Member News: July 2021
Arizona Commerce Authority celebrates its 10th anniversary
From its inception, the Arizona Commerce Authority has been guided by some of the best minds in private industry, the legislature and state universities. This unique collaboration has been one of the chief strengths of the ACA, and the work of the last 10 years would not be possible without the time, leadership and dedication of many individuals. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the agency is ushering in a new era of economic development — the passionate pursuit of business, the creation of jobs and the stimulation of the economy to benefit all of Arizona.
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Carvana plans new buildings to expand Tempe headquarters
Online car retailer Carvana is looking to expand its Tempe headquarters, and is seeking approval from the city of Tempe to build two new office buildings and two parking structures. In total, the project will be nearly 650,000 square feet, according to documents submitted to Tempe’s Development Review Commission. According to city documents, the company plans to create a campus-like environment through the site layout, outdoor space and amenities, and will incorporate the existing building on the site. Read more >>
ASU makes Top 10 in U.S. patent rankings for 3rd straight year
For the third consecutive year, Arizona State University is in the top 10 for U.S. patents issued to U.S. universities, according to an annual ranking of the top universities by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. In 2020, ASU was issued 140 U.S. patents, up from 137 the previous year, a total that ties with the University of Florida and puts ASU just one spot behind Harvard. The commercialization of innovations created by ASU researchers is led by the team at Skysong Innovations, ASU’s exclusive technology transfer and intellectual property management organization.
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Axon secures contract with the Scottish Police Authority
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has awarded Scottsdale-based technology firm Axon the contract to supply Police Scotland’s armed officers with Body Worn Video (BWV). The £505,000 contract will see firearms officers equipped with the technology ahead of the COP26 UN climate change conference, which takes place in Glasgow in November. The introduction of BWV for armed officers will bring Police Scotland into line with these other services and ensure best practice and evidence, as well as increased transparency and accountability at incidents.
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Encora makes acquisition with sights set on Latin America
Encora, a global software product engineering company based in Scottsdale, has acquired Daitan, a fast growing software development company with several global offices. Encora shared that acquiring Daitan extends its reach further into Latin America and upon the deal’s closing the company’s headcount will rise up to 5,500 engineers worldwide. Encora said adding the Daitan presence in Brazil will help them access the full labor market in the Americas. Encora also has staff in Mexico, India and the Asia Pacific region. Read more >>
Construction begins on UArizona’s new applied research building
Construction of the University of Arizona’s new $85 million, three-story Applied Research Building began recently as crews broke ground on the 89,000-square-foot facility. Located at the southeast corner of East Helen Street and North Highland Avenue, the ARB will house research that advances applied physical sciences and engineering. The building is expected to be completed in January 2023. The building will provide new research capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and will bring together several interdisciplinary university programs in one location.
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2021 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona
On behalf of Best Companies Group, Bridgetower Media, Arizona Capitol Times, BestCompaniesAZ is honored to announce the 9th annual 2021 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona winners.This award program recognizes the best organizations across the state as voted by their employees. It is open to employers with 25 or more employees. Congratulations to Ideas Collide, Lane Terralever, The Lavidge Company, Edmund Optics, Jennings, Strouss & Salmon PLC, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Lovitt & Touché and PayPal. And congratulations to all recipients who have been recognized as the 2021 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona. VISIT HERE to see who made the list >>
Phoenix Business Journal wins public service journalism award
The Phoenix Business Journal staff received the first place award for Community Public Service Journalism in the 2020 Arizona Press Club Awards. The Business Journal won three awards in total. Separately, Photo Editor Jim Poulin took second place in the Photojournalism – Feature category for his shot below of a worker at Quintero Golf Club sanitizing golf carts published in the weekly edition on April 17, 2020. Reporter Brandon Brown took third place in the Business Reporting category for his cover story, “Shrinking Menu of Options,” published on April 10, 2020, about the initial struggles faced by Valley restaurants after the government-ordered shutdown in 2020. Read more >>
Ambature Inc. announces breakthrough results for its superconductive building process
Scottsdale chip design company Ambature, Inc., a privately held company that designs superconducting quantum materials and devices, announced test results using a new form of high-temperature superconducting material. Ambature’s technology enables an extremely fast and energy-efficient computer processor and one of the best sensors in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The opportunities to impact a number of industry verticals with this technology are far reaching.
Intel’s Mobileye testing self-driving cars in New York City
Intel Corp.’s self-driving car technology unit released a 40-minute unedited video Tuesday of a vehicle successfully navigating busy New York City streets. Mobileye, the business unit creating this technology, is now testing its vehicles in New York including Manhattan. It’s the latest city for the Israel-based business to test its tech. It has also driven in Munich, Germany, Tokyo and Detroit; as well as cities in Israel and China. The company confirmed a human driver is always in the driver seat during the testing. Read more >>