City Manager Rick Buss invited to join committee vital to Arizona’s economic development

A 2002 study commissioned by the Flinn Foundation found that Arizona had many of the key components necessary to become a leader in biosciences, one of the fastest growing sectors of today’s economy.

In order to improve the state’s positioning and to move forward toward actually becoming a leader in the sector, the same study outlined a 10-year roadmap, which would lead Arizona to being nationally recognized in the field.

The roadmap also recommended areas of focus, which, if managed properly and adequately funded, could produce the desired results: nationally recognized status in the biosciences and a stronger, more diversified economy in a shorter period of time.

Putting together strategies and plans for implementing this roadmap is no small feat. Currently there are 15 different committees and workgroups, more than 175 people statewide, collaborating on the project.

Arizona’s Bioscience Steering Committee, a group of more than 60 members, statewide leaders in science, business, economic development and government, oversees the entire project. Maricopa’s city manager, Rick Buss, was recently invited to join this elite committee.

City Manager Rick Buss speaking with residents at a recent Educational Task Force public forum.

The Flinn Foundation is a Phoenix-based, private, non-profit philanthropic endowment that supports the advancement of the biosciences and arts in Arizona. The foundation is responsible for funding the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap efforts; its strategies are designed to advance the biosciences in Arizona over the next decade.

As a part of the steering committee, Buss will meet with other members four times a year. Together they will structure plans for long-term success in the endeavor.

The invitation to join this committee is a testament to Buss’s knowledge and experience. Buss joined the City of Maricopa as its first employee in June of 2003. Prior to that he worked with the Office of Research and Economic Affairs at Arizona State University. Part of a team that created the organization’s first strategic plan, Buss initiated an innovative biotech strategy for the state.