La Paz County, Arizona

LA PAZ COUNTY , AR I ZONA operation and a second one under construction. From a County standpoint, we’ve had a number of enterprises over the years. One of the first was a regional landfill, which was put in shortly after the County was formed in 1983. We acquired 640 acres with the intent of taking on more than just local trash. That’s generating some revenue for the County, but not as much as we’d hoped,” Wilson admits, illustrating why a more diverse network of enterprises is good for the health of an EDO’s portfolio. “We also have a golf course that’s been recognized as one of the most unique in the State. It’s received a 4-star rating from Golf Digest,” Wilson continues. A site often referred to as “The Jewel of the Desert,” the Emerald Canyon Golf Course is carved out of the mountains and canyons overlooking the Colorado River. It was named “Best Exotic Course in Arizona” by The Arizona Republic and is a must-play for any true golf enthusiast. “They had the Southwest PGA qualifying for the Champions Tour here,” says Ron Drake, County Administrator. “We had the highest average score in any qualifying sectional two years in a row, so they quit coming.” “The course is only about 6,400 yards,” adds Wilson. “It’s a short course.” considering what would happen if important advantages were to go away. Located in the western part of the state of Arizona, La Paz County lives by the motto: Recreation for all seasons; opportunity for every business. It’s a motto that speaks to the County’s flexibility and inclusion, and a philosophy that has enabled its private, non-profit, regional EDO to become one of the most successful in the whole of rural Arizona. “Our population sits at around 21,000, and that leads me to why we formed an EDO back in 2010,” says County Supervisor, D.L. Wilson. “La Paz missed out on the economic and population growth experienced by our neighbors to the north and to the south before the Great Recession. So, during that 2008-2010 recession, we created the La Paz Economic Development Corporation to position ourselves to take advantage of the recovery, and we’ve been, in my opinion, quite successful in doing that.” The organization has already brought five major projects into the Town of Parker, the County seat. “They’ve brought in Rose Acre Farms—that’s the second largest egg producer in the nation,” says Wilson. “They currently have one farm in