Denman joins economic development team at OV | News

Sarah Denman, Oro Valley’s new economic development programs manager, was drawn to public service in the aftermath of a hurricane.

Denman was a teenager living in Beaumont, Texas, in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. She volunteered to help Louisianans who relocated to Texas because of the storm’s impacts.

“I found my calling to help people,” she said. “It led me to public service.” 

Denman and her husband Brian, a senior mechanical engineer with Raytheon, moved to Tucson in January 2020, “looking forward to getting to know” the community. Then COVID struck.

“It made me want to go back to school,” she said. Denman earned a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Arizona. She has worked with the city of Tucson, Pima County’s Office of Economic Development, the town of Sahuarita, and the International Rescue Committee through AmeriCorps.

“It’s a field I wanted to be in,” she said of government. “I have a passion for helping and serving the community.”

In her new role, Denman manages Oro Valley’s business retention and expansion program. She has responsibilities for the Shop Oro Valley campaign, in conjunction with the Oro Valley Chamber, and assists businesses with site analysis, permitting, and access to resources.

Broadly, she addresses “whatever comes our way in terms of the business community.

“I’m here for a purpose, I’m here for a reason,” Denman said. “I want them to feel supported, to feel heard, and with the right information they need.”

Existing businesses are “the backbone of our economy,” she said. “Their success is our success.”

Denman succeeds Margie Adler, Oro Valley’s popular, longtime economic development specialist, who retired earlier this year. Adler gained visibility and appreciation among businesses when she accompanied Mayor Joe Winfield and Chamber representatives on weekly business visits.

Adler’s goal was to visit 200 businesses a year.

“I would like to continue that,” Denman said. “I see the value in hearing face-to-face business needs and challenges, and understanding how we can better address those.”

It’s early for Denman, but thus far business people have told her they want more customers and clients. And they want to be heard.

“Frustration and pushback is always derived from a need,” Denman said. “My role is to have an open ear, and listen to that frustration. We don’t know the need unless they tell us that need.”

In turn, Denman tells businesses about the town’s Adopt-A-Business program, connecting businesses with an Oro Valley Police Department officer; its free web listing on Oro Valley’s Business Navigator and its newly revamped monthly economic development reports, where businesses can share and gather information.

Denman describes Oro Valley as “more business-friendly than other municipalities. We have a committed staff, and we will direct them on where they need to go,” she said. When businesses need something from the town, “we want to get them in and get them out. One of the struggles is they just don’t know the process.”

Her experience with the city of Tucson helped Denman build “a foundation on how government functions. … A responsibility all public administrators have is to educate yourself on how government is run, so you can help others navigate that system.”

Oro Valley is “a good next step to utilize my skills in public administration, outreach and community alignment,” and a place to exercise her “passion to support business,” she said.

“I like the community here,” Denman said. “The staff and community have been supportive.”

The Denmans have 4-year-old twin daughters, and a third daughter turning 2 in December.