Tucson Electric Power supported the creation of more than 2,600 jobs in Southern Arizona last year through our strong economic development efforts.
Fifteen businesses announced during 2019 that they were planning to expand or move to the region, bringing new job opportunities to enhance our community’s growth. Since 2016, TEP has worked directly with businesses that promised more than 14,400 jobs.
Most of our success last year was in the aerospace and defense industries, followed by health services.
“It was a very active year for economic development and we exceeded our goals,” said Camila Martins-Bekat, External Affairs Representative. “This played to our strengths in the aerospace and defense sector.”
TEP’s representatives regularly work alongside local economic leaders to attract businesses to the area, often meeting with site selectors and other officials looking for locations. Those early conversations help businesses clarify the potential timeframes for locating a new facility.
As businesses consider sites, TEP assesses their energy needs and develops a plan to serve them. TEP also offers an Economic Development Rate for large businesses that relocate or expand and meet certain requirements.
The largest announcement last year came from Raytheon Missile Systems, anticipating 1,000 new jobs over the next three years. TEP has worked with Raytheon, the Tucson International Airport and other businesses in the aerospace corridor to increase electric capacity with a new substation and other infrastructure to accommodate future employment growth in the area. In January, Raytheon announced that Tucson will become the headquarters for the new Raytheon Missiles & Defense Business.
Another major addition is Northwest Healthcare, which plans to break ground on a new hospital on the Tucson’s southeast side this spring. The hospital will employ more than 500 workers. Northwest Healthcare is also expanding in other areas, including a center in Sahuarita and post-acute care facility on the northwest side.
Southern New Hampshire University selected a downtown location for its West Coast headquarters with 350 employees. The mostly online college needed an administrative center in a western time zone to improve service to students.
Other large growth areas include:
- Amazon Distribution – 300 jobs
- MicroMex, electrical equipment manufacturing – 100 jobs
- Alicat Scientific – 100 jobs
- Modular Mining – 35 jobs
