(May 22, 2023) -- The June Trend report: Metropolitan Pima Alliance - 25 years of connecting people and organizations for success is out today.
Like a van Gogh painting, collaboration should be widely appreciated as an art form. Like a piece of art, each Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA) project is unique and a part of our region’s connecting beauty.
Thomas Merton once said, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves simultaneously.” So likewise, I believe connecting and working together enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves simultaneously.
Nothing becomes more accurate than looking back on the creative collaboration that MPA has achieved over its 25 years—a collaboration among community leaders, projects, and events for the overall benefit of our community—is a beautiful thing!
Van Gogh exemplifies a struggling artist. Like MPA, he was aspirational, innovative, and looked at the world differently than most. He was kind, passionate, and sympathetic to the suffering of those around him. We learn from his life that art can be the best coping mechanism for the troubles in our lives, “finding ourselves and losing ourselves at the same.” We may not always gain fame and appreciation from the world during our lifetime, but we gain a deeper appreciation of our world through the process.
Board-selected winners have been bestowed the Common Ground Awards each year since 2007, whether their efforts are land development, economic development, or community development. Emphasis is on “the collaboration” that is atypical and falls outside of the normal day-to-day processes of our respective workplaces.
MPA’s Mission
Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA) works to create a prosperous community by promoting collaborative real estate development policies, building partnerships, and finding Common Ground.
MPA facilitates sensible land use and development policies and practices by encouraging and assembling reasonable and respectful dialogue amongst diverse groups and interests. MPA is unique to the region, an alliance of business, government, and non-profit organizations. MPA’s goals relate to improving our region’s quality of life and economic vitality. MPA strongly believes in the positive participation and contributions of the private business sector working in collaboration with local jurisdictions.
Land development is the foundation of economic development. MPA’s role in the community is to advocate for balanced residential and commercial land-use policies that stimulate economic development and preserve our natural environment.
In addition, MPA aims to participate, educate, and influence public policy and decision-making for Metropolitan Pima County. Since its inception, MPA has become a significant voice in the community on growth-related issues.
Aside from policy creation, MPA brings the community together.
The organization’s annual awards celebration, Common Ground, provides for the honoring of Development projects and programs across Southern Arizona that are unique and make a positive impact on the greater community.
MPA’s Common Ground Awards Celebration Recognizes These Successes
On May 18th, at an evening of glamour and glitz, puttin’ on the Ritz, at the Fox Theater, the 25th-anniversary celebration, MPA honored the individuals and companies who have been
instrumental in the organization’s successes and who have volunteered countless hours and resources while asking for nothing in return.
Trend report celebrates and thanks these individuals, too, in this issue.
To Allyson Solomon, who helped with this Trend report issue, we extend our sincere thanks and gratitude for all you do daily. Our reports are made possible with the involvement of individuals sharing their knowledge and time.
We will be starting work on our upcoming July Midyear issue right away.
We also thank you, our readers, for your continued support. As always, we appreciate your feedback and welcome your comments!