The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Thursday by honoring two former governors with the Heritage Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Two governors
Janet Napolitano, the 21st governor of Arizona, and Doug Ducey, Arizona’s 23rd governor, will be recognized.
Napolitano was first elected governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006. Following the 2008 election of Barack Obama, she joined the administration as secretary of Homeland Security. After her time in Washington, she became the president of the University of California.
Prior to her election as governor, she served a term as state attorney general, winning in 1998. She also served as United States attorney for Arizona, nominated by President Bill Clinton.
Ducey was elected governor in 2014 and reelected in 2018. His gubernatorial tenure began after a term as state treasurer, an office to which he was elected in 2010.
Before his political career he was a successful business leader, serving as CEO of Cold Stone Creamery and as part of the ownership group that sold the business in 2007.
Thursday night’s event at the Arizona Biltmore will feature a fireside chat with the two former governors exploring their memories of their time in office and their thoughts on today’s political environment.
“We couldn’t be more pleased than to recognize these two leaders who were so consequential in shaping the Arizona we know today,” Chamber President and CEO Danny Seiden said. “Honoring Gov. Napolitano and Gov. Ducey is the perfect way to mark 50 years of the Arizona Chamber.
50 years of the Arizona Chamber
The Arizona State Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1974. Its moniker later dropped the word state. The organization became known as the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry following the chamber’s merger with the Arizona Association of Industries in 2007.
In the ensuing years, the Chamber became the leading business advocate at the state Capitol and within the state’s congressional delegation.
The Chamber has worked on a wide range of issues affecting Arizona job creators, but has been especially active in taxation, the regulatory system, tort and civil justice reform, labor, health care, and education.
“It’s certainly worth marking a 50-year anniversary and celebrating the Chamber’s many accomplishments in enhancing the state’s business environment,” Seiden said. “But we’re just getting started. The competition for jobs across the country and around the world is fierce, so we have plenty of work to do to ensure that Arizona maintains its lofty position in the eyes of job creators.”
The award
The Heritage Award has gone to some of Arizona’s most recognized luminaries from the worlds of business, politics, sports, the arts, and civil society, including names like John McCain, Jerry Colangelo, Barry Goldwater, Barbara Barrett, Lute Olson, and more.
The award is crafted by Arizona artist and sculptor and former lawmaker Rusty Bowers.