SAP SE (NYSE: SAP), a global leader in enabling digital business, yesterday announced the opening of a state-of-the-art office in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area at a new tech park built on the 58-acre-large Grand at Papago Park Center in Tempe, Arizona.
The presence of SAP, who is a massive, global enterprise software provider in Tempe, further establishes the region as a rapidly developing technology hub, akin to a young Silicon Valley.
This new growth isn’t just good for big tech companies, however.
As a result of the boom, Phoenix is seeing an influx of new start-ups moving to the region, taking advantage of the welcome combination of a unique local culture, supportive community leaders, comparatively affordable rents and the proximity to other impactful technology brands, both big and small.
“The expansion of SAP is yet another step in the right direction for Tempe’s technology industry and our community as a whole,” said Mark Mitchell, the mayor of Tempe since 2012. “We’re proud of our work to put our region on the map as a competitive, global hub for technology innovation and to spur our local economy in the process.”
The SAP office in Tempe will serve as the global headquarters for SAP’s fastest growing business – small and midsize business (SMB). Fittingly, the company is tripling its investment in its SMB and channel business over the next three years, making the rapidly growing Tempe an action center for some of the most exciting and explosive growth businesses.
“Tempe will serve as our SMB headquarters for the United States,” said Christine Gavin-Johnson, vice president, Commercial and Channel Sales, SAP North America. “We plan to hire 150 employees over the next three to five years in this area to help grow this critical business for our company.”
Innovation is at the center of this move for SAP, as the Tempe office will serve as a hub for some of the company’s most forward-thinking product development. It will span diverse industries, ranging from apparel and footwear to sports analytics and machine learning. For example, the SAP® software development teams in Arizona were pivotal in helping the National Hockey League (NHL) develop interactive and immersive player and game statistics applications.
For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.
