period ever.

Globalization is good. A Hammer goes to Pfizer (U.S.) and BioNTech (Germany) for developing the world’s first widely distributed vaccine. Clocking in at 95% effectiveness using mRNA technology, the vaccine provides hope that other illnesses (cancer) will ultimately benefit. The key is to get as many people as possible vaccinated and as quickly as possible. The U.S. is leading the world in doses administered, with Israel leading on a per capita basis. The Trump administration deserves tremendous credit for developing Operation Warp Speed. Many experts said a speedy, safe vaccine was not possible. They were wrong. To have multiple vaccines at around 95% efficacy hit the market in less than one year is the accomplishment of this century. 

Speaking of private sector contributors stepping up to meet a global need, Honeywelldeserves a Hammer Award for its lightning-fast turnaround of its Arizona production lines to crank out millions of N95 masks. The effort was so impressive that it earned a factory visit from President Trump. Honeywell’s work in 2020 wasn’t a nice-to-have, it was must-have, and it was an inspiring display of American ingenuity and invention. 

The Hammer Award for Model Bipartisanship goes to Gov. Doug Ducey and State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman for joining together to provide smart, healthy and at times politically courageous guidance to keep our K-12 system running. Our teachers and school staff members all deserve big thanks for ensuring our kids have a safe place to go during this most disruptive period.

There’s no I in team

I’m very fortunate to have served under excellent board chairs throughout my tenure at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, and this year was no exception.

We started out 2020 with Susan Anable at the helm, who was completing her second year with the gavel, which itself was unusual because our chairs usually rotate every year. But Susan didn’t bat an eye when the board asked her to take on a second year. No one knew then that the business community would be entering its most challenging year ever, but Susan took on the challenge with her usual aplomb and helped shift the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ into crisis response. I should also recognize her company, Cox, which has proven to be an indispensable partner in helping thousands of Arizona kids learn remotely and folks like me work from home.

In June, we welcomed Dawn Grove as our board chair. Dawn’s a longtime Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ member and is recognized nationally and globally as a leader in manufacturing policy with a razor-sharp legal mind. An executive with Karsten Manufacturing, the parent company of PING, few have Dawn’s insight into what makes Arizona’s manufacturing environment one of the country’s most competitive. The fact that Arizona now has more manufacturing jobs than construction jobs is in no small part thanks to Dawn’s contributions over the years. As we turn our attention to the great Arizona economic recovery of 2021, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ board couldn’t ask for a better business leader. 

Finally, a Hammer Award to each team member at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Foundation and Arizona Manufacturers Council. Our last regular day in the office was in mid-March. They didn’t miss a beat. The team assembled regular virtual meetings with our colleagues across the business community; presented dozens of webinars for small businesses to access relief funds; shifted each of our regularly scheduled events online; coordinated dozens of video calls for our members with leaders in government, business and academia; launched a  with the Arizona Medical Association to help businesses keep their employees and customers safe and healthy; issued  on big issues; and even cranked out a regular YouTube show on news of the day (that sometimes as many as dozens enjoy!). To top it all off, they kept me and my schedule in one piece as I shifted to mostly working from home.

I would not want to repeat 2020, but I’m thankful for my colleagues at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ who made lemonade out of a year full of lemons.

We’re in the final months of what has been a lethal pandemic. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Please be safe and get the vaccine as soon as it’s your turn. 2020 has been tough. There’s potential for 2021 to be the year we vanquish Covid-19 and begin a new and robust expansion. Let’s make it happen.

Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry. 

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We know Proposition 208 will cost Arizona jobs. The question is simply how many.

A  by the Goldwater Institute says under the most conservative scenario job losses will reach a minimum of 124,000 over the course of a decade.

An  by national economists Steve Moore and Dr. Art Laffer is even more pessimistic,finding that an estimated 200,000 jobs would be eliminated over 10 years.

The dean of Arizona’s delegation of economic soothsayers, Elliott Pollack,  the “new tax rate would put the state at a significant competitive disadvantage.â€�

Even the left-of-center Grand Canyon Institute  the job losses at 10,000.

Left, right, or center, the consensus is that Proposition 208 will lose jobs.

It could be your job.

Proposition 208 raises the state’s top individual income tax rate by nearly double. It doesn’t touch the corporate tax rate.

It’s an important distinction. Small businesses pay their taxes on the individual portion of the tax code. Proposition 208 raises the top rate by 77.7%, which means small businesses will pay a top rate of 8%—much higher than the corporate rate of 4.9%.

That’s not fair, and it’s not smart.

Small businesses’ contribution to the Arizona economy is significant and it’s a sector that will be essential to the state’s post-pandemic economic recovery. Fifty-eight percent of Arizonans employed in the private sector work for an employer who pays their taxes via the individual income tax. They get absolutely walloped by Proposition 208. Their ability to keep and grow jobs is put in doubt. It could be your job that’s at risk.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic that has done tremendous damage to the Arizona and national economies. Arizona has clawed back a little more than half of the more than 290,000 jobs it’s lost during the pandemic, but we’re still down nearly 140,000 overall. Do we really want to risk even more damage to the economy? Proposition 208 makes the economic recovery more difficult.

Proposition 208 is not a mainstream proposal. It was not crafted as part of a dialogue between lawmakers, the education community, and job creators. Proposition 208 is extreme. Bernie Sanders has endorsed it. That’s an endorsement that speaks volumes. No one will mistake Bernie Sanders as an advocate for job creators and small businesses. He certainly doesn’t know Arizona.

In fact, nothing about this proposition is Arizona-grown. This is a science experiment gone bad cooked up by out-of-state activist groups.

The proponents’ coalition is paper thin. A handful of the usual suspects who never met a tax increase they didn’t like.

Meanwhile, the opposition to Proposition 208 is broad and deep. , urban and rural, representing industries small and large, from real estate to agriculture to tourism and everything in between opposes Proposition 208. Small business, the sector of our economy targeted by the initiative, is solidly against the proposition’s passage. The Arizona Small Business Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, and local chambers of commerce across the state are some of the measure’s most vocal opponents. Even national powerhouse the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce  Proposition 208.

Vote no on Proposition 208. Arizona can do better than to put its economy and thousands of jobs—maybe your job—at risk.

Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry. 

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey joined Glenn Hamer, Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry president and CEO, on stage for a Fireside Chat at the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­’s Legislative Forecast Luncheon last Friday. Ducey gave an exclusive preview of Monday’s State of the State address, confirming his commitment to keep taxes and regulations low in Arizona and make it easier for people to open, operate and expand their businesses in the state.

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At the outset of the 21st century’s third decade, the Arizona economy is now at its healthiest point ever and is getting stronger.

The state is one of the nation’s leaders in job growth, Maricopa County is the country’s fastest growing county, Phoenix is one of the nation’s fastest-growing big cities, and new announcements of major job-creating investments are a regular — and welcome — occurrence in every corner of Arizona, whether it’s Tucson emerging as a top city for tech firms, Pinal County becoming a center for advanced auto manufacturing or the West Valley becoming a new hub for spiked seltzer.

Clearly, Arizona is open for business.

It’s against this rosy backdrop that the Arizona state Legislature prepares to begin another session.

It wasn’t always like this. A decade ago, Arizona bore the brunt of the great recession, losing more than 300,000 jobs. State government wasn’t spared. Revenues plunged dramatically and budgets were slashed.

But Arizona emerged stronger, with an economy more resilient than it’s ever been. The success hasn’t been accidental or because of pure luck, but because specific, intentional policies were enacted to position the state for the robust growth that has defined the last several years.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry and the Arizona Manufacturers Council led the charge in the business community for the implementation of those job-creating policies, so as we enter 2020, it’s a role we’re eager to reprise. Arizona’s job creators are ready to partner with Gov. Doug Ducey and lawmakers from both parties to ensure Arizona’s economic momentum continues.

That means assessing where we can enhance our competitiveness, responsibly confronting challenges and positioning the state for future success. It also means resisting misguided efforts that could reverse our progress.

Don’t California my Arizona

We know public policy can make the difference between economic expansion or contraction. Just take a look at the latest United States Census projections, where Arizona is poised to secure a new congressional seat. States like California and New York (my native state) meanwhile, two states that have been hostile to job creation, are shrinking.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ in 2020 will oppose any efforts, whether at the state capitol or at the ballot box, that would attempt to bring to Arizona other states’ failed policies that have stifled digital innovation, threatened labor mobility or driven up the cost of living.

A talent pipeline for today and tomorrow’s jobs

Arizona’s growth hasn’t come without its unique challenges, though.

We have many more jobs than people to fill them, for example. Arizona needs a robust and reliable talent pipeline in order to meet the demands of today’s job market and the jobs of tomorrow.

To achieve this goal, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will continue its advocacy for increased investments and smart reforms in K-12 education, including the final installment toward the 20% average statewide teacher pay increase, the restoration of additional assistance dollars, Results-Based Funding and the expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) dollars.

Our members are focused on higher education, too, including the Arizona Board of Regents’ New Economy Initiative and expanded funding for industry-aligned centers like the Aviation Technology Center at Pima Community College and Maricopa Community Colleges’ work to bolster the health care talent pipeline.

A tax code that encourages job creation

Much of Arizona’s growth over the past decade can be attributed to the tax reforms successfully championed by the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, including those approved by Ducey and the Legislature in 2019, which have proven to be the key to the expansion of Arizona’s economy.

Our tax climate is now the most competitive in the state’s history, with our corporate and personal income tax rates among the best in the nation.

Not only is state government well positioned to meet its ongoing core responsibilities, but the Rainy Day Fund is at an all-time high at $1 billon, and there is a cash balance that will allow lawmakers and the business community to work together to make our tax code even more conducive to investment (a reduction in the commercial property tax assessment ratio, for example) and to address other key priorities in 2020 that will make the state a better place to build a business, get an education and raise a family.

Regulatory rollback

In addition to supporting a pro-growth tax agenda, we have consistently pursued efforts to roll back the regulatory state.

A regulatory moratorium combined with other reforms like universal occupational licensure recognition have reduced unnecessary government-imposed obstacles for entrepreneurs, innovative start-ups and established companies.

In 2020, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will continue its efforts to lift the regulatory burden on job creators, which includes making clear that new rules and regulations should be rooted in Arizona law.

A civil justice environment built for jobs

A predictable legal environment has also been important to Arizona’s reputation as a jobs-friendly state.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will continue to play a pivotal role in fostering an environment that ensures Arizona employers can remain focused on investment and expansion, not on hiring lawyers to fend off dubious lawsuits. We’ll focus on ensuring that reforms backed by the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ that increase transparency over state-level outside counsel contracts apply to all levels of government.

Water is economic development

Last year’s passage of the Drought Contingency Plan was a bipartisan bright spot at the state capitol and in U.S. Congress.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ and the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Foundation were proud to have played a key role in convening business sector stakeholders and helping educate public officials on the complicated subject of water stewardship. As the conversation begins to shift from surface water to groundwater, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will remain engaged. Like my former boss Sen. Jon Kyl says, water is economic development.

Transportation, trade, and tourism

The U.S. is on the verge of implementing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, so now is a good time to make smart investments in projects like Interstate 11 and others that promote freight mobility and reduce congestion.

The same goes for tourism, a gateway industry for Arizona that is ready to pop thanks to USMCA and two of our top inbound travel markets, Mexico and Canada.

We’ll also want to continue to elevate Arizona’s profile on the global stage and efforts that over the last few years have resulted in new trade offices in Mexico City, Chihuahua, Guanajuato and Tel Aviv, Israel.

A health care sector built for a growing state

Essential to safeguarding Arizona’s quality of life will be our ability to ensure key sectors like health care are keeping pace with a growing state. We will work to make sure Arizona is maximizing its share of federal health care dollars so we can continue to attract some of the nation’s leading-edge care providers.

Trade and immigration priorities on Capitol Hill

At a federal level, we look forward to moving into the implementation phase of USMCA.

No state is better positioned for economic success under USMCA than Arizona. Not only are trade volumes through Arizona’s international ports poised to rise, but so are the amount of jobs tied to trade with Canada and Mexico, which already number 228,000 according to  released by the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Foundation and the Arizona-Mexico Commission last year.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ was the state business community’s leading advocate for the adoption of USMCA, and we’ll do the same when it comes to forging closer trade ties with China and the United Kingdom.

Not only is China a major export destination, but it’s also a major source of students at our state universities. And the U.K. is one of our top sources of foreign direct investment. Trade deals are percolating with both countries, and the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will be there to advocate for their advancement.

We will also continue to work with the state’s congressional delegation in seeking a favorable and durable solution to make certain that individuals living in Arizona in an undocumented status — but who were brought to the United States as minors — can do so free from the threat of deportation and can access higher education and become productive contributors to the Arizona economy.

For too many Arizonans, the future is uncertain, but Congress and the Trump administration can rectify that. The formula is simple: more border security and a coherent, reliable system to keep and welcome productive people to our country.

We will work with Congress and the administration as we continue to pursue our longstanding goal of visa reform for all skill levels. Let’s take advantage of the fact that the best, brightest and hardest workers on the planet (like my wife, Tali, originally from Israel) want to live in the United States.

Arizona has made the right policy moves for over a decade. Other states have pursued the wrong ones, and their economies have suffered as a result. Let’s keep the momentum up in 2020. Arizona’s job creators can’t wait to get started.

Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the .Ìý

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In this episode of Ham(m)er Time, Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce & Industry president and CEO Glenn Hamer sat down with Alex Berenson, former New York Times reporter and author of Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence, before a fundraising breakfast for the Scottsdale-based nonprofit . Berenson’s book explains his belief that marijuana use, especially from a young age, can lead to psychosis and mental illness, including schizophrenia, as well as violent tendencies.

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In the latest episode of Ham(m)er Time! Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry, sat down with Arizona Senate President Karen Fann and talked about the transition to her new leadership role, the importance of the DCP and the hidden gems of Prescott.

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