Verde Valley Economic Forum

Save the date for our Regional Economic Forum: Tuesday October 21, 2025 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Theme:  Imagining the Future of the Verde Valley

Cottonwood Recreation Center, 150 S 6th St, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, United States 

$20 until Sept. 30 (in person) |  $25 after Sept. 30 (in person) | $15 (online/Zoom)

Schedule:
8:00 A.M. – 8:15 A.M. Light Breakfast and Networking
8:15 A.M. – 8:30 A.M. Welcome and thanking sponsors. Setting intention for imagining possibilities – Christian Oliva del Rio and Marianne Langridge
8:30 A.M. – 8:40 A.M. Overview of VVREO Survey Results and Highlights of Verde Valley Strategic Plan – Marianne Langridge
8:40 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. Long Term Economic Outlook and Impact for the Verde Valley – Tom Binnings
9:00 A.M. – 9:40 A.M. State & Regional Perspectives Panel: The Future of the Arizona Economy and Impacts on the Verde Valley – Katie Hurst, CEO of AAED, APS (TBD), Jenna Rowell, Director of Rural Development, Local First AZ, Feifei Zhang, PhD, Economic Policy Institute of NAU
9:40 A.M. – 9:50 A.M. Break
9:50 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Verde Valley Perspectives Panel: Verde Valley today and Trends – Andrew Grossman, Sedona Tourism Manager, Vincent Redgrave, Executive Director, REDC at Yavapai College, Hunter Bjork, CEO of ISA Energy and Co-founder of CleanTechAZ, Mike Wise of Realty One Group
10:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. Imagining the Future – Breakout sessions with panelists and participants
11:30 A.M. – 11:50 A.M. Breakout Group Report out with most important action items
11:50 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Wrap up and Next Steps

Thank you to Salt River Project for proudly sponsoring this year’s Economic Forum!