More Jobs Than Ever Before, Arizona Economic Development Sets Record Again

The FY 22 results represent 151 percent of the ACA’s projected jobs goal, 110 percent of its wages goal, and 768 percent of its projected capital investment goal.

“Once again, Arizona’s robust economic development is setting records and gaining national recognition. With our state’s strong fiscal position, rising revenues and population growth, Arizona remains unstoppable,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “I commend Arizona’s entrepreneurs, innovators and employees for continuing to set the national standard for economic excellence. I also want to recognize Sandra Watson and her outstanding team at the Arizona Commerce Authority as well as the economic development leaders across the state for their critical work to grow, strengthen and diversify our economy.”

Contributing significantly to the FY 2022 results was KORE Power’s announcement to build a 1-million-square-foot battery manufacturing facility in Buckeye, creating 3,000 new jobs.

“Arizona checked all the boxes,” said Lindsay Gorrill, KORE Power CEO. “We needed a location for our factory that had a track record of supporting energy storage, a growing clean transportation sector, and a workforce that could deliver American-made battery technology. Arizona hit a homerun.”

“Arizona’s economy continues to rapidly grow, attracting more advanced industries and investments,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Governor Ducey and our legislative leaders have created an optimal environment for advanced industries to thrive including semiconductor, electric vehicle and batteries. We are grateful to all of our industry and local partners for their continued support and collaboration to advance Arizona’s economy.”

Expansion and attraction projects in FY 2022 include:

• Sunlit Chemical, a leading semiconductor supplier based in Taiwan, announced plans in January to build a $100 manufacturing plant in Phoenix, its first in the U.S.
• Kohler, a global leader in kitchen and bath products, announced construction of a multi-million dollar manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, creating over 400 new jobs.
• Gulfstream Aerospace is building a new aircraft service center in Mesa, the company’s first facility in Arizona, creating hundreds of jobs with an investment of over $70 million.
• Leonardo Electronics, a provider of next-gen technologies for defense, security, medical, and industrial applications, announced plans in December to construct a new state-of-the-art semiconductor laser manufacturing facility in Oro Valley, creating 170 jobs with an investment of $100 million.
• Zero Electric Vehicles, a company that builds car electrification kits, announced plans to build a new head office and production center in Gilbert, creating 300 jobs.
• XNRGY, one of the largest custom air handling manufacturers in North America, is building a new 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mesa, creating over 900 jobs with an investment of $300 million.
• ZenniHome, an innovative home manufacturer, announced in December plans to manufacture eco-friendly homes in Page, creating up to 150 jobs.
• Funko, a leading pop culture lifestyle brand, announced in April plans to relocate its main U.S. distribution facility to Buckeye, creating over 300 jobs.
• Nucor, the largest steel and steel products producer in the U.S., announced it is investing $100 million to add a new melt shop at its bar mill in Kingman, creating 140 new jobs.
• Nestlé announced in March a $675 million investment to build a new beverage manufacturing facility in Glendale, creating over 350 jobs.
• EMD Electronics, the North American Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced a new factory in Chandler to manufacture equipment for its gas and chemical delivery systems business, creating over 100 jobs with an investment of $28 million.
• Zep, a producer and distributor of maintenance, cleaning, and sanitizing solutions for food and beverage, industrial and retail customers, announced the completion and startup of their newest AFCO production facility in Kingman, creating over 25 new jobs.
• Meyer-Burger, a global solar module manufacturer, announced in December 2021 plans to establish a solar module manufacturing facility in Goodyear, creating over 500 jobs.
• Owens Corning, a global building and industrial materials leader, announced plans to restart production at its insulation manufacturing facility in Eloy, creating more than 50 jobs.
• Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the world’s largest sustainable home furnishings retailer, leased a 1.25-million-square-foot facility in Glendale for fulfillment and distribution, creating 2,400 jobs by 2027.
• Viasat, a satellite communications company based in California, is expanding its office operations in Tempe, creating 1,500 jobs.
• KORE Power, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer, announced plans in July 2021 to build a 1-million-square-foot lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Buckeye, creating 3,000 jobs.
• Sendoso, the leading sending management platform, announced its new office and relocation of its corporate headquarters to Phoenix, creating nearly 1,000 jobs with an investment of over $40 million.

In addition, Intel’s $20 billion investment to build two new semiconductor fabs in Chandler was named one of six “Manufacturing Projects of the Year” by Area Development Magazine in June 2022. Arizona was also awarded its fourth Gold Shovel Award in June for the state’s success in terms of new job creation and company capital investment in 2021.

Since 2011, Arizona has successfully won more than 1,067 competitive projects, which represent over 237,000 projected new Arizona jobs and over $69 billion in capital investment.