Mesa Mayor John Giles won the 2017 Small Business Advocate Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Partner America for supporting local small businesses.

He was presented with an award during a small-business gathering at the D-Lab Alley recently. The award was offered through Partner America, a group created by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to help mayors offer resources that help local businesses thrive. Representatives of the Mesa Office of Economic Development and the Mesa Chamber of Commerce discussed some of these resources during the event.

“We are honored to receive this award but more importantly to have so many successful small businesses in the city of Mesa," Giles said. "They are the heartbeat of the city’s economy. This is a great event for small business owners to learn even more about what tools the city and our partners have to help them grow and prosper."

Giles discussed the successful LAUNCHPIONT business incubator and the Red Mountain Library collaborative workspace. Curtis Cello, director of field service for American Management Services, Inc., gave a talk titled "Growth in a New Business Climate."

To view images and video footage from the event, visit www.mesanow.org.