BizDOWNTOWN
In The Game
Rio Nuevo a Key Player in Downtown Revitalization By Dan Sorenson McCusker is probably best known for Bringing the Caterpillar Surface Mining & Technology Division’s hub – and with it rolling up his sleeves and working his conseveral hundred good jobs – to downtown tacts to bring Second Saturdays to life, a monthly event that packs downtown’s Tucson is the latest success for the oncestreets with people drawn to the live music troubled Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Faciliand festival atmosphere. ties District. Caterpillar’s move wasn’t strictly a Rio The rest of the board is made up of Nuevo deal by any means, but it was the developers, real estate and small- to melatest and flashiest of several public and dium-sized business owners and execuprivate sector collaborations involving Rio tives. But they seem to take their lead from Nuevo that have brought life to downtown McCusker, a gruff optimist who is not the Tucson in the last few years. glad-handing, big-smile guy typically asso“We each brought significant resources ciated with civic promotion. to the table to win the biggest deal Tucson He typically ends a Rio Nuevo governhas seen in 25 years,” ing board vote to apsaid Joe Snell, president prove a project by proand CEO of Sun Corclaiming, gruffly, “OK, ridor Inc., the region’s let’s build something,” economic development and then quickly moves organization that also on to the next agenda has helped lead the item. downtown resurgence. As a result, just a few Rio Nuevo “helped years after Rio Nuevo seal the deal,” Snell was up to its neck in said, by helping devise botched deals and an attractive incentive questions about the package and a “crehundreds of millions of – Mark Irvin, Secretary ative solution” for a dollars that had been Rio Nuevo Multipurpose permanent site downspent, it now is kneeFacilities District town for the division’s deep in construction Board of Directors headquarters. That dust. And McCusker included Rio Nuevo is hinting at more proj“donating” the approximately eight acres ects and developments on the horizon inrequired to build the new CAT headquarcluding “another headquarters relocation ters, valued at $7.2 million. and more retail partnerships.” “There were lots of assists in this one,” “We’ve spent a little over $19 million over the last three years, which has genersaid Fletcher McCusker, the local businessman who was picked to chair the Rio ated close to $175 million in construction Nuevo District board after the state legisprojects,” said Mark Irvin, secretary of the lature took control of the organization afRio Nuevo board. “We made the decision ter its spending was called into question. long ago to put our heads down and get to “Gov. (Doug) Ducey was instrumental. work. We’re just getting started.” The following is a rundown of key The county stepped up for a short-term lease. The Arizona Commerce Authordowntown projects underway and a sumity and Sun Corridor Inc. represented us mary of Rio Nuevo’s involvement: well.” continued on page 130 >>>
PHOTOS: COURTESY RIO NUEVO AND CATERPILLAR
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We made the decision long ago to put our heads down and get to work. We’re just getting started.
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Fall 2016 > > > BizTucson 129