Published: May 6, 2016 |

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Hundreds of highly paid, highly skilled jobs are coming to Tucson. Caterpillar Inc. announced Tuesday that Tucson is the new location for its surface mining and technology offices.

The fenced-off property is near the Mercado San Augustine, west of I-10. It will eventually be the office’s permanent home. For now, those new employees will work in a rented space downtown.

By the end of the year, Caterpillar will move in to 97 E. Congress, an empty county owned building.

This new move comes after an announcement just last month. The company plans on closing five manufacturing plants in the U.S. and eliminating 820 positions.

“Right now, the mining industry is soft. Their employment numbers are low,” said Mark Irvin, Rio Nuevo Secretary. “If you’re ever going to pick up a company and move employees, this is probably the best time to do it.”

The company will start by bringing 500 employees to town. Within five years, that number could double. These include executive management, engineering, product development and support positions.

Many of those employees will be relocated from Wisconsin and Illinois offices. Some will be local hires. A representative from the company could not say how many.

“They’re the kind of jobs I think our community desperately needs,” said Irvin. “They’re high paying. They’re going to be looking for homes in that half a million dollar range.”

The move is expected to generate $600 million for the local economy

Paul Cisek, co-owner of Johnny Gibson’s Downtown Market, expects that to come in the form of a larger lunch crowd.

“I think it’s great for Tucson,” said Cisek. “I think it’s indicative of the fact that Tucson is starting to come into its own.”

On Wednesday, Rio Nuevo will likely approve funding on construction of Caterpillar’s permanent building at a cost of $52 million. It will be paid back through rent over 25 years.

Caterpillar will likely sit down with the Rio Nuevo board to design the new building. It will likely be three stories, 200,000 square feet with an underground parking garage.

Caterpillar Inc. currently employees around 300 people in Arizona and around 122,500 globally.

“The ability to get closer to our customers and tightly collaborate across all aspects of the business is at the center of our strategy. This decision positions us to build on the tremendous capabilities present at our Tucson Proving Grounds and Tinaja Demonstration Center and deliver the next generation of mining technology and leadership,” said Tom Bluth, Caterpillar Vice President with responsibility for Surface Mining and Technology. “Southern Arizona is a growing region known for a workforce rich in mining, technology, and engineering expertise as well as an attractive quality of life for both families and young graduates.”

The relocation still needs to be formally approved by state, county and governing boards.

“This is a huge win for Tucson and the entire region,” said Governor Ducey. “In addition to bringing jobs and capital investment to Southern Arizona, a project of this level will have a ripple effect throughout the community and state. I’d like to thank the Caterpillar team for their commitment to and confidence in Arizona. I’d also like to thank our partners, the Arizona Commerce Authority, Sun Corridor Inc., Pima County, Rio Nuevo District and the City of Tucson, for their hard work in bringing this project to our state. This is an excellent example of Arizona’s attractiveness to businesses as well as our strength in collaborative economic development.”

Source: (May 3, 3016) KVOA.com

To stop by Caterpillar’s website, CLICK HERE

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