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2019: What a year for economic development in Mesa!
First Quarter 2020The Quick Jab
Bill Jabjiniak
2019: What a year for economic development in Mesa!
It would be more than a slight understatement to say 2019 was a good year for economic development activity in Mesa, Arizona. Truthfully, it has been extraordinary. Thus, it is only fitting that we review some of the City’s more high-profile achievements for 2019.
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JANUARY: The City of Mesa selected the contractor to build ASU @ Mesa City Center, a five-story, 118,000-square-foot academic building, as well asThe Plaza @ Mesa City Center, a two to three acre gathering place in Downtown Mesa. Titan Solar, named the nation’s largest rooftop solar contractor by Solar World, opened its 36,000-square-foot corporate headquarters, newly relocated in West Mesa.
MARCH: Waymo announced a large expansion of its driverless car operations with a new 85,000-square-foot Technical Service Center in Mesa.Myndshft, a technology company specializing in blockchain and artificial intelligence in healthcare, announced it plans to quadruple its team from 28 to more than 100 employees and relocate to a new 11,000-square-foot office in the Mesa’s Falcon District. Fujifilm Electronic Materials broke ground on an 85,000-square-foot space, adding 60 new employees and five new buildings significantly expanding manufacturing, warehousing, R&D laboratory, and office space.
APRIL: Print.Save.Repeat. located two warehouses and manufacturing facilities for a total of 65,000 square feet in Mesa’s Gateway Area.
MAY: Mesa-grown Aqua-Tots, the world’s largest swim school franchise with 100 locations in 14 countries on three continents, broke ground on its new 12,000-square-foot headquarters facility. CMC Steel opened its 63,000-square-foot expansion at its Mesa micro-mill and a new Residence Inn byMarriott opened its doors, both in southeast Mesa. And, Potato Barn located its 100,000-square-foot store in Mesa’s Gateway Area.
JUNE: The Landing at PMG, a 281,000-square-foot Class A industrial subdivision, opened in Mesa’s Gateway Area and announced its first three tenants, Collabtech Group, Huesman Brothers Door and Custom Molding, and Russell-Sigler Inc. Nearby, Times Microwave Systems expanded its Mesa manufacturing facility to 62,000 square feet, an increase of more than five times its original size.
JULY: Google announced its intention to acquire 187 acres to build a future data center campus in Mesa’s Elliot Road Technology Corridor. AT&T opened a new 97,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art customer call center that will employ more than 500 people in West Mesa.
AUGUST: CAVU Aerospace announced it will locate an 80,000-square-foot MRO at the Landing at PMG hiring 75 employees, again in Mesa’s Gateway area.
SEPTEMBER: CenturyLink announced a major expansion of its network infrastructure in Mesa’s Gateway Area to support the growing commercial, industrial, and residential development. The Mesa Office of Economic Development launched efforts to develop a brand for Mesa’s growing Asian district. Marwest Enterprises announced Landing 202, a 605,000-square-foot Class A industrial development, on 45 acres just north of Gateway Airport. Able Aerospace, a Textron company, celebrated the opening of a $9 million, 60,000-square-foot expansion of its existing 200,000-square-foot headquarters and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) campus at the Gateway Airport. The expansion will create 100 new jobs.
OCTOBER: SkyBridge Arizona, the nation’s first and only joint U.S. and Mexican customs hub, broke ground on the first two buildings in its 360-acre, master-planned industrial development located at the southwest end of the runway at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Home2 Suites by Hiltonbroke ground on a four-story, 111-room hotel in the Falcon District. Ground was broken on the first building of the 1.35 million-square-foot Union, a Class A office campus located in Mesa’s Riverview District next to the Chicago Cubs spring training facility. Raging Wire received City planning and zoning approval to construct a 1.5-million-square-foot, seven-building data center campus in Mesa’s Elliot Road Technology Corridor.
North Carolina-based insulation manufacturer Greenfiber announced it will be locating a 74,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Mesa’s Gateway Area. And, Nammo, an international aerospace and defense company headquartered in Norway, announced it will replace its current US organization of several smaller units with a new, consolidated defense manufacturing company called Nammo Defense Systems, which will be based in Mesa’s Falcon District. Nammo will invest nearly $20 million into the Mesa facilities.
NOVEMBER: Urbix Resources, a graduate of Mesa's LaunchPoint accelerator program, opened a 31,000-square-foot headquarters and state-of-the-art graphite processing facility in Mesa’s Falcon District with the expectations of creating as many as 100 jobs. FatCats opened its new 64,000-square-foot entertainment complex in the Falcon District.
Of course, these types of accomplishments do not happen without a great product and team. Here are just a few of the accolades the City of Mesa received in 2019:
- Ranked one of the Best-Run Cities in America by Wallethub.
- Ranked a Top 10 Mid-Sized American City of the Future for Connectivity by fDi Intelligence.
- Named one of the Best Large U.S. Cities to Live in by Wallethub.
- Ranked number five in Job Growth by CityLab, a digital magazine that focuses on innovation and pressing issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods.
- Ranked number seven among the Best Suburbs for Millennials in Arizona by Niche.
- Named a Top 10 City for Startups by Commercial Café.
- Won the Diversity Award from the National League of Cities.
- The City’s Office of Economic Development was recognized by the International Economic Development Council for its web-based tool AerialMesa.com, an interactive, 360-degree aerial viewing map.
We wish to thank those who have chosen to expand their businesses in Mesa and all our partners and friends who have assisted in the process. Your investment in our community is truly appreciated and goes a long way in building a healthy economy in Mesa. www.SelectMesa.com
Mesa hosts free event as part of PHX East Valley Innovates Entrepreneur Week
Beginning February 10, 2020, Mesa and five additional PHX East Valley communities will host PHX East Valley Innovates Entrepreneur Week. The four-day event will include workshops, speakers, and networking events in Mesa, Chandler, Apache Junction, Tempe, Queen Creek, and Gilbert.
PHX East Valley Innovates’ mission is to educate, develop, and inspire local entrepreneurs and help small businesses grow. Each year, the municipalities host a week-long series of events across the East Valley region to bring the entrepreneurial community together.
Key sponsors include SRP, PHX East Valley Partnership, APS, and PHX startupweek. For more info, visit phxeastvalleyinnovates.com.
EVENTS SCHEDULE
Monday, February 10
Kick-off Networking Reception
- QuartHaus
- 5-7 PM
- 201 S. Washington St., Chandler, AZ 85225
- View Map
Tuesday, February 11
Building an Intentional Culture: Connecting Culture to Financial Results
- Workshop: 8:30-11:30 AM
- Networking Luncheon: 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
- ASU Chandler Innovation Center (ACIC), 249 E. Chicago St., Chandler, AZ 85225
Funding Your Start-Up: Micro to Macro Lending Sources
- Workshop and Reception: 5-7 PM
- Art Intersection, 207 N. Gilbert Rd., #201, Gilbert, AZ 85234
Wednesday, February 12Grow Your Handmade Brand
- Workshop: 9 AM
- Central Arizona College – Superstition Mountain Campus, 805 S. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ 85119
E-Commerce for Entrepreneurs: Profits and Pitfalls of Selling Online
- Workshop: 5-7 PM
- Mesa Arts Center, Dobson Lecture Hall, 1 E. Main St., Mesa, AZ 85201
Thursday, February 13
Taking the Leap: Launching & Expanding Your Business
- Workshop: 2-4 PM, Queen Creek Library, 21802 S. Ellsworth Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142
- Networking: 4-6 PM, Old Ellsworth Brewing, 22005 S. Ellsworth Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Fast and Furious DIY Marketing
- Marketing Workshop: 2-4:30 PM
- Live Music and Networking Happy Hour with Workshop Speakers: 4:30-6 PM
- Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe 85281
| Register at now at www.phxeastvalleyinnovates.com |
HIGHER EDUCATION ROUNDUP
Earnhardt Ford Automotive Career Exploration program now at MCC
Earnhardt Ford chose Mesa Community College (MCC) to sponsor the Ford Automotive Career Exploration (ACE) program, a partnership program between Ford Motor Company, Ford and Lincoln dealerships and secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. The web-based program is free to MCC Automotive Service students.
Stephen Skroch, MCC Automotive Service program director, says “The additional training enhances our current curriculum and provides our program graduates an additional competitive edge when seeking employment.”
The courses are a subset of those taken by current Ford dealership technicians. By completing the trainings, students are one step closer to a career in the automotive industry, beginning as an entry-level automotive service technician at a Ford/Lincoln dealership. There are more than 3,200 Ford dealerships in the U.S., resulting in many opportunities for employment across the country.
Course topics include the Ford Motor Company, Dealership Operations, New Model Training, Electrical Systems, and Steering and Suspension.
The MCC Automotive Service Program offers certificates of completion and associate degrees. Students learn how to diagnose, service, test, and repair complex, computer-controlled automotive electrical systems. Graduates of the program acquire essential entry-level skills to pass national ASE Certification Tests.
Programs such as the MCC Automotive Service Program are important in today’s economy with the growing shortage of auto mechanics. Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) said about 750,000 auto technicians are employed by the auto industry. NADA said nearly half work at new-car dealerships. To keep pace with attrition, the industry must replace 76,000 techs annually, but technical schools are graduating about 37,000 technicians a year, leaving an annual void of approximately 39,000 technicians, NADA said.
Additional information about the MCC program is available online atmesacc.edu/search/google/automotive.
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Falcon Field Airport to break ground on new hangar development
A groundbreaking celebration January 14, 2020 will mark the beginning of construction for the Mesa Hangar project at Falcon Field Airport. Davcon Aviation, LLC and Mesa Hangar, LLC will construct the phased project. The first phase is expected to be completed by April 2021, with the second phase to be completed by November 2021. The site is zoned L-1, and the hangars will feature an S-1 occupancy type for possible uses including aircraft storage and maintenance, light aviation manufacturing and assembly, and helicopter operations.
The 23-acre, six-building, $65 million development will include more than 340,000 square feet of hangars in addition to ancillary office space, aircraft staging ramp, and vehicle parking areas. Hangars will range from 3,600 square feet to 14,400 square feet with high ceilings and high, wide, motorized doors to accommodate corporate jets and specialized fixed-wing and helicopter uses. Clients can customize their energy-efficient hangars with a menu of energy-saving amenities, as well as additional space and power.
Falcon Field Airport is the hub of Mesa’s Falcon Business District. It is in an Opportunity Zone designated by the U.S. Treasury Department to spur investment. Emerging companies and investors can participate in the program. Tenants may fund improvements or other capital needs in leased space with proceeds from an Opportunity Zone Fund investment. For more information about the business advantages of the Opportunity Zone at Falcon Field Airport, contact Lynn Spencer at 480-644-4276 orlynn.spencer@mesaaz.gov.
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