The PHX East Valley is a land of opportunity.
The region has earned a reputation as the place to do business for national and international companies, but it is also an incubator for enterprising ideas. Startup ventures and small businesses can also thrive here, with a host of resources to help them bring their ideas to life.
Diversified economy
An economy once built on construction real estate and tourism is much more diverse today, with companies in high-growth and emerging industries locating or expanding here. The region’s climate and plethora of leisure activities continue to make tourism a key driver of the economy, too. Together, these industries are a magnet for workers, with an estimated 42% of the jobs in metropolitan Phoenix located in the PHX East Valley.
Innovation
The wheels of progress are turning quickly in Arizona and the PHX East Valley. The state is a leader in satellite telecommunications, semiconductor and other electric component manufacturing, and aerospace and defense. Closer to home, Intel is undergoing a $20 billion expansion — its largest ever — in two chip factories. The region is a testing ground for autonomous vehicles and is building a robust electric vehicles supply chain. And the state’s universities are hubs for groundbreaking research, including Arizona State University, which is advancing research in X-ray science, thanks to $90.8 million in funding from the National Science Foundation.
Access to education
In the PHX East Valley, leaders understand the link between a quality education and good-paying jobs. It’s why public and private stakeholders are working together on everything from building a professional and technical workforce to fortifying the STEM and STEAM ecosystem. The region has A-ranked K-12 schools and unique magnet and charter programs — some of which have a graduation rate of more than 90%. There also are nearly two dozen top-notch higher education institutions and a host of world-class incubator and accelerator programs.
Infrastructure.
In the PHX East Valley, getting around is easy. That’s because the region has invested in connecting residents, physically and digitally.
From interstates and freeways to rail, buses, light rail and even a street car, the PHX East Valley makes traveling from one city to the next and to two of the world’s largest economies — California and Mexico — accessible.
- Among the busiest airports in the United States, with about 1,200 departing and arriving aircraft each day
- Contributes $106 million daily to the Arizona economy
- Hosts more than 40 companies and serves 1.8 million passengers on flights to nearly 60 cities
- Contributes more than $2 billion annually to Arizona’s economy
- Features a Unified Cargo Processing Program, with U.S. and Mexican customs for direct export to Mexico, and an international aerospace center
- Designated as Foreign Trade Zone #221, as well as a Military Reuse Zone, offering aviation companies a significant financial edge in the global marketplace
- Boasts SkyBridge Arizona and Gateway East — significant development opportunities for aeronautical and non-aeronautical warehouse, logistics, manufacturing, and office and retail space
- Among the nation’s busiest general aviation airports, serving as a base for corporate, charter and aeromedical flights
- Anchors a 9-square-mile employment corridor
- Contributes $109 million annually to the Arizona economy, with 800 jobs
- Home to a world-class heliport facility and flight training institutions
- One of the most active U.S. general aviation airports
- Base for corporate, charter and private aircraft, flight training and sightseeing excursions
- Home to 120+ on-airport businesses
- Anchors the Falcon District, an innovative, high-tech hub for aerospace/aviation, defense, advanced manufacturing and advanced business services
Aviation.
Aviation is a big opportunity, too. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, located within easy access of the region, is one of the busiest airports in the United States, with 1,200 departing and arriving aircraft daily.
PHX East Valley boasts three airports, too — Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Falcon Field and Chandler Municipal Airport—that have evolved from convenient regional transportation hubs into powerful economic engines, contributing thousands of jobs and more than $2 billion to the local, regional and state economy. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport spawned new businesses and, along with Falcon Field in Mesa, has become a global training ground for short-haul pilots. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is also home to SkyBridge Arizona, the first-of-its-kind, expedited joint U.S.-Mexico Customs inspections facility designed to streamline shipments to Mexico through the Unified Cargo Processing Program by bypassing the international customs center in Mexico City. The $230 million, 435-acre commercial development is poised to add tens of thousands of new jobs, increased revenues for area cities and another 2,000 cargo flights out of the airport per year.
