Arizona Business Know How – Arizona Commerce Authority Helps With Business Development

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Arizona Opportunity: Programs & Grants

ARIZONA INNOVATION CHALLENGE

ARIZONA INNOVATION CHALLENGE

The Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC) awards the most money in the country for a technology challenge – $3 million — to the world's most promising technology ventures.
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REV AZ

REV AZ

Rev AZ is Arizona’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center created through a partnership between the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NIST) whose goal is to become the central resource for technical assistance and all things manufacturing for Arizona’s existing community of small and medium-sized manufacturers.
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AZ STEP GRANT

AZ STEP GRANT

Arizona’s State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program helps businesses gauge their export readiness as well as assists Arizona small businesses as they export markets for the first time or as they expand into new markets.
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NAVIGATOR

NAVIGATOR

The ACA's Navigator program will connect you - at no cost - with Arizona's highly skilled and available workforce by creating a custom recruiting strategy.
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Low Cost of Doing Business
Skilled & Available Workforce
STREAMLINED REGULATION
ACCESS TO MAJOR WORLD MARKETS
SIMPLIFIED TAX SYSTEM
EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE

Low Cost of Doing Business

Ranking seventh lowest in average workers compensation costs, sixth lowest in property taxes, and second lowest in unemployment insurance tax.

Info - 4.5% Income tax

Skilled & Available Workforce

Poised and ready to meet your project needs, the state's workforce is abundant, talented and young.

Info - 2nd for workforce quality

STREAMLINED REGULATION

Arizona has created a minimalist regulatory environment by cutting red tape and by repealing overly burdensome regulations.

Info - Expedited Permitting

ACCESS TO MAJOR WORLD MARKETS

Arizona is immediately accessible to three of the world's largest economies -- California (#9), Texas (#13) and Mexico (#14).

Info - 800 tons of cargo

SIMPLIFIED TAX SYSTEM

Arizona has among the lowest corporate and individual income tax rates in the nation, lowering your cost of doing business.

Info - #2 lowest unemployment ins tax

EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE

From an unsurpassed number of sunny days to snow skiing, Arizona’s quality of life is second to none.

Info - 300 days of sun (gray)

Leading the way: Thriving ARIZONA INDUSTRIES

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

Arizona is home to more than 1,200 small- and large-scale aerospace and defense companies.
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TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

With a focus on cutting-edge innovation and next-generation advancements, Arizona excels in high-tech and innovative industries.
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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Arizona is the #1 Alternative Energy Industry Leader and among the top ten Solar Energy Manufacturing Leaders.
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BIOSCIENCE & HEALTH CARE

Arizona is home to one of the fastest growing bioscience industries in the U.S.
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OPTICS/PHOTONICS

Arizona is home to one of the country's major photonics product market geographic clusters.
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ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

Industry leaders such as Intel, Microchip, Honeywell, Raytheon, JDA Software, Frito Lay and Insight all manufacture in Arizona.
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ADVANCED BUSINESS SERVICES

Arizona has one of the most climatologically stable states in the U.S. - one reason the state is home to more than 50 major data centers.
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Arizona business: in action

Company Profile: Frito Lay

Company Profile: Instant Bioscan

AIAF Recipient: Traklight

STEP Recipient: Rigid Industries

Sharing Success: The ACA Blog

Fostering business expansion in Arizona

Mar 13, 2014

T.J. Jennings, Vice President, Capital Strategies, Arizona Commerce Authority

Arizona actively engages its entrepreneurs with strategic programs to assist in their expansion. The Arizona Innovation Accelerator Fund (AIAF) program is one example of this strategic support. The AIAF program provides debt financing to expanding Arizona businesses that need resources to capitalize on market opportunities.

Arizona Business: News

Phoenix ranks as Top 5 best city for small business

AZCentral.com • 07.23.2014

The National Federation of Independent Business has identified the top five U.S. cities for opening and operating a small business. Phoenix occupies the fifth spot on the list.

HealthPlanOne Expands Operations with New Center in Phoenix, Plans to Hire 175 in 2014

• 07.14.2014

HealthPlanOne, one of the nation’s leading Medicare and under-65 health insurance sales and customer acquisition companies, has announced plans to open a new location in Phoenix. With plans to hire 175 people this year, the new office will support the company’s brokerage business and its growing number of insurance carrier clients.

18 Early Stage Companies Named Recipients of the Arizona Commerce Authority AZ Fast Grant

• 07.9.2014

The Arizona Commerce Authority has selected 18 recipients for AZ Fast Grant, a highly competitive grant program that provides qualified Arizona-based, early stage technology companies with intensive training and technical assistance to commercialize their innovations, grow their businesses and create quality jobs.

Winners of Spring 2014 Arizona Innovation Challenge take home $250K

AZ Tech Beat • 06.25.2014

Twice a year the Arizona Commerce Authority awards grant funding capital to a group of startups to help them grow their business and fuel innovation.

Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the ACA said, “This round of the Arizona Innovation Challenge demonstrates why Arizona continues to be recognized as a hub of innovation and technology.”

Phoenix tech is scorching

USA Today • 06.23.2014

The "Silicon Desert," as locals call it, is thriving, with start-ups taking advantage of the lower cost of living, tight-knit community and talent from one of the nation's largest schools — Arizona State University — to help sprout new tech ideas.

Weebly Opens North American Customer Operations Headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona

• 06.4.2014

Weebly, a global service that lets everyone create a high-quality website, has signed a 25,000-square-foot office lease in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the company’s North American customer operations headquarters. Weebly plans to bring more than 250 new positions to the city over the next three years.

Arizona General Hospital to Open in the Phoenix-area, Create 300 New Jobs

• 06.4.2014

Arizona General Hospital announced it will open a boutique, full-service health care facility in early 2015 in Laveen, Ariz. The 39,000-square-foot hospital will provide Phoenix-area residents 24/7 access to emergency medical care. Arizona General Hospital also plans to bring 300 new jobs and invest $75 million over the next three years.

Phoenix is the 8th best city for new grads

AZCentral.com • 06.3.2014

Phoenix is the 8th Best City for New Grads according to Kiplinger. Low cost of living and good starting salaries push the city's ranking.

Leading Peer-to-Peer Lending Company Prosper Marketplace Expands with New Office in Phoenix

• 05.30.2014

Prosper Marketplace, America’s fastest growing peer-to-peer lending company, today announced the opening of a new office in Phoenix – the first office outside the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

Phoenix ranks 9th on Forbes list of American cities with the fastest growing information sectors

AZCentral.com • 05.28.2014

The Phoenix metro area ranks ninth on a new Forbes list of American cities with the fastest-growing information sectors. Close to 2 percent of the jobs in the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale area are information jobs, according to the list.