Pinal County on the road to becoming an automotive manufacturing juggernaut
by Steve Burks | AZBigMedia
At the May 2017 monthly Pinal Partnership breakfast, Jackob Andersen with Saint Holdings updated attendees on the Central Arizona Commerce Park – home to Lucid Motors and Tractor Supply.
Pinal County has long been content to be the buffer between the two major population centers in Arizona, Pima and Maricopa counties. Like the midwest is often referred to as flyover country, Pinal County was drive-through country.
Sure, there were sprawling housing developments in parts of the county, namely Maricopa and San Tan Valley, but there was little else that was remarkable about Pinal County. When the recession hit in the late 2000’s, rural areas that were more dependent on the housing boom were especially damaged.
“We anticipated a lot of growth 15 years ago and then we hit the doldrums and everybody felt it,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland. “And honestly, rural Arizona is just coming out of it. Phoenix has been booming for a while and we’re at least 3 or 4 years behind them in terms of activity.”
Pinal County clearly has not been sitting idly by as Phoenix has enjoyed several years of remarkable economic development. The county has quietly built up its infrastructure — including a large amount of renewable energy sources — and set the groundwork for what appears to be an impending high-tech, automotive manufacturing boom.
