Casey Rooney is the Economic Development Director for the City of Cottonwood and the President and CEO of the Cottonwood Economic Development Council. He is the Chair of the Northern Arizona Council of Governments Economic Development Committee. He is a board member and officer of the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization, the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, the Arizona Wine Growers Association and the United Way of Yavapai County. In his spare time he provides mentorship as a big brother for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. He also enjoys hiking, birding and gardening.
Before arriving in Cottonwood over 5 ½ years ago he served as the Economic Development Director for Champaign County Regional Planning Commission in Illinois working closely with the University of Illinois’ research park and incubator (Enterprise Works). Prior positions included the startup of the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, a business incubator and industrial training center, Chamber of Commerce Director and a long career working in industry as a manufacturing manager for notable companies such as United Technologies Carrier Corp and Sundstrand Aviation. He proudly started his career working for his father in their small family business in Findlay Ohio, Rooney Builders, in business continually for over 60 years.
Casey has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, a Master of Business Administration from the University of La Verne in California and he is also a recent graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. His present educational endeavor involves participation in the State-wide Project CENTRL leadership program.
