The business landscape in Southern Arizona is so diverse that it can be described as spanning from “Raytheon to restaurants.”
It’s a message and theme that Suzanne P. Clark, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, highlighted during a recent visit to Tucson to celebrate the new Chamber of Southern Arizona, formed by the merger between Sun Corridor, Inc. and the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce.
“Of course, we think of the small businesses that line Tucson’s Congress Street as local,” Clark said in her keynote address. “But it’s also the Eegee’s where you had your first job. The energy producers that power your vehicles so you can drive from downtown to the Oro Valley, and the pharmaceutical company that invests in research to produce the medicines you pick up from your neighborhood pharmacy.”
“Wherever a company, a service, a product, or a solution originates, its impact is always local,” she continued, echoing the theme of the 2025 State of American Business Program. “Because local is where we live our lives.”
The annual State of American Business was delivered this year from the vibrant and quickly growing Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex – the first time the program was held outside Washington, D.C. – to spotlight the region’s economic success and call for a pro-growth federal policy agenda that will enable communities across the country to achieve greater growth and more opportunity for people everywhere.
As she did in Dallas in January, Clark used her visit to Tucson to reinforce the vital role of local business in driving economic growth. She highlighted several industries throughout Arizona that would be bolstered by the Chamber’s pro-growth policy agenda.
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She noted Tucson’s emerging solar industry, which would benefit from efforts to boost domestic energy production. Clark also highlighted Arizona’s growing semiconductor industry, which has attracted more investment than any other state, positioning Arizona as a global leader in the fundamental building blocks of AI.
“Wherever a company, a service, a product, or a solution originates, its impact is always local,” U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark said during the celebration of the launch of the Chamber of Southern Arizona.
While helping to celebrate the launch of The Chamber of Southern Arizona, a powerful new voice for business in the region created by the merger of the Tucson Metro Chamber and Sun Corridor, Inc., the message, "All policy is local," came through loud and clear from area business leaders.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark had a productive discussion with local business leaders and U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) about the importance of extending pro-growth tax policies at the Chamber’s Tax Roundtable.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark and U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ)at the Tax Roundtable.
Clark also identified policy uncertainty as a significant obstacle to growth. She shared insights from the Chamber's analysis of S&P 500 companies, revealing a 30% increase in risks tied to public policy. Clark urged policymakers to consider that businesses make plans in 5- and 10-year increments, like whether to build new facilities or plants, how to align supply chains, and whether to hire new workers. “That’s really hard to do when public policy goes guardrail to guardrail,” said Clark.
The address outlined the Chamber’s agenda for growth: Clark advocated for extending pro-growth tax policies, unwinding regulatory burdens, and establishing clear rules for emerging technologies like AI.
As part of Clark’s visit to Tucson, she participated in a tax roundtable alongside U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and local business leaders. The Chamber has hosted 30 tax roundtables to date in 2025, convening lawmakers and business owners in every corner of America to discuss the importance of a consistent and competitive tax code.
Clark concluded her keynote address with a call to action for the business community to champion free enterprise and work together to build a brighter future.
“When government starts to overregulate industries into submission, pick winners and losers, micromanage businesses, or direct their behavior—that’s when the growth all of us want becomes harder to achieve,” she said. “So it’s up to all of us to remind our elected officials that all policy is also local. And we need to tell policymakers exactly what we need—a growing economy—and why it’s important.”
State of American Business 2025
