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COMMUNITY OVERVIEWS

Pima County

Why Pima County? We believe companies want to grow in communities that have excellent quality of life and that make investments in critical infrastructure that are the foundation for commerce. We believe businesses appreciate efficient governments that maintain an appropriate tax rate, pay off debt rapidly, provide certainty in regulations and deliver high quality service.

The Sonoran Corridor – A Regional Economic Development Catalyst

The Sonoran Corridor is a multilevel, multistep, multiyear economic development initiative for Pima County and Southern Arizona. Once completed it will significantly transform the regional economy, adding billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to the Tucson valley.

Business Retention and Attraction – Incentives

The Pima County Board of Supervisors enthusiastically supports new businesses and business expansion in Pima County. The Board has an approved a business attraction and expansion plan and has directed staff to assist business development and expansion in any way possible.

A diverse and welcoming community, Tucson offers an outstanding quality of life along with a low cost of doing business. A leading hub for aerospace and defense, bioscience/healthcare, renewable energy and logistics, businesses in Tucson are leading the way in innovation.

Aerospace & Defense Hub

With Davis Monthan Air Force Base as one of the region’s top employers, world-class aerospace and defense companies like Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Bombardier, Honeywell Aerospace, and World View Enterprises benefit greatly in Tucson’s economy.

Strategic Location

Located entirely in a Foreign Trade Zone, 60 miles from the Mexico border, Tucson’s high-capacity border and transportation infrastructure provide an ideal choice for companies doing business in the United States and Mexico.

City of Gastronomy

Tucson is the only city in the United States with the prestigious UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation, making it a destination for some of the world’s top culinary researchers and enthusiasts.

Tucson by the Numbers

  • Arizona’s Best ‘Staycation’ City (WalletHub)
  • One of the U.S.’ Fastest Growing Technology Metropolises (Oliver Wyman Forum)
  • One of the seven rising cities to be on your 2019 travel bucket list (TripAdvisor)

Marana is fast becoming known as the most business supportive community in Southern Arizona. With exceptional access to multimodal transportation, a newly reorganized Development Services Center and a local government that values corporate investment, businesses both large and small are taking advantage of development opportunities in Marana. The Marana Economic Development Strategic Plan identifies the main target industries that will lead the way for the Town’s future job growth:  transportation, distribution and logistics, manufacturing, professional and business services, and the tourism visitor experience.

Transportation & Logistics

Marana’s unique position straddling Interstate 10 just northwest of Tucson and only 90 minutes south of Phoenix contributes to its unique position as an emerging logistics hub. Running parallel with I-10 is the Union Pacific Railroad, presenting another option for the movement of goods and services. The Town of Marana has also invested over the past decade in infrastructure improvements to the Marana Regional Airport, making it a popular facility for executive travel and general aviation.

Business Industry Cluster Support

The aerospace, aviation services and defense industries have a strong presence in the Metro Tucson area, specifically in Marana. The community is investing money in infrastructure development and improvement in order to better attract these sustainable, career-oriented industries to the area. As businesses of these types locate in clusters, several key goals will be accomplished for Marana: creation of high-paying, career oriented jobs for a strong economic base, attraction of retail to support population growth related to business cluster development, and finally, reducing the need for local businesses to seek suppliers or contractors for goods and services outside of the Marana area.

The Town of Oro Valley is where scientific collaboration, technology innovation and business opportunity are surrounded by the stunning Arizona landscape.  Oro Valley is already home to global bioscience, health care, and hi-tech companies many of which are experiencing significant expansions.

With the ground breaking of a business incubator/accelerator in Innovation Park late 2019, the Town is poised to help launch and grow new life-science-oriented enterprises along with a diverse mix of new engineering and business services.

Business-Friendly Taxes

  • No local property tax
  • Commercial property assessed at 18% of fair market value
  • Residential property assessed at 10% of market value

Bioscience & Hi-Tech Employers

  • Roche Tissue Diagnostics (automated diagnostic systems for anatomical pathology)
  • Honeywell (diversified technology and manufacturing)
  • Simpleview (customized tools for destination marketing organizations)
  • Meggitt (avionics products for commercial, military and business aircraft)
  • Sigma Technologies International (polymer capacitor technologies)

Incorporated in 1994, Sahuarita is one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona. Located in the picturesque high desert between Tucson and the U.S.-Mexico border, Sahuarita is a central location for commerce and tourism. Sahuarita is quickly becoming the community of choice for young and growing families. Its modern infrastructure, business-friendly environment, talented local workforce and affordable, newly built communities help make Sahuarita the place for business success and quality of life.

Sahuarita’s Bizlaunch

The Town of Sahuarita is growing and with this growth comes the opportunity to diversify the traditional major industries of mining and agriculture by promoting and encouraging entrepreneurship in the community. In partnership with the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) and Freeport-McMoRan, the Town of Sahuarita established the BizLaunch program to connect, encourage, and support startups in the community. Through the BizLaunch program, selected startups are awarded a fully sponsored six month admission into the UACI incubation program where they have access to resources, facilities, services, and expert guidance to build valuable companies and technical prowess.

Planning for the Future

The Town of Sahuarita has extensively planned for future economic and residential growth. Sahuarita has seen tremendous growth in recent years as year-over-year single family residential (SFR) permits have significantly increased. Much of this growth is attributed to the Master Plan communities of Rancho Sahuarita, Quail Creek, and Madera Highlands, while new developments such as La Villita in the Sahuarita Square planning area look to come online in the next three years. Additionally, the Sahuarita Square District will provide a hub of community activities, businesses, housing options, and attractions for everyone to enjoy. The area is beginning to take shape with the Sahuarita Square, The Catalyst Project. The Catalyst Project will serve as the center of the emerging district and a local destination for community gatherings, dining, shopping, and leisure. This district will grow Sahuarita both commercially and residentially in the ten-twenty year range. Sahuarita will continue to build on its current mining, aerospace, defense, and information technology industries while also fostering entrepreneurship. The Town’s dynamic location with close proximity to Mexico also presents unique opportunities in tourism, international trade, and also a hub of transit between the two nations.

Pinal County

Major new employers have expanded to Pinal County, including Lucid Motors and Nikola. Located in the heart of the Sun Corridor, Pinal County has a very diverse economy. Since the county’s inception 135 years ago, copper mining has and remains a county economic mainstay, over the many years creating thousands of great paying jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state, county and local economies. Another major economic engine is agriculture. The central to western area of the county is home to hundreds of family, corporate and university based farms supporting various types of agricultural products including Pima cotton, hay, sorghum, millet, corn, sheep, dairy & feeder cattle and several varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Manufacturing and Distribution Hub

Manufacturing and major distribution firms are centered along Pinal County’s main traffic corridors of Interstate 10 (California to Florida), Interstate 8 (Pinal County to San Diego) and US Route 60. Transportation corridors in the county also include the Union Pacific Sunset Line (Long Beach to El Paso) and Copper Basin railroads. With the proposed development of a 950 acre Union Pacific Railroad rail park locating near Red Rock, and close to I-10 and I-8, Pinal County has a great opportunity to create a major multi-modal warehouse/distribution network along with opportunities for the location of national and global rail-served manufacturing operations.

cochise County

Cochise County is nestled in the southeastern corner of Arizona encompassing 6,200 square miles of mountains, yucca-speckled grasslands, and unique cities and towns. The communities of Sierra Vista, Douglas, Bisbee, Benson, Willcox, Huachuca City, and Tombstone, along with surrounding unincorporated areas and the border state of Sonora, Mexico, boast a shared, diverse workforce with vibrant regional, national, and cross-border/international market opportunities. Cochise County balances high technology and aerospace industries with a rich agricultural setting offering.

Competitive Attributes of Cochise County

    • Eight public general aviation airports (most with available land)
    • Rail access
    • Robust fiberoptic infrastructure
  • Access to major east-west interstate highway (I-10)
  • Multiple electric cooperatives with reliable and cost-effective power and natural gas providers
  • Fertile agricultural land with year-round growing season
  • Proximity to U.S./Mexico border with two international ports of entry

santa cruz County

Santa Cruz County is located the southernmost central part of Arizona, bordering Mexico and serving as the gateway to North America’s most important port of entry, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. While one of the state’s smallest counties, Santa Cruz County is also one of Arizona’s most diverse and interesting destinations, offering an eclectic blend of history, culture, art, recreation, shopping, cuisine and entertainment in a beautiful and relaxing setting.

From the artist colony of Tubac, to the historic national monuments at Tumacacori, to the twin border towns of Nogales, Arizona and Mexico, to the mountain and birding town of Patagonia, to Arizona’s wine country in Sonoita and Elgin, a journey though Santa Cruz County will intrigue, stimulate and satisfy the senses!

Connect With Us

Want to learn more? A member of Sun Corridor Inc.’s Business Development team will respond to any written inquiry within one business day.

Daniela Gallagher

Vice President, Economic Development
Email or Call 520.243.1938

Jeff Powell

Economic Development and Research Director
Email or Call 520.243.1912

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