Description

Please join us for the West Valley Women's Council of REALTORS® Breakfast meeting. All are welcome to attend, and there is NO charge for first-time guests! We will have two speakers from the City of Peoria: Economic Development Director Maria Laughner and Mayor Jason Beck. They will discuss all of the exciting growth happening that you can share with your clients.

Jason Beck was elected to a four-year term as Mayor of Peoria in 2022. He and his wife Jane are the founders and CEOs of Tyr Tactical, an Arizona Manufacturer of the Year Award-winning business and one of the largest private employers in the City of Peoria.

Jason started his first business out of a 30-foot storage unit after serving in the Marine Corps. Today, their business provides body armor vests, hard armor, and tactical gear to police and military forces worldwide. Jason has carried his business motto, “Innovate or Die,” with him into public service as Peoria’s Mayor.

Mayor Beck’s innovative vision for Peoria is realizing its full potential by attracting cutting-edge economic development, investing to secure our water future, driving the future of policing and public safety, and encouraging new educational opportunities to give Peoria families school choice. He and his wife Jane live in Peoria with their six sons.

Maria Laughner joined the City of Peoria Economic Development team in February 2025 as the Director. She focuses on business attraction, redevelopment, business retention and expansion, workforce development activities throughout the City, and strategic development priorities including North Peoria Gateway, Peoria Innovation Core, P83, and Downtown Redevelopment.

Previously, Maria worked as the deputy economic development director for the Cities of Tempe and Mesa. Ms. Laughner has spent more than twenty years in marketing, communications, and business development management in both the public and private sectors. She has experience in various industries, including biotechnology, healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, economic development, and non-profits.

Her career highlights include working with five start-up bioscience and technology companies, establishing an Arizona campus for the College of St. Scholastica, and negotiating deals that resulted in more than 2 million square feet and 15,000 new jobs at both the municipal and state levels.

Ms. Laughner earned a BA from Marquette University, an MS from New York University, and an MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.