| West Phoenix, AZ growing at an alarming rate. | | | | Martin. The area is mixed now with Retail, |
| During our heated visit recently, we studied | | | | Food Processing and lots of Aerospace, we |
| the economic vitality of Avondale, Goodyear, | | | | talked to a maintenance supervisor for Timco |
| Litchfield and Tolleson. This area is the | | | | who said their newest contract would require |
| fastest growing area of all of Phoenix which | | | | an additional 140 people to be hired. |
| is the second fastest metro DMA area in the | | | | Luftstanza Airlines has its training center |
| United States of America. Maricopa County is | | | | there also. Del Monte and Poore Brothers |
| #2 next to Clark County in Las Vegas NV | | | | process there. Snyders of Hanover, |
| metro. Surprise, Glendale and Goodyear are | | | | Rubbermaid, Walle Corp, Cavco. |
| breaking all kinds of records as the Governor | | | | |
| looks at the issues of water and future | | | | The Goodyear Airport is a major plus along |
| resources. We of course do our homework on | | | | with the neighboring business parks. The |
| economic factors before we attempt to enter a | | | | runway is over 8500 feet and can land and |
| region as most seasoned veteran business | | | | takeoff any aircraft known to man. The city |
| people do. | | | | has attracted many companies and is business |
| | | | friendly and has online applications for just |
| In Avondale the population is growing and | | | | about every permit. They have attracted; |
| currently about 36,000 population. 33% of | | | | Aviation-Plastics and Composites, Sun Cor |
| which is Hispanic with HS education average | | | | Development, Chariot Eagle, Wal-Mart Dist |
| education level. Agriculture and Agriculture | | | | contractor McClane, West Valley Medical |
| processing is the biggest industrial sector | | | | Center. The weather is hot in summer, but |
| although that too is changing as light | | | | year round workable if you are able to handle |
| industrial is taking advantage of the labor | | | | the average daytime summer temps; . |
| supply. Many new car dealerships are | | | | |
| assisting the city coffers with sales tax | | | | June to September it is 100-105 degrees. |
| revenue although some of that has been given | | | | Greater Phoenix Economic Council has some |
| up short term as incentives, but all that | | | | interesting stats for the area as well. All |
| kicks in two years. Beam Corp is a major | | | | the cities in the West Phoenix are charge an |
| employer there says Jeffrey Fairman, Economic | | | | additional 2% sales tax and the schools are |
| Development Director. | | | | considered great, even with all the |
| | | | non-english speaking students struggling at |
| Avondale is just South of Luke AFB and | | | | first. |
| derives much income from military employees | | | | |
| who buy good and services there. Also in the | | | | Litchfield has about 4000 population with |
| area is an 80,000 square foot Medical Center. | | | | only 8% Hispanic, but is growing |
| Also major employers include; LP Steel | | | | exponentially. Some of the major employers |
| Industries, Cashion Tank and Steel, | | | | include; Conklin Rose, Wig Wam 4-star Resort, |
| California Materials, Bio Scientific and | | | | Goodyear Family grew cotton there and then |
| several new projects in progress. Average | | | | sold the land to Litchfield, who grew |
| house price has risen 10% in the past year | | | | Egyptian long-staple cotton for use in the |
| and is still good at; $132K which is average | | | | processing and manufacturing tires for |
| for the area. The housing growth once again | | | | Goodyear. Water of course brought in by SRP. |
| is incredible. The permit processing is | | | | We will in the future do a complete study of |
| helped by the City Streamlining Committee. | | | | the history of SRP-Salt Water River Project. |
| | | | Average Home price in the area has grown to |
| Kids in the area enjoy the local water park, | | | | 310K. The city is pro business and allows |
| bowling alley, church youth groups and Pop | | | | grading of at risk soil before final permits |
| Warner Football and lots of soccer teams. The | | | | to test the ability of the land to support |
| MAG-Maricopa Association of Governments is | | | | the project. These four cities on the West |
| spending 15.5 Billion on new transportation | | | | side of PHX average 16.8% of the population |
| infrastructure of which much will be for | | | | at 25-34 meaning labor supply and good |
| expanding freeway widths through Avondale on | | | | customer base. 16.2% has 35-44 age grouping. |
| I-10. The 22-member panel is about 1 billion | | | | 46% Hispanic and similar to Los Angeles. |
| over budget but that will be picked up as the | | | | Labor force is 29% less than HS education. |
| housing is not slowing down. About the only | | | | 23% have HS only education and 24.8% have |
| big draw back is the problems of auto theft | | | | some college but no degree. Prevailing |
| which Phoenix area is number two only beaten | | | | average wage for labor is $9.86 per hour. |
| out by Tucson AZ. Most of these cars find | | | | |
| their way to Mexico. Of all the West Maricopa | | | | Tolleson, has had good growth since the |
| cities there is severe fire risk in the hot | | | | freeway interchange got finished for the 101 |
| summers until the Summer Monsoon season | | | | loop connecting to I-10. Huge new Auto |
| starts, at which time the on-call fire teams | | | | Center. Freightliner Facility, Truck Stop, |
| and hot shot crews move to Colorado, Idaho, | | | | mostly due to the city fathers seeing an |
| Montana, Washington, South Dakota. | | | | opportunity due to the freeway interchange |
| | | | and had some 6 new car dealerships move in by |
| In Goodyear, AZ things are a bit different. | | | | on I-10 and they used a fast track permit |
| The population has absolutely exploded and is | | | | processing program to do the rest. Also in |
| continuing to. Many people work out at the | | | | the area are Lisanti Foods, Nabisco, Quaker |
| Prisons on Palos Verde Rd and the newest | | | | Oats, Western Container, Greater PHX Auto |
| prison that you can see from I-10, some | | | | Auction, Auto Zone Dist., Graybar Dist., Sara |
| people we talked to worked at the Nuclear | | | | Lee Dist., Sysco Dist., Frys Dist., Cactus |
| Power plant or for SRP or Betchel all of | | | | Transportation, Cost Co Dist., Fed Ex Depot, |
| which work there at the Power Plant. There | | | | and still there are many residents which have |
| are about 20,000 people in Goodyear but there | | | | brought the housing prices of this industrial |
| are also some 5000 new homes going up right | | | | freeway adjacent to 100K on average. Tolleson |
| now. It is 22% Hispanic and that number is | | | | has a pop of 5000 and 70% Hispanic, |
| being diluted, but future growth should be | | | | unemployment is 6%. The major jobs are |
| equal under that ratio in my opinion for the | | | | service based, retail, warehousing and |
| next decade. As more and more Hispanic | | | | manufacturing . Other large employers are |
| Families enter the middle class we will see | | | | CSI, Sun Land Beef, Albertsons Dist., Pet |
| them turn Republican and buy into the area of | | | | Smart Dist. Dist., and several meat and food |
| Goodyear with an average home price of 142K | | | | packing plants. . |
| and climbing. | | | | |
| | | | The Western Suburban areas of Phoenix have |
| Goodyear as you might have guessed is named | | | | turned from rural dusty farming communities |
| after the Akron Rubber Baron, which you can | | | | to extremely livable middle class soccer mom |
| learn more about on the second floor of the | | | | communities with all the trimmings. It is a |
| Goodyear Building outside Akron in the World | | | | good place to do business, great customer |
| of Rubber Museum at Goodyear original HQ. In | | | | base and it will continue to build out for |
| Goodyear they made rubber for the US Navy | | | | another two decades. |
| Seaplanes, now that facility is Lockheed | | | | |