Arizona’s Biggest Economic Develop. Wins of 2019

By Steve Burks for AZ Big Media

Since 2015, 49 California companies have chosen to set up shop in Arizona, a remarkable number. Well, recently, that number jumped to 50, as H.E.R.O.S. Inc., an industry leader in repairing and overhauling helicopter engines, announced it was moving its headquarters from Santa Clarita, Calif. to Chandler. The company will occupy nearly 19KSF of industrial space at 10 Chandler, located at 560 N. 54th Street. H.E.R.O.S. Inc. plans to create 25 new jobs in the Chandler community and expects to be fully operational by the winter of 2019.

This economic “Win” for Arizona was just one of many the state has seen in the past year. The following information provided by AAED is just a sample of other economic developments in the state:

Phoenix

• Voya Financial announced it will open a new office in the metro Phoenix area and bring more than 1,000 jobs to the Phoenix area. The new location will be in addition to Voya’s existing Scottsdale office at 7337 E. Doubletree Ranch Road.
• Hopebridge announced plans to establish pediatric autism therapy centers to 12 locations in Arizona, the first three of which are in Phoenix, Glendale and South Tucson.
• CarMax will create 430 new jobs for their new Customer Experience Center which is opening in Tempe in December.
• Verdigris Holdings, Inc., selected Arizona for its corporate headquarters. Verdigris will bring over 210 well-compensated jobs to the Greater Phoenix area with average annual salaries of over $150K.
• thredUP, the world’s largest online marketplace to buy and sell secondhand women’s and children’s clothing, opened a new distribution and office in Phoenix. The 120K space is expected to bring 500 new jobs to the market.
• Choice Hotels recently announced it will be locating its technology headquarters to Nationwide Realty Investor’s Cavasson development in north Scottsdale. Choice Hotels expects to hire 500 people over the next five years. It is the second tenant at Cavasson, joining Nationwide Insurance, which is expected to move into its new, 460KSF regional headquarters building in late 2020.

Mesa

• Able Aerospace expanded its Mesa headquarters by 60KSF. The $9M expansion will create room for 100 new jobs, bringing Able’s total employee count to more than 550.
• Fujifilm Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc. is currently working on an 85KSF building expansion at its Mesa facility. The five new buildings will expand the company’s capabilities for manufacturing, warehousing, research and development and office space. The expansion, which is expected to be complete in early 2020, will mean 60 new jobs will be coming to the facility.
• AT&T created 500 jobs at a new, state-of-the-art, 97KSF customer call center unveiled in July of 2019.
• Times Microwave Systems (TMS) expanded its Mesa manufacturing facility located at Metro East Valley Commerce Park. The new facility is more than five times larger in size.
• Commercial Metals Co. completed construction and commissioning of a 63KSF expansion and manufacturing line to produce spooled rebar at CMC Steel Arizona, a micro mill in southeast Mesa. The Mesa operation has grown since it opened in 2009, investing more than $75M capital in the campus and growing its workforce.
• Waymo announced in March that it will be opening a new, 85KSF service center in Mesa. The new center will be more than double the company’s service and maintenance space in the Valley and the company said that this location will create 100 new jobs, with the potential for more in the future.
• Myndshft moved into a larger office in the Red Mountain Business Park and plans to triple its team from 30 to over 100 employees in 2019.
• CAVU Aerospace is moving forward with construction on an 80KSF aircraft maintenance facility at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The $5M project is expected to create 75 jobs over the next three years.
• Google has committed to a $1B, 750KSF data center campus project to be built in three phases at their location on the NEC of Elliot and Sossaman.
• RagingWire closed on a land purchase on July 1st for their first data center location in Arizona.

Goodyear

• Nike purchased the 2018 RED Award-winning Lincoln Logistics 40 for $70M in August and announced plans to invest $185M to turn the facility into a manufacturing plant for the mid-sole cushioning for its athletic shoes. The 901.7KSF facility will employ more than 500 full-time employees.
• Fairlife, LLC announced plans to increase overall production capabilities with the construction of a new 300KSF production and distribution facility in Goodyear. The new $200+ million facility is slated to begin operation in the back half of 2020.
• Civic Square at Estrella Falls was approved by the Goodyear City Council in August. This first-of-its-kind project is in partnership with the Globe Corporation.
• Two hotels are under construction at Bullard Avenue and Interstate 10 to address growing need for hotels in the West Valley. Innovative Hilton concept TRU provides a modern, lively vibe targeting millennials and young adults. This hotel is four stories, 54.6KSF with 90 rooms. The second hotel is a Springhill Suites by Marriott. The project is four stories, 40.7KSF and has 88 rooms.
• PMB invested $15M to transform the former Palm Valley Cinema multiplex theater into the 50KSF Palm Valley Medical Center.
• Adelante Healthcare Goodyear was built in 2019 by LGE Design Build. The nearly $5M project is a nearly 45KSF comprehensive primary healthcare center.

Tucson

• Northwest Healthcare announced expansion in Tucson, creating nearly 600 jobs.
• Amazon will open a new auxiliary distribution site that will receive and sort packages from larger warehouses to be transferred onto vans and smaller delivery vehicles. The economic impact of the new Tucson “last mile” delivery center will be $181M over the next five years.
• Imperfect Produce will open its first customer care center in Tucson. The company plans to create 350 jobs at all levels, including customer care associates, supervisors, and managers.
• Southern New Hampshire University will open a new operations center in Tucson to better support its growing student body across the country. The new center will house 350 employees, including additional student-support staff, including academic advisors, student financial services staff, admissions, and IT support.
• Symboticware Inc. is establishing a US/Mexico headquarters in Tucson. Symboticware will add 20 new high-tech jobs and invest $500K in their Tucson headquarters. The project is expected to create an economic impact of more than $17M over the next five years.
• MicroMex is opening a new manufacturing and distribution center at the Port of Tucson. The company plans to create 100 new jobs, which will primarily be assembly and warehouse workers.
• Dove Mountain Residences, LLC announced plans to build a state-of-the-art senior living facility in Marana, creating nearly 70 jobs.
• Geico opened a new, 200KSF regional office in Tucson and will consolidate its 1,500 regional employees into the building and add an additional 700 positions in the next few years.

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