[Source: Lynn Ducey, Phoenix Business Journal, July 8, 2008] — A Valley Metro Light Rail car is expected to make an inaugural appearance in downtown Phoenix on Thursday or Friday, while city officials prepare a Web portal aimed at “all things downtown,” Mayor Phil Gordon said on Tuesday. Gordon made the announcement as part of the Downtown Business Breakfast, a monthly business meeting program that takes the mayor and some city officials to a restaurant or coffee house across the region.
During the Tuesday event at Sonoma at First Avenue and Van Buren, Gordon discussed downtown Phoenix and ways the city is helping small businesses operate within the community. One example he cited was the Office of Customer Advocacy, a small operation inside the Development Services Department aimed at helping business work through city permitting processes. He also mentioned the Business Customer Service Center, aimed at referring new businesses to available resources, including the Maricopa Community Colleges Small Business Development Center. SBDC analyst Susan Beauchamp, Advocacy Administrator Denee McKinley, and Business Center Administrator Mitchell Hayden were on hand at the event as well as Kimber Lanning, director of Local First Arizona, a grassroots organization aimed at supporting and promoting independent Arizona firms.
Gordon also announced that city is working to create a one-stop Web page that would act as a portal for all groups and businesses within downtown. The aim is to highlight and connect business groups, services and events, such as the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, Farmers Market, Valley Metro Light Rail, the Office of Advocacy, and include links to events such as First Friday…
Downtown Voices Coalition 