The City of Surprise was delighted to join our partners at WESTMARC last night at their 2026 Best of the West Celebration! Vice Mayor Earle Greenberg, Councilmember Patrick Duffy, and Councilmember Chris Judd were joined by Economic Development Assistant Director Mike Hoover, members of our team, and the Surprise Transportation Department for the evening of celebration and collaboration with many of our West Valley partners. The event was wonderfully emceed by City of Peoria Mayor Pro Tem Matt Bullock and WESTMARC Board Chair Bridget Schwartz-Manock and President & CEO Sintra Hoffman provided an incredible welcome to attendees. Special shout out and thank you to Sintra, who has been an incredible advocate and leader in our region for many years! Congratulations to the whole WESTMARC team on an amazing event! #WestValleyPride #WESTMARC #Leadership #SurpriseAZ

Mayor Kevin Sartor (@MayorSartor) joined Dawn and Dennis Grzebien today to cut a ribbon and celebrate the opening of their new @SmoothieKing in Surprise! The celebration continues on Saturday, November 14 with Smoothie King's official public grand opening. Stop by to check out the new location and help us give them a warm welcome to the Surprise community! Congratulations to Dawn, Dennis, and the entire Smoothie King team. Welcome to Surprise! Check out photos from today's event here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD8aTZ #SurpriseAZ #SmoothieKingSurprise #GrandOpening #OpenForBusiness Smoothie King | 15557 W. Bell Road, Suite 403

The City of Surprise Economic Development and Public Works Departments joined @GlobalTiesAZ at Diplomacy Across the Decades, celebrating the organization's 60 years of incredible impact in Arizona. Global Ties AZ has been a wonderful partner and dedicated leader across our state, connecting international talent, investors and decision-makers with communities throughout Arizona. A big shoutout to Global Ties AZ President & CEO Kristin Allen on a fantastic event, and congratulations to the entire team on 60 amazing years! #GlobalTiesAZ #InternationalConnection #SurpriseAZ #FeelGoodFriday

Members of the @SurpriseFD and leaders from throughout our city and the West Valley came together to recognize the incredible career of Surprise Fire Chief Brenden Espie. Chief Espie has dedicated 25 years to serving our community, leaving a lasting impact on his department and the City of Surprise through his leadership and commitment to service. Congratulations, Chief Espie! We wish you all the best in this next chapter and thank you for 25 years of dedicated service and remarkable leadership! #SurpriseAZ #SurpriseFireMedical #PublicService #CommunityLeadership

Today’s Fall 2026 Surprise Railplex Meeting brought our business community together at National Indoor RV Centers @nirvc for a morning centered on connections, resources, and supporting the people behind our local industries. Economic Development Project Manager Kirsten Hall hosted the meeting, with Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic and @SparkSurpriseAZ Project Manager Samuel Pena also welcoming attendees and sharing a few words with our Railplex business community. The morning featured valuable conversations around workplace safety and workforce development with Patrick Jordan from ADOSH, Kevin Dumcum from @WESTMARC, and Christopher Sternisha from Arizona at Work Maricopa County. A special thank you to Tino Beltran and the entire NIRVC team for opening their doors to their Railplex neighbors and wrapping up the morning with a tour of their Surprise facility! Bringing employers, partners, and resources together helps strengthen the connections that make the Surprise Railplex more than a place to do business, it builds a stronger business community. #SurpriseBusiness #BusinessRetention #EmployerEngagement #WestValleyAZ #ArizonaBusiness #GrowingSurprise #SurpriseAZ #SurpriseRailplex

Surprise Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic joined local business owner Dr. Mohammed Khakwani and Hygienist Brooke Brown-Searles to cut a ribbon and celebrate the opening of Dentists at Sycamore Farms! This new practice is a great addition to the Sycamore Farms area, bringing another convenient healthcare option to residents in our growing community. Congratulations to Dr. Khakwani, Brooke, and the entire Dentists at Sycamore Farms team. Welcome to the City of Surprise! Check out photos of today's event here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD7KdR #OpenForBusiness #RibbonCutting #SycamoreFarmDentists #SurpriseAZ

Surprise Economic Development joined our friends at the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce - Arizona this weekend to celebrate the amazing work they have done over the past 30 years in strengthening the business relationship between Sweden and Arizona! The event was highlighted by remarks from SACC Arizona President Carl Fallgren and The Honorable Mikael Örn, Honorary Consul of Sweden. Also on hand to celebrate the momentous occasion was SACC Arizona Chairman - Eric Walberg, Treasurer - Jacob Taylor, Director - Ryan Johnson, Secretary - Tobias Lofstrand, as well as many other members of the SACC Arizona team and their partners across Arizona. Congratulations to the entire SACC Arizona team, here's to many more years of success! #SACCArizona #SwedenArizonaConnection #InternationBusiness #SurpriseAZ

Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic joined local business owners Richard Elmore and Matthew Elmore today to cut a ribbon at Well Trim Clinic in Surprise! Congratulation Richard, Matthew, and the whole team at Well Trim Clinic, welcome to the Surprise business community! Check out photos of today's event here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD76y2 #RibbonCutting #OpenForBusiness #WellTrimSurprise Well Trim Clinic | 15609 W. Bell Road, Suite 104

Cinnamon Roll Day is coming up this Sunday, October 4! 🌀 Of course, we couldn’t let the occasion pass without celebrating with our #1 Most Desired Retailer, @IKEA! 💙💛 A recent trip to IKEA gave members of our Economic Development team the perfect opportunity to get into the spirit with a few of their famous cinnamon rolls. Happy Kanelbullens dag from the City of Surprise! #MostWanted #SurpriseLovesIKEA #CinnamonRollDay #KanelbullensDag

Today was a BIG day for Surprise Economic Development! We officially celebrated the Grand Opening of @SparkSurpriseAZ, the City of Surprise’s new Business Development Hub! @MayorSartor and Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic cut the ribbon, officially opening Spark Surprise to businesses and entrepreneurs in our community. They were joined by Vice Mayor Earle Greenberg, Councilmember Johnny V. Melton (@melton_d4), Supervisor Debbie Lesko - Vice Chair of Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Surprise City Manager Andrea Davis, Economic Development Assistant Director Mike Hoover, Economic Development Project Manager - Spark Surprise Samuel Pena, and Economic Development Administrative Specialist - Spark Surprise Maggie Lewis. Making a community resource like this a reality would be impossible without our many incredible partners! A few were on hand to celebrate with us today including: - City of Surprise Human Service & Community Vitality (@surprisecares) who provided their Block Party Trailer - George Sezemsky, CEO Forums Chair, @SCOREMentors - Ryan Dixon, Small Business Advocate, Maricopa County - Procurement Services - Robert Theobald, Small Business Ombudsman, Sr. VP, Small Business Services, @AZCommerce - Patrick Jordan, Compliance Assistance Supervisor, ADOSH - Darren Ware, Safety Coordinator, ADOSH - Steve Kaiser, CEO, @ASBA - Katherine Dunphy, Marketing Director, Arizona Small Business Association - Kaila Hammonds, Director of Business Development, Arizona Small Business Association - Dysart Schools: Dysart Student Broadcasting Special shout out to Fairytale Finds Market and all today's vendors for putting on a fantastic market for the event! Spark Surprise is located in the heart of our City, right on Elm Street, and for the Grand Opening, many of the amazing Elm Street Restaurants participated in the Taste of Elm Street. Big thank you to: MISSION BBQ Pita Kitchen Mediterranean Grill Southern Steer Butcher Osteria Mia - Surprise Jet's Pizza Tacos Chilango Cafe Zupas Better Buzz Coffee Farmer Boys One final, Sparkling Shout Out to the incredible Flash Mob Dance Participants that took over Elm Street Today! Great work Assistant Choreographer (and today's Michal Jackson) K-9, Pomp Team & Dance Company with Peoria High School, Pomp Team with Paradise Honors High School, Dance Team with Ottawa University - Arizona, and the Desert Flowers Belly Dancing Troop. Check out photos of all of today's wonderful festivities here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD6rLE #SparkSurpriseAZ #BusinessDevelopmentHub #SurpriseEconomicDevelopment #OpenForBusiness #RibbonCutting #FlashMob Spark Surprise | 14462 W. Elm Street, Suite 143 sparksurpriseaz.com/

Surprise Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic joined local business owners Fabiano Aoki and Ismael Aoki to celebrate the 5-Year Anniversary of Cyclone Muay Thai & Aoki Jiu-Jitsu here in Surprise! Joining in on the celebration were Economic Development Project Manager of @SparkSurpriseAZ Samuel Pena as well as West Valley Regional Chamber Business Development Specialist Cliff Yoder. Congratulations Fabiano and Ismael on 5 incredible years in our community. Looking forward to many more! To see photos of todays event click here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD6kQJ #CycloneMuayThai #5YearAnniversary #SurpriseAZ Cyclone Muay Thai & Aoki Jiu-Jitsu | 16630 W. Greenway Rd. Suite 307

One week from today, we celebrate a major milestone for Surprise’s business community! @SparkSurpriseAZ was created to give entrepreneurs, small businesses and professionals a place to connect, access resources and turn ideas into opportunities. On October 1, we’re inviting the community to come see that vision in action! From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., experience Spark Surprise while enjoying a Taste on Elm and a mini Elm Street Market featuring local businesses and vendors. Then, at 12:30 p.m., help us officially mark the occasion with a Ribbon Cutting. This is more than the opening of a new space. It’s another step forward in supporting business growth, entrepreneurship and connection in Surprise. We’ll see you October 1! #SparkSurprise #SurpriseAZ #SparkSurpriseAZ #EconomicDevelopment #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #WestValley

Tomorrow is the day! The Surprise Job Fair is happening tomorrow, with opportunities for all skill levels across a wide range of industries, including: • Law Enforcement & Public Safety • Healthcare & Home Care • Education • Manufacturing • Transportation & Logistics • Distribution & Warehousing • Government & Public Service • Staffing & Recruitment • Social & Community Services • Military Careers Hosted by @ARIZONAatWORK in partnership with the City of Surprise, this is your chance to meet employers face-to-face, explore career opportunities and make valuable connections. 📅 Tomorrow, September 24 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 📍 Surprise Regional Library Bring your resume and come ready to connect. Your next opportunity could be waiting for you! #SurpriseAZ #SurpriseJobFair #NowHiring #WestValleyJobs

Councilmember Johnny V. Melton (@Melton_D4) and Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic, joined @RetroExchangeAZ Owner Grey Rogers and General Manager Cody Smith for a ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of their new business in Surprise! Retro Exchange is a one-stop destination for collectors and gamers, offering toys, comics, video games, collectibles, tabletop gaming and more. Thank you to West Valley Regional Chamber Business Development Specialist Cliff Yoder and @BenevillaAZ Donor Relations Specialist Angelita Contreras for joining in on today's celebration. Congratulations to Grey, Cody, and the whole Retro Exchange team, welcome to the Surprise community! Check out photos from today's event here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD5Hbk #OpenForBusines #RibbonCutting #RetroExchangeSurprise Retro Exchange | 12851 W. Bell Road, Surprise AZ 85378

AI isn’t just for big companies. Local small businesses can put it to work, too! The WESTMARC AI Readiness Workshop series is launching at Spark Surprise, giving small business owners hands-on opportunities to explore practical ways to incorporate AI into their operations. The first session focuses on a challenge many businesses face, turning more leads into customers through better follow-up and smarter workflows. Take advantage of this FREE resource for our business community and reserve your spot: luma.com/ai-readiness-worksh…

Mission: Accomplished Stay tuned... youtu.be/G8Pa893SSgs #MissionCheesecake

For this #FeelGoodFriday we want to congratulate our colleagues in the City of Surprise Human Service & Community Vitality Department (@SurpriseCares) on the opening of their new Surprise Community and Resource Center last week. The facility is absolutely breathtaking, and it was amazing seeing just how many partners and members of our community were on hand to celebrate. Special shout out to Surprise HSCV Director Seth Dyson for the incredible work you and your team have done to prepare this exceptional community space! Visit the new Surprise Community and Resource Center at 12641 W. Santa Fe Dr., Surprise, AZ 85378. #OpenForBusiness #RibbonCutting #SurpriseHSCV

SAVE THE DATE! The Surprise Job Fair is coming up on September 24th, hosted by @ARIZONAatWORK in partnership with the City of Surprise! Job seekers of all skill levels are invited to connect with employers, explore new career paths, and discover opportunities right here in our community. 📅 September 24th 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 📍 Surprise Regional Library Stay tuned as we share more about what you can expect at the Job Fair! #WorkforceWednesday #SparkSurpriseAZ #SurpriseAZ #JobFair #WestValleyJobs #CareerOpportunities

Assistant Economic Development Director Mike Hoover cut a ribbon today with Russell Stover Chocolates Surprise Store Manager Felicia Purpura and her team to celebrate the Grand Opening of their new location in Surprise! In addition to Ms. Purpura, Russell Stover Chocolates was represented by: • Angela Ellsworth, Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) • Christi Jones, Senior Manager of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) • Alejandro Piper, Leader of Retail Joining in on the celebration from the City of Surprise were: • Kasey Peterson PHR, Administrator, @SurpriseParks • Samuel Peña Pena, Project Manager, Economic Development, @SparkSurpriseAZ • Mike Sawyer, Surprise Stadium Sales and Sponsorship Coordinator, Sports, Entertainment and Culture Department • Cody Downing, Production Coordinator, Sports, Entertainment and Culture Department Our community partners also came out to celebrate, including @Simon_CRE Property Manager Andrea Wilda, SimonCRE Marketing Associate Shelby Hunt and West Valley Regional Chamber Business Development Specialist Cliff Yoder. Stop by and check out this sweet new addition to the Surprise business community! Congratulations to the entire Russell Stover Chocolates team, and welcome to the City of Surprise! Check out photos from today’s event here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjD2Pr8 #OpenForBusiness #RibbonCutting #RussellStover #SurpriseAZ #GrandOpening #SweetSurprise #BusinessGrowth #WestValleyAZ Russell Stover Chocolates | 16340 W Waddell Rd, Ste 100, Surprise, AZ 85388