Video by Pam Stevenson, Agave Productions Inc., for Historical League
Jim Bruner, for nearly 45 years, has committed his life toward making Scottsdale, Maricopa County, and Arizona a better place to live and work. An attorney and banker by profession, he has provided outstanding leadership in civic, business, and philanthropic endeavors as well as in city, county, and state government service.
Bruner was raised in Lake View, Iowa, a small rural resort community. He received his business and law degrees from Drake University, and served as a captain in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam era. In 1969, Jim and his wife Sandy made the decision to move to Arizona to live, work, and raise their family. "The lure of the West was very strong. As it has turned out, this was one of the best decisions that we have made as a couple."
Bruner became a volunteer, first in Scottsdale with the Boys Club (now the Boys and Girls Club), where he quickly became president. This led to numerous other civic activities, including campaign chairman and board chairman of the Valley of the Sun United Way, chairman of the Scottsdale Healthcare Systems board, and founding board member for both the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and the Scottsdale Cultural Council. He is past chairman of the Arizona State Retirement System, the Catholic Community Foundation, and the Diocese of Phoenix Finance Committee.
Currently Bruner is a trustee of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. He also serves as a member of the board of trustees of Drake University, member of the board of directors of the Arizona Sports Foundation (Fiesta Bowl), and chairman of the board of directors of Scottsdale's Museum of the West.
Elected for two terms on both the Scottsdale City Council and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Bruner served as chairman on two separate occasions. Pursuing his interest in bringing a major league baseball franchise to Arizona, he successfully persuaded Jerry Colangelo to form an ownership group. Bruner cast the deciding vote that implemented the funding mechanism for a county-owned stadium, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, now called Chase Field. While a county supervisor, he also served for three and a half years as chairman of the Maricopa County Stadium District. As chair, he was instrumental in developing a plan to stabilize and expand the Arizona Cactus League, which now annually hosts fifteen Major League Baseball teams for spring training.
During all these years of providing leadership in civic and public service, Bruner has maintained a business career that included chairman and president of Northern Trust Bank of Arizona, practicing law with the firm of Snell & Wilmer, and currently he is senior vice president of Mutual of Omaha Bank.
Bruner reflected, "The beauty of Arizona is that a boy from rural Iowa could become a part of the Arizona community. The ‘Old West’ mentality and ‘can-do’ attitude - accepting persons for who they are and what they can contribute, not where they went to school or their background - is what makes this place so special. If you work hard you can make things happen and make this a better place. I'm proud to be able to play a small part in making this state so special."
