BUSINESS NEWS | 3 Aug | KYLE BACKER
The West Valley is a booming community with 1.7 million residents strong and an expected population of 2.1 million by 2030. With big name companies like the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) making investments in the region, the West Valley is shedding old perceptions and becoming a destination for people to live, work and play.
“It’s no secret that elected officials and business leaders have been working diligently to attract high-wage employment, professional companies and headquarters to the West Valley. We’re seeing that, even during a pandemic. Microsoft, TSMC, Ball Corporation, White Claw and so many others have joined us during this challenging time,” says Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of WESTMARC.
As the pandemic diminishes and businesses return to typical operations, trends in the West Valley point to sustained growth.
READ ALSO: PCH making $200 million investment in pediatric care in West Valley
Healthcare trends
For many in the West Valley, the workday begins with a commute to Central Phoenix or the East Valley. That could become less of a phenomenon in the future, however. According to data obtained by WESTMARC, 36 percent of Maricopa County’s healthcare workers live in the West Valley. “Healthcare is driven by rooftops and rooftops keep being built in the West Valley, so we know that is a sector that’s going to grow as populations increase,” explains Hoffman.
A slew of healthcare investments are arriving west of the I-17. In June, Phoenix Children’s Hospitalannounced plans to build a $135 million campus in Glendale. The Arrowhead Campus will create 473 healthcare jobs and serve the 500,000 children expected to live in the West Valley by 2030.
In addition to the hospital in Glendale, Phoenix Children’s is growing its presence in Avondale with the Southwest Campus. It will include a $33.5 million medical office building, expand the specialty services currently offered at Phoenix Children’s Southwest Valley Specialty and Urgent Care Center and retrofit the current urgent care into an emergency department. The city will also be home to Phoenix Children’s Sports Medicine Clinic, which will cater to young athletes.
“All told, we’re investing nearly $200 million in the West Valley and bringing 650 jobs,” says Robert L. Meyer, CEO of Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Ken Chapa, economic development director at the City of Avondale, says that Phoenix Children’s is one part of the growing suite of medical services offered in the city. In June, the ribbon was cut on Akos Medical Center, located in Avondale’s Health-Tech corridor. The 68,000-square-foot campus offers medical office space and currently houses Apricus Urgent Care, Peak Heart & Vascular Medical Office and Peak Surgery Center.
“We’re seeing a lot of health care groups coming to the market. They know there’s already an established cluster of healthcare, and healthcare providers like being around each other,” explains Chapa. “ClearSky Health, which focuses on brain and spinal rehab, is building its first location in Arizona right next door to Akos.”
In Goodyear, Franklin Pierce University recently expanded their Doctor of Physical Therapy program to keep up with demand. “Abrazo Health has developed and grown several residency programs over the past couple of years. There’s a tremendous need in the in the West Valley for additional medical resources,” comments Lori Gary, economic development director for the City of Goodyear. “We think that the medical and healthcare fields are going to drive some of the employment growth in Goodyear.”
Hoffman believes that more specialized care will set roots in the West Valley and bring high paying jobs. A growing niche within the healthcare system is telehealth, which saw greater adoption during the pandemic when people were wary of sitting in a doctor’s office.
Dr. Michael Simons, medical director of Banner Telehealth, expects that – pending regulatory reform – telehealth will grow at a more rapid pace compared to the pre-pandemic status quo since many patients who were reluctant to try to a new mode of care have now experienced the benefits of the system.
“There’s a shortage of physicians and nurses in Arizona,” explains Simons. “There are some definite advantages that are borne out of telehealth. Let’s say there’s a physician who’s in a particular niche of their field. Telehealth makes their practice geographically agnostic, so they can still be focused on the niche they’re interested in while supplementing that with additional duties which can be performed to a much broader patient base.”
Manufacturing trends
Another sector spurring growth in the West Valley is manufacturing. The City of Phoenix attracted TSMC to Arizona, with its facility under construction at the I-17 and Loop 303. “We spent a lot of time in 2019 with the Arizona Commerce Authority and Greater Phoenix Economic Council in Taiwan encouraging TSMC to select Arizona,” explains Christine Mackay, community and economic development director for the City of Phoenix. “It’s about the ease of doing business. We have programs in place that allow companies like TSMC to operate here on capital-intensive projects in our foreign trade zone.”
With the arrival of TSMC in the West Valley, other companies will have more of a reason to follow suit. “All of the suppliers and contractors that work with those bigger name companies will also be drawn to the region,” says Hoffman.
Further south along the Loop 303, manufacturing facilities have taken the place of agricultural fields. Popular products like Red Bull and White Claw are canned in Glendale’s New Frontier District. In Peoria, plastic bottle cap maker Novembal and body armor producer Tyr Tactical add to the West Valley’s advanced manufacturing footprint.
“Tyr Tactical has contracts all over the world, and they’re expanding to two new buildings in Peoria,” says Kirsten Hall, business attraction program manager for the City of Peoria. The company was awarded a contract with the FBI in August 2020 valued at $30 million over five years.
Adds Mackay, “Arizona is projected to outpace the nation in job creation for the next decade. That’s happening because of how hard our elected officials and educators have worked to change the state’s economy from the pre-Great Recession economy that was built on golf and retirement.”
COVID-19 is accelerating suburban growth in places like Sterling Grove, a 780-acre master-planned neighborhood, west of Loop 303 in Surprise, offers homeowners access to a private country club and 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
