The Waste Management Phoenix Open presented by the Ak-Chin Indian Community, which has been named the PGA TOUR “Tournament of the Year” (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) four times in the past six years, will take place Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 in Scottsdale. And again, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend what has come to be known as “The Greatest Show on Grass.” The economic impact of the event is vast. According to the Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business, over $389 million is pumped into Arizona’s economy as a result of the event.
– Alison Bailin, The Arizona 100
Beyond that, there are countless ways, directly and indirectly measurable, in which the Waste Management Phoenix Open impacts Arizona. Some of them, according to tournament sponsors:
Mike Brown of WaFd Bank Arizona, a Cove sponsor this year, echoes these sentiments and adds, “We are now in year three as a formal sponsor of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Prior, we spent several years attending the event with colleagues, team members, customers and business partners. Beyond the spectacle and time spent together as a team during the week, there has not been one year where we did not develop a new (and authentic) relationship as a result of the event – often many of them.”
Pioneer Title Agency, also in the Cove this year, is proud to be aligned with a zero-waste event that is helping to change the lives of thousands of families in Arizona. “The charitable impact of the event – as of 2019 proceeds from “The People’s Open” that have been donated to Arizona nonprofits since 1932 now exceed $147 million – is mind-blowing. It is something we should all stand proudly behind, and seek ways in which to get involved to make an even bigger difference,” says Pioneer’s Tom Davis.
Quarles & Brady LLP feels so strongly about the event that they’ve supported Phoenix office partner Scott Jenkins as a member of The Thunderbirds, the team that puts on the Open each year, for several years. Currently, he is the vice chair of the event, and in 2021 will serve as the Open chairman.
Michael Kintner of Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino notes another important business aspect to the event is it gives the resort a chance to thank long-term and even out-of-state customers and partners. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is a wonderful opportunity for Harrah’s Ak-Chin to bring out its Caesars Rewards customers from all over the country. “Inviting our guests to enjoy the ‘Greatest Show on Grass’ is easy for us. Who wouldn’t want to come to Arizona in January? The majority of our customers that join us for the Open are often escaping snow storms, so the sun and 70 degree Arizona weather is a huge draw.”
In addition to their time at the Open, guests will enjoy a private event out at the Casino and golf at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes. “These guests typically stay for three or four nights, so it is a great opportunity for them to experience our newly remodeled hotel and casino, enjoy some of our new restaurants and of course, see some amazing golf,” he says.