WHEN TRAVELING WEST ONINTERSTATE 10 FROM NEW MEXICOWILCOX IS ONE OF THE LARGESTCOMMUNITIES DRIVERS MAY NOTICEFIRST IN ARIZONA.INSTEAD OF JUST PASSING BY ORMAKING A PIT STOP KALEB WANTS TOENTICE THEM TO STAY AWHILE.>> SO WE HAVE OUTDOORS.WE HAVE RECREATION, NICE COOLEVENINGS, HOT SUMMER DAYS.BUT THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING INWILCOX.>> AFTER WORKING IN ARIZONASEVERAL COMMUNITIES, ONE OF HISTOP PRIORITIES IS TO PROMOTETHIS COMMUNITY, GET THE WORD OUTSO WILCOX BECOMES A DESTINATIONNOT JUST A THOROUGHFARE TOSOMEWHERE ELSE.>> THIS IS OUR VISITORS CENTER.IT'S THE COCHISE COUNTY WILCOXVISITOR CENTER.SO WE GET A LOT OF TOURISTSCOMING DOWN FROM TEXAS.SO WE WANT TO MAKE A GOODIMPRESSION OF THEM FIRST ONWHAT'S IN WILCOX, SECOND INCOCHISE COUNTY AND THIRD WHAT'SIN OUR STATE.SO YOU'LL SEE ALL OF THATADVERTISED IN OUR VISITORSCENTER.SO WE'RE UPDATING IT.BUT THE BIGGEST THING IS WE WANTPEOPLE TO COME OFF THE HIGHWAY,WHICH FOR A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.IF THEY COME FOR A UNIQUEEXPERIENCE, WE THEN WANT TO PUSHTHEM INTO OUR CITY SO THAT THEYSPEND DOLLARS LOCALLY ANDSUPPORT OUR ECONOMY.>> AND THE TOWN IS COUNTING ONSEVERAL INDUSTRIES TO ELEVATEITS STATUS IN THE WORLD OFTOURISM.WINGS OVER WILCOX IS AN ANNUALCELEBRATION THAT FOCUSES ONANNUAL MIGRATORY CRANES, REALSNOW BIRDS THAT SPEND THEIRWINTERS IN THE AREA.THE COMMUNITY IS ALSO KNOWN FORWESTERN CULTURE AND HISTORY.SCENIC OPEN SPACES AND THENATIONAL MONUMENT AND BEYOND ANDA GROWING WINE INDUSTRY INCOCHISE COUNTY.THIS INDUSTRY PRODUCES A BULK OFTHE WINE IN THE STATE.>> THE REASON WE COME DOWN HEREIS WE HAVE A PASSION FOR WINE.70% OF ALL THE WINE GRAPES INARIZONA ARE GROWN IN THE WILCOXBASIN, THE WATER BASIN HERE ANDTHIS IS WHERE YOU'VE GOT TO GO.FROM THE VALLEY TEMPESPECIFICALLY AND WE LOVED IT UPTHERE AND WE PROBABLY COULD HAVESTAYED A LOT LONGER BUT THIS AGREAT PLACE TO GROW FRUIT ANDMAKE GREAT WINE.>> ALONG WITH GRAPES OTHERPRODUCTS ARE TURNING AGRICULTUREINTO DESTINATION MAGNETS.LIKE THE ORCHARDS OF ANIES.MOVING FORWARD AS YOU CONTINUETO WORK ON THIS COMMUNITY WHEREWOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT IN 5 OR10 YEARS?>> SO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN IFIRST STARTED THEY SAID WE WANTA HOME DEPOT, WE WANT AWAL-MART.THOSE INDUSTRIES WILL COME WHENTHEY WANT TO COME TO WILCOX.TO ME IT'S ALMOST UNREALISTICBECAUSE DATA DRIVES EVERYTHING.ANALYTICS DRIVES EVERYTHING.THEY KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE COMETHROUGH HERE.WAL-MART IS GOING TO GO WHEREWAL-MART WANTS TO GO.OUR NICHE RIGHT NOW IS MARKETAND TOURISM.SO LET'S DO IT WELL.LET'S GROW OUR TOURISM BASE.LET'S MARKET OURSELVES REALLYWELL.LET'S HELP OUR RESTAURANTS BESUCCESSFUL.AND IF THOSE THINGS ARESUCCESSFUL AND THOSE THINGSGROW, OTHER THINGS WILL COMEDOWN THE ROAD AS WELL.>> GREG HANCOCK IS ORIGINALLYFROM ANOTHER PART OF THE STATE,BUT WHEN HE AND HIS WIFE WERELOOKING TO INVEST THEY ZOOMED INON WILCOX.>> I'M ORIGINALLY FROM STAFFORD,ARIZONA, AND I ENDED UP HERE, WESAW THIS OPPORTUNITY AND SAWOPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH IN WILCOXAND THOUGHT WE COULD MAKE A GOOF THIS.>> WHAT DID YOU SEE IN WILCOX?>> WE SAW THE WINERIES COMING INAND WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THEAGRICULTURE REALLY PICKING UPWITH TREES BEING PLANTED AND SAWA LOT OF PEOPLE STARTING TO MOVEHERE FOR THOSE REASONS.>> AND HOW DID YOU COME UP ONTHIS PROPERTY, AND WHY DID YOUDECIDE TO OPEN IT UP?>> WE PICKED UP THIS PROPERTY.A GUY STARTED FIXING IT UP ANDRAN OUT OF MONEY, AND SO HE LETIT GO.AND WE SAW THE POTENTIAL HERE,SO WE INVESTED AND BOUGHT THEINN AND GOT IT UP AND RUNNING.>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THEAPPROXIMATE AMOUNT YOU'VEINVESTED SO FAR.>> WE'VE INVESTED CLOSE TO AMILLION.WE HAVE ALL THE EXTRA EVENTSTHAT GO ON IN WILCOX.>> AS A BUSINESS OWNER ANDRESIDENT WHAT DO YOU THINK THISCITY LACKS THE MOST?>> THIS CITY PROBABLY LACKS INGETTING ALL THE PEOPLE AROUNDTOWN OPTIMISTIC ON THEIR TOWNAND WANTING TO SEE IT GROW.KIND OF STUCK ON HOW IT HAS BEENIN THE PAST AND DON'T REALLYACKNOWLEDGE THE -- WHAT IT COULDBE.>> BUT THE CITY IS TAKING STEPSTO TURN A NEW PAGE.FORMING A NEW MARKETING ANDTOURISM COMMISSION THAT MEETWEEKLY.THERE COMMUNITY LEADERS ANDBUSINESS OWNERS TRADE IDEASABOUT HOW TO MARKET THEMSELVESEACH OTHER.>> IT'S HARD TO HELP PEOPLECATCH THE VISION, AND THAT'SSOMETHING THIS COMMUNITY HASACTUALLY DONE A GREAT JOB OFDOING IS ALL THESE BUSINESSOWNERS AND EVENT ORGANIZERS,THEY'VE CAUGHT THE VISION ANDTHEY'RE ON FIRE RIGHT NOW ANDTHEY'RE WANTING TO WORK AND SEETHINGS HAPPEN.THE OTHER BIG PART IS WILCOX, WECAN'T DO IT ALONE.WE NEED COCHISE COUNTY.YOU'LL SEE HERE WE HAVE BISBY,THE BISBY MINE TOURS ANDTOMBSTONE.IT'S ALL WORKING TOGETHER ANDGETTING OTHER COUNCILS FROMOTHER GROUPS TO WORK WITH US ASWELL.WE NEED TOMBSTONE TO BUY INTO ITAND SAY, HEY, THERE'S MORE THANJUST TOMBSTONE.WE CAN ENLARGE THE PIE INSTEADOF SLICING OVER A SLICE OF THEPIE.AND THE MENTALITY IN THE PASTHAS BEEN LET'S FIGHT OVER THATONE SLICE.INSTEAD LET'S BUILD A LARGER PIEAND BAKE A LARGER PIE SO WE CANALL HAVE LARGER SLICES OF IT.
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