From transportation and water infrastructure to advanced manufacturing facilities, Sundt Construction has helped build Arizona’s economy since 1929. Headquartered in Tempe, the 100% employee-owned company is investing in new facilities, workforce training and technologies to support the state’s next chapter of growth. In this ˿����Ƶ Business News Spotlight, Sundt’s Alex Charland discusses the company’s new Apache Junction manufacturing facility, its commitment to careers in the skilled trades and how employee ownership shapes its approach to building Arizona’s future.

Tell us about Sundt Construction and its footprint in Arizona. 

Alex Charland, president, advanced facilities: Sundt is headquartered in Tempe and has been active in Arizona since 1929. We have built the infrastructure and facilities that help communities and economies grow, from transportation and water treatment systems to mining, advanced manufacturing, data centers and other complex industrial work, just to name a few. 

We are also 100% employee-owned by more than 5,500 employee-owners. That matters because the people planning the work, managing projects and building in the field have a direct stake in Sundt’s long-term success. Our craft professionals, engineers, and support teams are building their own futures alongside the projects they deliver. 

Safety is foundational to that commitment. Sundt is the only company to have earned the Grand Safety Award three times by the Associated General Contractors of America. We see workforce development, employee ownership and safety as connected: We want our people to have the training, opportunity and ownership stake to build a long career and to return home safely every day. 

Sundt recently broke ground on a 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Apache Junction. What should Arizonans and the business community know about this project? What role does off-site manufacturing play in supporting Arizona’s construction growth? 

Our new Apache Junction facility is a meaningful investment in Arizona’s industrial future and in the people who will build it. The 65,000-square-foot facility will include manufacturing and fabrication space, engineering and design offices, and a regional employee training center. It is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs in its first phase, with room to expand as demand grows. 

The facility will allow us to manufacture modular components (especially mechanical, electrical, and process, or MEP, systems) for a wide variety of industrial, manufacturing, and infrastructure projects. Off-site manufacturing and fabrication give teams a more controlled environment to produce components with consistency and precision before they arrive at the jobsite. 

That has several benefits. It can reduce traffic and material movement in and out of jobsites, improve schedule reliability, and create safer, more predictable working conditions for our employee-owners. It also creates quality career opportunities closer to home for people in the Apache Junction community. 

Arizona’s economy is growing because companies are investing in advanced manufacturing and industrial production here. Our job is to help provide the facilities and infrastructure that make that growth possible. This facility strengthens our ability to do that while creating jobs, developing skills, and keeping more of that economic activity in Arizona. 

What does being 100% employee-owned mean for Sundt and its employees? 

Employee ownership means that, after meeting a one-year tenure and minimum-hours-worked threshold, every eligible employee can participate in Sundt’s ESOP. It is not reserved for executives, office roles, or a select group of employees. Craft professionals, skilled-trades workers and administrative team members all can become owners. 

That creates a different kind of workplace. Our people are invested in doing work safely, solving problems early, protecting quality and building strong relationships because they are not just working for the company. 

Employee ownership can also reshape retirement outcomes. We have seen people who spent their careers in the skilled trades or in administrative support roles build real retirement security that you don’t see in other structures. That is one reason we believe construction can offer an exceptional career: It is an opportunity to learn a valuable trade, earn a strong living, support a family, and share in the long-term success of the company. 

As an employee-owned business, we can make decisions with a longer view. We are focused on the health of our people, the success of our clients and the communities where we work, not short-term returns for outside investors. 

Sundt has emphasized semiconductor manufacturing expertise and created a dedicated Advanced Facilities Group. What differentiates your team in advanced manufacturing? 

Advanced manufacturing facilities demand a different level of planning, coordination, and execution. These are highly technical environments where precision, process reliability, schedule and safety all matter at once. 

Our teams, including our Advanced Facilities Group, bring together people with deep experience delivering complex industrial systems. We also have robust self-perform MEP capabilities, which gives us more direct control over critical work and helps our teams coordinate complex systems from preconstruction through installation and startup. 

Beyond the manufacturing facilities themselves, one area where our teams have developed significant capability is industrial water and wastewater treatment with a focus on water reuse and recycling. Those systems are essential to the next generation of sustainable semiconductor and advanced manufacturing facilities, and they require a high degree of technical understanding and disciplined project delivery. 

What differentiates Sundt is not simply that we build large facilities. It is that we understand the integrated systems inside them and can bring the right people, processes, and self-perform capability to execute demanding work with fewer handoffs and less uncertainty. Our teams know how to work collaboratively with clients and trade partners to identify issues early, manage risk, and keep projects moving. 

Which innovation tools are having the biggest impact at Sundt, and why is Arizona a strong place for companies to embrace innovation? 

We have embraced AI because construction has many real-world challenges it can help solve when it is supported by clean, reliable data and guided by experienced people. Technology is most useful when it helps our teams make better decisions, improve safety, increase productivity, or see potential problems sooner. 

We are also investing in automation in practical ways. Sundt is partnering with Bedrock Robotics on automated excavators. We have deployed a robotic survey device to regularly walk a major jobsite, and we have piloted semi-autonomous heavy-equipment systems on solar fields. These tools can help improve consistency, capture better jobsite information and allow skilled people to focus their time where their judgment matters most. 

Arizona is a strong place to embrace innovation because it has shown a willingness to welcome and test new technologies. Phoenix was among the cities willing to pilot Waymo alongside San Francisco, and Bedrock Robotics shares roots with that same ecosystem. That openness matters. 

There is a positive feedback loop at work in Arizona. The state’s willingness to support advanced technology companies has helped attract major investment. In turn, those projects have helped cultivate builders, trade partners, and skilled workers capable of delivering some of the country’s most demanding industrial systems. That makes Arizona even more attractive to the next generation of advanced manufacturing and technology companies. There is a reason Semicon is moving permanently to Arizona. 

Why is Arizona a great place to do business, and how does Arizona fit into Sundt’s growth strategy? 

Arizona is home, and it will remain central to our growth strategy. We build across the country, with a focus on fast-growing markets that value collaborative project delivery, but headquarters are here. 

We are active in Arizona across our full range of work, from heavy civil infrastructure to industrial, institutional and commercial projects. We built our training facility and Center for Craft Excellence in Phoenix, we’re underway on our dedicated off-site manufacturing facility in Apache Junction, and we are preparing to expand our headquarters into a full campus in Tempe. 

Those investments reflect confidence in Arizona’s future. The state has a growing economy, an increasingly diverse industrial base and a business community that understands the importance of infrastructure, workforce development, and long-term partnership. Sundt intends to keep investing alongside our fellow Arizonans. 

Recent news has highlighted Sundt’s Apache Junction manufacturing investment, safety recognition, outreach to Pima JTED and ACE Mentor, and acquisition of IPS. What do these milestones say about where Sundt is headed in Arizona? 

Together, these milestones show a future-focused, long-term strategy. We are investing in the capacity, people and partnerships Arizona needs to continue growing. 

Our Apache Junction facility will expand our off-site manufacturing and fabrication capabilities. Our safety recognition reflects a commitment to the wellbeing of the people doing the work. Partnerships with organizations such as Pima JTED and ACE Mentor help introduce young people to construction careers and create pathways into the skilled trades. And our acquisition of IPS strengthens the self-perform electrical and instrumentation capabilities we can bring to increasingly complex work. 

We are also the largest provider of U.S. Department of Labor-registered construction apprenticeships in Arizona, with seven programs offered in English and Spanish through our training campus near downtown Phoenix and community-college partners. Participation has quadrupled over the past two years, and we anticipate that growth to continue. 

That’s the future we are working toward: an Arizona where people can build rewarding careers, businesses can grow with confidence, and the infrastructure and facilities being built today support a thriving state for generations to come. 

The post Spotlight AZ: Sundt appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Arizona Tuesday to announce proposed approval of Maricopa County Rule 204, an emissions-reduction program intended to help businesses invest and expand while improving air quality.

The announcement followed a roundtable with business leaders and elected officials. Rule 204 would allow qualifying voluntary emissions reductions from nonroad engines and equipment to generate credits that new or expanding major facilities could use to satisfy federal Clean Air Act offset requirements.

Speaking at the announcement, Zeldin praised the county and business community for finding practical ways to support growth while working toward compliance with federal ozone standards.

“They aren’t increasing emissions and they aren’t breaking federal requirements,” he said. “They are finding new innovative ways to work within their circumstances.”

The Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry welcomed the proposal as an important step toward addressing a longstanding shortage of emissions credits that can constrain economic development.

“This is an important win for cleaner air, economic growth and the kind of practical problem-solving Arizona does best,” ˿����Ƶ President and CEO Danny Seiden said.

Rule 204 would create a financial incentive for owners of equipment such as construction machinery and railroad locomotives to upgrade to cleaner technology. Qualifying reductions could then generate credits for facilities seeking to build or expand.

“For more than a decade, Arizona’s business community has worked to expand the tools available to reduce emissions while giving companies a workable path to invest, expand and create jobs,” Seiden said. “Rule 204 does exactly that: when businesses voluntarily replace older equipment with cleaner technology and achieve real, measurable emissions reductions, those reductions can help make continued economic growth possible.”

Parts of Maricopa County are designated as being in moderate nonattainment of federal ozone standards. Major facilities seeking to build or expand in the affected area must obtain permits and offset increases in emissions.

Under the proposed program, equipment owners that permanently reduce nitrogen oxide or volatile organic compound emissions could trade qualifying reductions as credits to those facilities. EPA said the approach could support industries including high-tech manufacturing and power generation, and that it does not expect the rule to increase emissions in the area.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee greeted the announcement with enthusiasm.

“I have been in public service for over 25 years and my dream has come true,” she said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Brophy McGee praised regulators for listening and using incentives, saying Rule 204 could help preserve the county’s quality of life while supporting its economic expansion.

“This plan demonstrates how a healthy environment and growing economy can work together,” she said. “By incentivizing rather than punishing job creators, implementing Maricopa County’s Rule 204 will improve the quality of the air we breathe while enabling key industries to continue investing in our community.”

Supervisor Thomas Galvin called the announcement “a victory for our environment, the economy, and common-sense regulation reform.”

Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson said the proposal would strengthen Arizona’s competitiveness and support responsible growth. She credited Gov. Katie Hobbs, Maricopa County and other partners, and recognized Seiden and the ˿����Ƶ for their leadership in advancing the measure.

Seiden also thanked county officials, the governor and federal and state lawmakers from both parties for helping bring the proposal to this point.

“Protecting air quality and maintaining a strong economy do not have to be competing goals, and once again Arizona is showing the rest of the country how smart policy can advance both,” he said.

EPA’s announcement represents proposed approval. The agency said it will hold a 30-day public comment period before taking final action.

The post Zeldin announces EPA proposal to support cleaner air and business growth in Arizona appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

Arizona has a champion headed to Washington, D.C., and he’s bringing three years of preparation, a passion for civics and a few ideas about making housing more affordable.

Shaurya Arora, Arizona’s state Civics Bee champion, will represent the Grand Canyon State at the National Civics Bee, where he’ll test his knowledge alongside other state champions.

For Arora, the trip is both a competitive opportunity and a chance to find his people.

“I’m very excited about going to Washington, D.C., and being able to meet other people who share a passion about civics, just like me,” he said.

His road to the national stage began in sixth grade, when his parents learned about the competition. Already interested in history and civics, Arora saw an opportunity to take those interests beyond the classroom.

He entered, kept studying and kept coming back. This year, that persistence paid off with a state championship.

A community issue becomes a civics project

The competition involves more than knowing the right answers. Arora’s submission for the essay portion of the contest explored an issue he had noticed affecting people around him: housing affordability.

Rising home prices, mortgage rates and limited housing supply caught his attention. So did the consequences for families trying to find a stable place to live or achieve the dream of homeownership.

His research examined Arizona’s response to the issue and ways he could help, from volunteering with housing assistance organizations to working with city agencies and councils to support vulnerable families.

The assignment gave him a chance to connect his interest in government with a practical community challenge.

“I wasn’t very educated on this topic, and I learned a lot,” he said.

That same topic will travel with him to nationals, where his original essay carries forward.

Keeping cool when the questions get tough

Arora is quick to say that the Civics Bee requires serious preparation.

Over three years, he has used study guides, online learning resources and his own notes to build his knowledge. His advice: Read carefully, remember what you’ve learned and do more than skim.

On competition day, he concentrated on processing each question and answering within the time limit, keeping nerves from interfering with his thinking.

That didn’t mean he felt certain of victory. Scoreboard updates came every 10 questions, and after the multiple-choice portion, he believed he had fallen behind.

“I wasn’t really sure about getting first place,” he said.

But the competition wasn’t over. By the end, Arizona had its champion—and Arora had a trip to Washington to prepare for.

With school back in session, Arora has been balancing classwork with preparations for nationals. He’s returning to his civics studies with an eye toward the bigger stage ahead.

The trip will also include a tour of important Washington sites, adding a chance to see some of the places connected to the subjects he has spent years studying.

And yes, he has thought about what it would be like to win the whole thing.

“It would be very cool to win the whole competition,” he said.

For now, he’s sticking with the approach that got him this far: steady preparation and a willingness to keep learning.

The post Arizona’s National Civics Bee representative heads to Washington with preparation, persistence and state pride appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

A federal appeals court has left in place a ruling allowing the land exchange tied to the Resolution Copper project to move forward, rejecting a request to reconsider the case. 

The Sept. 29 decision means the Ninth Circuit will not rehear the case after a three-judge panel earlier this year declined to block the exchange. 

The case is part of the long-running legal fight over the proposed Resolution Copper mine in eastern Arizona. 

The project would develop one of the largest untapped copper deposits in the country. the mine could eventually supply up to 25% of U.S. copper demand and support about 3,700 direct and indirect jobs at full production. The company estimates the project could generate up to $61 billion in economic value for Arizona over its operating life.  

Resolution Copper has been in development for more than two decades, with the project moving through federal environmental review, permitting and litigation over the land exchange. The proposed underground mine near Superior is a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP. 

Congress authorized the land exchange needed for the project, which involves federal land in the Tonto National Forest. Opponents have challenged the exchange on environmental and religious-freedom grounds, including concerns over Oak Flat, a site sacred to the Western Apache. 

After a three-judge panel declined to block the exchange, opponents asked the Ninth Circuit to reconsider the case. The request failed to win enough support from the court’s active judges. 

Several judges disagreed with that decision. In dissents accompanying the order, they argued that the court should reconsider how federal religious-freedom law applies to the land exchange and its effects on religious practices at Oak Flat.  

Supporters of the project, meanwhile, have argued that its lengthy review and litigation history underscores the need for legal certainty and a clear path forward. 

The Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry participated in the underlying appeal as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court. 

“This is a significant decision for Resolution Copper and for the broader principle that major projects cannot remain tied up in litigation indefinitely,” said Mike Bailey, general counsel for the Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry. “This project has been through years of federal review, permitting and court challenges. The Ninth Circuit has now declined another request to revisit the case, and that kind of legal certainty matters when companies are making multibillion-dollar investment decisions that support thousands of jobs and strengthen domestic supply chains.” 

The Sept. 29 order does not necessarily end the litigation, but it closes the door on rehearing the case before the Ninth Circuit. The earlier ruling allowing the land exchange to proceed remains in effect.  

Photo courtesy of Resolution Copper.

The post Resolution Copper project on track after Ninth Circuit decision  appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

The Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two has upheld the rejection of two referendum petitions challenging zoning approvals for a proposed Marana data center project, ruling that the petitions failed to meet Arizona’s strict legal requirements for referenda. 

affirms an earlier Pima County Superior Court ruling and leaves the Marana Town Council’s January zoning approvals in place. 

The dispute centered on referendum petitions that were circulated with incomplete copies of the zoning ordinances. 

Arizona law requires referendum petitions challenging zoning decisions to include the full and correct text of the ordinance, along with a legal description of the affected property. Courts have long required strict compliance and construction with those requirements.  

In this case, although still publicly available, the Marana town clerk initially provided referendum organizers with copies of the ordinances that were missing required exhibits containing additional legal descriptions of the properties. Those versions were then used to collect signatures. The town later corrected the omission, but the clerk ultimately rejected the petitions because the documents circulated to voters were incomplete.  

Referendum supporters argued that they had relied on the official documents provided by the town. The Court of Appeals acknowledged the town’s mistake but reiterated that under Arizona law, responsibility for complying with referendum requirements ultimately rests with the proponents circulating the petitions. 

“Regardless of whose mistake leads to a lack of strict compliance with the referendum petition statutes, a referendum petition may not move forward if its proponent fails to strictly comply with the statutory and constitutional provisions,” the court wrote. 

The court also found that the missing exhibits were expressly part of the ordinances themselves and included information about the property rights affected by the zoning changes, including water rights.  

The Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry participated in the case as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court.  

“This is an important decision for the consistent application of Arizona’s referendum laws,” said Vanessa Pomeroy, chief counsel of the Arizona ˿����Ƶ Legal Center. “The court made clear that strict compliance means strict compliance for referendum petition proponents. Clear, predictable statutory and constitutional requirements are important for voters, communities and businesses alike.” 

The court separately addressed an attempt by the referendum committee to withdraw the petitions after they had been filed. It held that the power to withdraw a petition signature belongs to the individual voter who signed it, not to the committee that collected the signatures.  

For developers and local governments, the ruling adds clarity around the referendum process at a point when land-use challenges can create uncertainty for major development and investment decisions. 

The three-judge panel unanimously affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment in favor of the Town of Marana.  

The post Arizona appeals court upholds rejection of Marana data center referenda  appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

Arizona’s small business owners know that the health of our economy depends on more than hard work — it depends on the strength of the institutions that support our communities. That’s why Banner Health’s continued investment in Arizona’s small business ecosystem deserves recognition, and why it should serve as a model for how anchor institutions and local entrepreneurs can grow together.

As Arizona’s largest private employer and a locally governed nonprofit health system with hospitals and clinics serving urban and rural communities across the state, Banner Health supports billions of dollars in annual economic activity while reinvesting in the people and communities it serves.

Health systems like Banner are often thought of purely in clinical terms — as places we go when we’re sick or when a loved one needs care. But in communities across Arizona, Banner functions as something more. It is the state’s largest private employer, a major purchaser of local goods and services, and a steady source of demand for everything from construction and facilities management to catering, technology, and professional services. When a health system chooses to build local supplier relationships, mentor small vendors, and invest in workforce pipelines, the ripple effects reach far beyond its hospital walls.

This matters because small businesses are the backbone of Arizona’s economy. They make up the vast majority of employers in this state, and they are disproportionately vulnerable to the ups and downs of local demand. A single new contract with an institution the size of Banner can be the difference between a small business surviving its first five years and closing its doors. Multiply that across dozens of vendors, contractors, and service providers, and you start to see how one institution’s purchasing decisions can shape the trajectory of entire local economies — from Phoenix to rural and border communities that don’t always have easy access to large-scale opportunity.

Supporting small business isn’t charity for a health system like Banner — it’s smart economics. Local vendors tend to be more responsive, more invested in the community’s outcomes, and more likely to reinvest their earnings close to home. Every dollar spent with an Arizona small business tends to circulate further within the state than a dollar spent with an out-of-state vendor. That’s the kind of multiplier effect that policymakers spend years trying to engineer through incentive programs. Banner is achieving it simply by choosing to prioritize local partnerships.

We should also recognize what this means for the resilience of our health care infrastructure itself. A hospital system that is embedded in its local business community — one that understands the needs of its small vendors and invests in their success — is a system that is more connected to the economic realities of the people it serves. That connection matters when it comes to workforce recruitment, community trust, and long-term sustainability, especially as Arizona’s population continues to grow and diversify.

None of this means the work is finished. Arizona’s small businesses continue to face real challenges: rising costs, workforce shortages, and uneven access to capital and contracting opportunities, particularly for businesses owned by women, veterans, and entrepreneurs of color. We would encourage Banner, and other large institutions across the state, to continue expanding transparent pathways for small and diverse suppliers to compete for contracts, and to treat local economic development as a core part of their mission rather than a side initiative.

That commitment matters. As a locally governed nonprofit health system, it reinvests in Arizona — supporting local businesses, strengthening communities, and improving the health of the people who live here.

Arizona’s small businesses are ready to be that kind of partner. We hope more of the state’s largest institutions follow Banner’s lead.

Steve Kaiser is CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association, a nonpartisan advocate for small businesses across the state.

The post Strong health systems, strong small businesses appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

A national competition launched by Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses is offering $250,000 to help locally developed ideas grow into scalable solutions for communities across the country.

The Community Futures Challenge will award $250,000 across five grants of $50,000 each to eligible nonprofit organizations. Applications are open through Nov. 30.

Arizona State University is serving as the program’s official judging partner, while an independent panel will evaluate submissions based on community impact, feasibility, innovation, sustainability and the strength of the project team. Pacheco Ventures operates the challenge.

Eligible projects can range from early-stage concepts to pilot programs and initiatives already beginning to scale. Organizers point to workforce development, economic mobility, public infrastructure, civic technology and entrepreneurship among the types of community challenges the competition is designed to address.

The effort recognizes that many promising solutions are already being developed in communities across the country but need additional capital and partnerships to have broader impact.

The competition is being paired with a five-city Innovator Series Tour bringing together business, government, nonprofit and community leaders to discuss how locally developed ideas can move from concept to broader impact.

The tour recently stopped in Stamford, Connecticut, where participants included Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons, University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric and Daniel O’Keefe, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. 

Stamford is one of five stops on the tour alongside Nashville, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Phoenix.

The Stamford discussion focused on the role local leadership, entrepreneurship and investment can play in turning community-based ideas into scalable solutions. The event was held at PMI U.S.’s headquarters wither representatives from government, business, media and non-profit organizations as part of the company’s broader America250 initiative.

The Community Futures Challenge is open to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations serving defined communities anywhere in the United States. Finalists are expected to be notified in January, with winners announced in early 2027.

Applications are open through Nov. 30 at america250cfc.org.

The post Community Futures Challenge offers $250,000 to turn local ideas into scalable solutions appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

The Arizona Manufacturers Council has announced the recipients of the 2026 Manufacturer of the Year Awards, recognizing companies and leaders making an impact across Arizona’s manufacturing sector.

The annual awards recognize excellence across seven categories, from manufacturing growth and innovation to sustainability and industry leadership. This year’s honorees will be recognized Oct. 13 at the Manufacturer of the Year Awards Luncheon presented by APS.

“Arizona manufacturers continue to grow, invest and innovate in ways that strengthen the state’s economy and expand what gets made here,” said Grace Appelbe, executive director of the Arizona Manufacturers Council. “This year’s honorees reflect the depth of that work, from longstanding Arizona companies to major industrial operations and emerging technologies.”

2026 Award Recipients

Small Manufacturer of the Year — Valley Forge & Bolt: The Phoenix-based manufacturer makes industrial bolts and fasteners used in demanding environments such as mining, steel and oil and gas. The company is also known for patented technology that allows operators to monitor bolt tension in real time, helping improve safety, reliability, and maintenance.

Medium Manufacturer of the Year — Nucor Steel Kingman: Nucor’s Kingman mill produces reinforcing bar and wire rod used in roads, buildings, bridges and other infrastructure. In 2025, the facility brought a new $100 million melt shop online, allowing Nucor to recycle scrap metal into new steel products directly in Kingman and expand production for customers across the West.

Large Manufacturer of the Year — Shamrock Foods Company: Founded in Tucson in 1922, Shamrock has grown from a small dairy operation into one of the nation’s largest family-owned food companies. The Arizona-based company’s operations include Shamrock Farms, foodservice distribution, dairy manufacturing and a portfolio of food and beverage businesses serving customers across the West and nationwide.

Arizona Success Story — Pivot Manufacturing: Phoenix-based Pivot Manufacturing is a locally grown manufacturer specializing in precision machining, assembly and production work for complex industries, including aerospace and defense. Over more than two decades, the company has expanded its capabilities while building a team of engineers, machinists and quality specialists.

Excellence in Innovation — Florence Copper: Florence Copper began commercial copper production in 2026, using a process that recovers copper from underground without the large open pit, blasting and hauling associated with conventional mining. The operation is currently ramping up and is expected to produce up to 85 million pounds of copper annually at full capacity.

Excellence in Sustainability — Swire Coca-Cola: The Coca-Cola bottler has made water conservation and replenishment a major part of its sustainability work, reducing the amount of water used in manufacturing while supporting projects designed to return water to communities and nature. Swire Coca-Cola also operates throughout Arizona as part of its 13-state western U.S. footprint.

Champion of the Year — Rep. Michael Carbone: Carbone is recognized for his work on policies supporting Arizona manufacturing, including sponsoring HB 4026, legislation backed by the Arizona ˿����Ƶ and Arizona Manufacturers Council to strengthen the state’s public infrastructure program for major manufacturing projects. The program helps communities fund roads, water and other infrastructure needed to support large-scale manufacturing investment.

The 2026 honorees will be recognized at the Arizona Manufacturers Council’s Manufacturer of the Year Awards Luncheon on Oct. 13.

The post Arizona Manufacturers Council announces 2026 Manufacturer of the Year Award recipients appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

Public voting is now open for the top three finalists in the 2026 Hottest Thing Made in Arizona competition.

The Arizona ˿����Ƶ of Commerce & Industry and Arizona Manufacturers Council on Monday announced the top three finalists in the fourth annual statewide competition, presented by Grand Canyon University.

This year’s contenders span medical technology, industrial manufacturing and craft brewing:

SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

Manufactured in Tucson, the is the world’s first FDA-approved total artificial heart. The device is used as a bridge to transplant for eligible patients facing life-threatening biventricular heart failure, replacing the heart’s pumping chambers and keeping blood circulating while a patient awaits a donor heart.

Wireless SPC4® Load Indicating System

Made by Valley Forge & Bolt in Phoenix, the allows users to measure and monitor fastener tension locally or remotely, helping identify bolts or studs that have lost clamp load.

The technology is used in demanding industrial applications including mining, oil and gas, steel and other heavy industries.

Hatch Chile Gatos Golden Ale

Brewed by Fate Brewing Company in Scottsdale, is made with roasted Hatch chiles, giving the beer a pronounced chile aroma with mild flavor and very little heat. The beer has become one of Fate’s longstanding signature brews.

“This year’s top three reflect the diversity of Arizona manufacturing, from lifesaving medical devices and precision industrial technology to Arizona-brewed craft beer,” said Grace Appelbe, executive director of the Arizona Manufacturers Council. “That diversity is exactly what this competition is meant to highlight, along with the companies and skilled teams behind the products made here.”

The Hottest Thing Made in Arizona competition launched in 2023 as a way to highlight the range and strength of Arizona’s manufacturing sector. Past winners include Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter, the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor, and Honeywell Aerospace’s 131-9 auxiliary power unit.

Public voting is open through Oct. 13, with one vote allowed per day per device.

The winner will be announced Oct. 13 at the Arizona Manufacturers Council’s Manufacturer of the Year Awards Luncheon.

Cast your vote at

The post Meet the Top 3: Voting opens for 2026 Hottest Thing Made in Arizona appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.

Manufacturers are growing more optimistic about sales and production over the coming year, but rising input costs, transportation expenses and continued global uncertainty are keeping pressure on the sector, according to a .

NAM’s Q3 2026 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey found that manufacturers expect raw material and other input costs to increase 5% over the next 12 months. Increased raw material costs ranked as manufacturers’ top business challenge for the second consecutive quarter, followed by rising health care costs and trade uncertainty.

The results illustrate a manufacturing economy in which stronger expectations for demand are colliding with persistent cost pressures.

“Arizona manufacturers are ready to grow, invest and compete, but the cost of doing business remains a significant challenge,” Arizona Manufacturers Council Executive Director Grace Appelbe said. “Whether it’s raw materials, energy, transportation or health care, rising costs ultimately affect manufacturers’ ability to invest in their operations and their workforce. And the uncertainty surrounding tariffs isn’t helping. Tariffs are import taxes, and manufacturers pay them when they source key inputs from abroad, putting additional pressure on costs that can ultimately be passed along to consumers. The encouraging news is that manufacturers remain optimistic about what lies ahead, and policymakers can help sustain that momentum by advancing policies that provide greater certainty and keep Arizona and the United States competitive.”

That optimism is reflected in manufacturers’ expectations for the coming year. Survey respondents projected sales, production, capital investment and exports to grow at their fastest rates in more than four years.

Manufacturers expect sales to increase 4.3% over the next 12 months and production to rise 3.8%, the highest projected growth rates for both measures since the second quarter of 2022.

“Strong demand is fueling a notable increase in anticipated sales and production growth, both projected to rise 4.3% and 3.8%, respectively, the highest growth rates for both indexes since Q2 2022,” NAM Chief Economist Victoria Bloom said. “Because of a strengthening sales forecast, manufacturers remain optimistic, though growth in the industry would likely be stronger if cost pressures eased.”

Global disruptions continue to complicate that outlook.

Among manufacturers surveyed about the conflict in the Middle East, 60.6% said conditions related to the conflict had not improved from the previous quarter, while 33.2% said challenges had worsened.

Transportation expenses are adding to those pressures. More than three-quarters of manufacturers, 77.3%, identified freight rates as a challenge, while 74.1% cited fuel costs. Trucks are especially important to the sector, with 98.6% of respondents reporting that they rely on trucking to move goods.

Manufacturers also appear prepared to make significant investments in their operations.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 63%, said they plan to import industrial machinery, parts or components during the next year to support existing or planned manufacturing operations. Among those companies, 69.2% expect to use the equipment to upgrade or replace existing machinery, while 63.6% said the machinery would support new or expanded operations.

NAM said the findings demonstrate the importance of policies that allow manufacturers to secure the equipment needed to expand and modernize their facilities. The organization is advocating for a U.S. Manufacturing Investment Accelerator Program designed to improve manufacturers’ access to industrial machinery.

“Manufacturers are seeing encouraging signs for growth, but they are also facing some strong headwinds such as rising costs and global uncertainty that continue to place pressure on global supply chains,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said.

Timmons called for action on several priorities important to manufacturers, including surface transportation reauthorization, permitting reform, health care costs and greater trade certainty.

The quarterly results come as Arizona continues to expand its advanced manufacturing footprint, with semiconductor, aerospace and defense, electronics and other manufacturers playing an increasingly prominent role in the state’s economy.

NAM conducted its Q3 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey from Aug. 11 through Aug. 27.

Photo: Pete unseth, , via Wikimedia Commons

The post Input costs, transportation expenses drive uncertainty for manufacturers appeared first on ˿����Ƶ Business News.