How Is RI’s Economy Performing Against, Say Arizona? Even Raimondo Knows
Thursday, March 25, 2021
How is Rhode Island's economy doing compared to say a state like Arizona? Well, out west they are piling up the wins.
On Tuesday morning, Arizona officials announced that Amazon was building not one but two new facilities — thousands of new jobs.
Later in the day, Arizona officials -- and even U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo -- were trumpeting an even bigger announcement.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTech giant Intel was announcing 3,000 facility jobs and another 12,000 permanent high-tech, high-paying jobs via the supply chain. The new jobs will be housed at a major facility creating another 3,000 construction jobs.
In total, nearly 30,000 new jobs were announced in one day. The Intel investment is $20 billion.
In Rhode Island, the Warwick Mall announced that the Showcase Cinema was closing.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal in Glendale and Tucson, "The new facilities will be sortation centers, which receive the packages from a fulfillment center or an Air hub and sort them by zip code to be sent to delivery stations."
Amazon will open a new sorting center in Glendale — the city's first Amazon facility — by the end of the year, the company announced Tuesday.
"The Glendale facility will be used to sort Amazon orders by ZIP code before sending them off to delivery stations or drivers. The center will employ "hundreds" of full- and part-time employees with a $15 starting hourly wage, according to the company. Amazon announced a major metro Phoenix expansion in 2020. The Seattle-based company said the expansion would bring 3,000 jobs to metro Phoenix," according to the report.
Amazon is Nothing Compared to Intel, Raimondo Weighs In
Raimondo issued a press release, “Today, we celebrate American innovation and job creation. Intel’s investment will help to preserve U.S. technology innovation and leadership, strengthen U.S. economic and national security, and protect and grow thousands of high-tech, high-wage American jobs.”
Intel’s announcement is a great example of the benefits that come from investing in domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. We can create jobs, strengthen our national security as well as the security and resiliency of our supply chains. And we welcome additional announcements on U.S. manufacturing commitments by other firms as well.
I’d like to thank Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema for their continued leadership on bringing these good-paying jobs to Arizona. Working together, we can maintain America’s place as a technology and innovation leader.”
“We are setting a course for a new era of innovation and product leadership at Intel,” said CEO Pat Gelsinger in a speech broadcast to the Chandler complex recorded by the Arizona Repubic. He said the project also would create 3,000 construction jobs and 15,000 "local long-term jobs" at suppliers and others around the state.
"'Hundreds of local companies stand to benefit from our announcement today,' Gelsinger said, adding that planning and construction will start immediately," according to the Arizona Republic
"To make our new expansion in Arizona possible, we are excited to be partnering with the state of Arizona and the Biden administration on incentives that spur this type of domestic investment," he added.
In recent weeks Arizona officials have also announced:
a White Claw manufacturing center.
a Red Bull canning facility.
a nearby Microsoft data center in El Mirage.
Another day in the Sun Belt.
