In an earlier report on this blog, Mesa is ranked #22 out of 44 cities in Arizona for Smart Cities. The City of Mesa is the largest public school system in the entire state.
The state ranked 10th in cost which included labor cost, energy cost, transportation cost, construction cost, and labor productivity.
Arizona’s lowest ranking, 23, was in the labor category.
“We look at first of all total labor force, but also the quality of basic education, skilled education, advanced education,” said Thompson.
The report said the outlook for defense contractors is strong as a result of increases in U.S. defense budgets and global demand.
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Arizona: Billion Dollar Boom
The Grand Canyon State has seen its share of grand investments in 2018 with two companies that are revolutionizing their industries.
"Arizona is no stranger to business, but the beginning of 2018 started with a boom. Two companies have made, or plan to make, investments in the billions and bring thousands of jobs to the state. . . “Arizona has the workforce to support our growth and a governor that was an entrepreneur himself. . .
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Arizona is no stranger to poverty either. The City of Mesa and New Orleans are #1 for the highest increases in the rates of poverty from 2010-2017
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MESA: A CENTER FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING & TECHNOLOGY
Boasting a population of nearly 500,000, Mesa is the 36th largest city in the United States and second largest in the Phoenix-Mesa metro area. Larger than Miami and Atlanta, Mesa is home to major operations for companies such as Apple, Boeing, Bridgestone, FUJIFILM, Mitsubishi, Textron and Infineon. Today, Mesa continues to build upon its reputation for attracting and growing cutting-edge technology companies and advanced manufacturers.
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Fostering entrepreneurship and advancing new technologies is a key focus for Mesa as the City leverages its position as a premier innovation district.
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Arizona State University, which already houses its polytechnic campus in southeast Mesa, is expanding its campus to Downtown Mesa with a $63.5 million facility that will deliver technology-focused programs utilizing augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and 3D design. These programs will greatly impact industries such as medical, aerospace, manufacturing and entertainment. . .
Mesa has long been an established hub for aerospace and defense companies such as Boeing, Textron, MD Helicopters and Nammo Talley. Today, the sector continues to grow in Mesa. . .
In March 2018, Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman) announced a 36,000-square-foot expansion of its operation in Mesa’s Falcon District. When completed, the expansion will nearly double the company’s current production capacity of its Bushmaster brand of medium-caliber cannons.
Mesa’s Elliot Road Technology Corridor is home to Apple’s 1.3 million-square-foot global command center, and in March of this year, EdgeCore Internet Real Estate broke ground on a $450 million, 200,000-square-foot Phase I building for a major data center campus in the Corridor. EdgeCore’s full campus build-out will total 1.25 million square feet and reach an estimated $2 billion in investment.
The Phoenix-Mesa metro area has a large workforce of more than 2.2 million. Moreover, the region’s more than 40 universities and institutions of higher learning are serving up a pipeline of highly-skilled and tech-savvy talent . . .
