Operating in Arizona

Mention the word “Arizona” and it’s only natural that notions of the Grand Canyon, luxury resorts and championship golf courses spring to mind. For many others, however, Arizona means all that and much more – a hotbed of economic opportunity and high-tech innovation.

In fact, business is so good, Entrepreneur magazine named Arizona number one in the U.S. for starting and growing business ventures in 2005 and 2006. And Chief Executive Magazine’s poll recently ranked Arizona as America’s fourth most desirable state for corporations.

Arizona is the ideal base for companies who need to reach out to the world. More than 100 foreign-owned companies now have operations in Arizona.

Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S., with the fastest growing economy – the Gross State Product grew by 8.7% to 215.7 billion in 2005. Arizona’s population is over 6 million, growing by over 3% per year – the fastest growing state population. The Arizona population is expected to reach 13.34 million by 2055, a 160% increase of the state’s population from 5.13 million in 2000. This explosive growth creates business and investment opportunities as markets expand and new markets open. With continued rapid growth expected in coming years, Arizona offers excellent opportunities for international companies and investors.

Arizona offers attractive incentives programs and:

• Access to top tier telecommunications infrastructure and services
• Abundant water supplies

Arizona’s Incentives and Tax Benefits

Positive Investment Climate

Arizona offers targeted incentives and a business friendly operating environment that can make the state one of the most cost effective places to do business in the United States.

Tax credit programs include Small Business, Research and Development, Motion Picture Production and Environmental such as Healthy Forests and Solar Energy.

• Enterprise Zones
• Foreign Trade Zones
• Empowerment Zone
• Job Training Grants
• Military Reuse Zones

Click here for additional incentives.

Arizona Internationally

As an international border state, Arizona has strong experience promoting international trade and investment. Arizona is also recognizing even greater opportunities as the national population continues to shift west and increase internationally.

Arizona is one of world’s top trading partners. Mexico, Canada, Singapore, China, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Japan and France top the list of Arizona’s most active trading partners.

On the investment side, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Arizona is estimated at $10 billion, with 59,000 workers employed by foreign-controlled companies; nearly one fourth or 22.9% of these jobs are in the manufacturing sector. Major sources of FDI in Arizona include United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, and France. 2006 exports: $18.3 billion:

• Computers and electronic products
• Transportation equipment
• Electronic equipment, appliances, and parts
• Machinery manufacturers
• Fabricated metal products
• Misc. manufacturers
• Plastic and rubber products
• Crop Production
• Primary metal manufacturers

Source: International Trade Administration December 2006

Arizona’s Industry Clusters/Profiles

Arizona’s Industry Clusters

Both Fortune 500 and start-up technology companies call Arizona home. The major employment sectors in Arizona are in the established industries of aerospace, electronics, and semiconductor manufacturing. Emerging sectors in Arizona include biosciences and environmental technologies.

Arizona’s Industry Profiles

• Arizona  - Moving innovation and technology forward
  o Arizona (Japanese Version) 
  o Arizona (Simplified Chinese) 
  o Arizona (Traditional Chinese)

• Aerospace Industry Profile 
  o Aerospace (Japanese Version) 
  o Aerospace (Simplified Chinese Version) 
  o Aerospace (Traditional Chinese Version)
  o Aerospace (Spanish Version)

• Bioscience Industry Profile 
  o Bioscience (Japanese Version) 
  o Bioscience (Simplified Chinese Version) 
  o Bioscience (Traditional Chinese Version)
  o Bioscience (Spanish Version)

• Environmental Industry Profile 
  o Environmental (Japanese Version) 
  o Environmental (Simplified Chinese Version) 
  o Environmental (Traditional Chinese Version)
  o Environmental (Spanish Version)

• Nanotech Industry Profile
  o Nanotech (Spanish Version)
  o Nanotech (Japanese Version)

• Optics Industry Profile
  o Optics (Spanish Version)
  o Optics (Japanese Version)

Arizona’s Education and Workforce

Arizona’s workforce is highly educated, diverse and adaptable. This modern workforce meets the needs of today’s high technology industries. Labor costs are significantly below the national average. Arizona ranked as the #2 Best State for Cost of Labor by Business Facilities magazine in 2005.

• State median age is 34.2
• Available civilian labor force: 3,014,000
• Total employment: 2,880,000

Arizona employers benefit from a high performance and fast growing workforce that is backed by a university system that includes Arizona State University (ASU), University of Arizona (UA) and Northern Arizona University (NAU). In addition, the Maricopa Community College system is now the nation’s largest. By working closely with employers, it has designed a range of programs to meet specific industry requirements.

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is one of the nation’s largest universities, renowned for its world class research and award-winning academic programs in electron microscopy, information systems, nanotechnology, engineering and supply chain management. ASU has established a solid reputation as a leader in the areas of innovation and technology and features the Biodesign Institute lead by world-renowned scientist Dr. George Poste. In the spirit of collaboration and discovery, ASU maintains a global perspective in its endeavors evidenced by its many partnerships with notable universities throughout the world. With four campuses throughout the Greater Phoenix area, ASU provides quality education to the state’s growing population and creates an educated workforce ready to face today’s diverse economy.

Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University allows students to quickly adapt to the evolving needs of the community through its acclaimed research and dynamic campus atmosphere. With nationally ranked programs in hotel and restaurant management, engineering, forestry and business administration, NAU enjoys a reputation for focusing on teaching and close interaction between students and faculty.

University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is the oldest university in the state and one of the nation’s top 20 public research institutions. Among the strongest programs at the Tucson-based school are optical sciences, hydrology, astronomy, hydrogeology, and engineering. UA is awarded more NASA grants for space exploration than any other university nationally and The Princeton Review ranked The Eller College of Management as one the top undergraduate business programs in the country, ahead of numerous Ivy League schools.

Additional Higher Education

Thunderbird School of Global Management features the number one ranked international business program by The Wall Street Journal, number one ranked international business MBA by the Financial Times and number one ranked global business MBA program by BusinessWeek.

Other education institutions include Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a world leader in aviation and aerospace higher education and Midwestern University Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Health Sciences and Pharmacy.

Arizona’s Transportation Hub and Infrastructure

• Arizona offers a sophisticated network of air, truck and rail lines linking our companies with primary markets and suppliers worldwide.
• Arizona is a gateway to California, Texas and the Southwest United States. This region has a gross product of over $3.2 trillion and a population of over 76 million.
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is the 8th busiest airport in the world:
  21 airlines operate out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International with daily flights to key markets
• There are over 130 international flights departing daily to 41 international destinations including Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Japan and France
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International has easy connections to Asia through Los Angeles and San Francisco
• 102 domestic destinations including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York, Los Angeles
  Arizona boasts 90 regional airports including Tucson International, Yuma International, Williams Gateway Airport, Goodyear Phoenix Airport and Flagstaff Pulliam Airport and over 6,000 miles of highways and roads, including extensive Interstate highway network and 1,995 miles of railroad tracks (1,310 of which are Burlington Northern-Santa Fe and Union Pacific lines).

Living in Arizona Quality of life Recreational and Cultural Amenities

Living in Arizona - all the recreational and cultural choices you need

• Arizona’s daily life amenities attract and sustain today’s technology-oriented workforce
• Home to the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Coyotes, professional golf, tennis, auto racing, (NASCAR and Indy races), horse racing and rodeo events
• More than 325 golf courses and more than 300 days of sunshine
• Museums, ballet, opera, and concerts for all musical tastes complement our Native American and Spanish roots
• Snow skiing, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, boating, rock climbing, rafting, camping, hunting and fishing
• Six national forests, 26 national parks, 27 state parks, monuments, recreation areas and historic sites

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