The City of San Luis was honored with the Golden Prospector Award in the Economic Development Program/Process category by the Arizona Association for Economic Development, according to a Nov. 25 announcement. The award was presented at AAED’s annual Fall Forum held last month in Prescott, Arizona.
The recognition highlights efforts that promote business attraction, retention, workforce development, or streamline service delivery within communities. The City of San Luis partnered with Local First Arizona and used funding from the USDA Rural Business Development Grant to launch the Fuerza Local business accelerator program at the San Luis Business Incubator. This initiative has supported Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in formalizing their businesses, improving financial literacy, and building resilient enterprises.
“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized with this award,” said Armando Esparza, Director of Economic Development. “We grateful to San Luis City Council for supporting our small business development initiatives, the businesses that applied and graduated from the program, and the Economic Development Team for their work.”
This marks the first time San Luis has received a Golden Prospector award. The city promotes community engagement through open council meetings and public events, according to the official website.
San Luis is dedicated to providing essential services such as public safety, parks and recreation programs, and economic development initiatives as reported by its official website. Nieves Riedel has served as mayor of San Luis according to information on the city’s website. Over time, San Luis has grown from a small town into a thriving community in Arizona under a council-manager form of government as described on its official site.
The city also offers services including police and fire departments, parks and recreation programs, and public works projects according to its official website.
