|
Phoenix Sets Pace in National Real Estate Recovery
CBS Money Watch :: July 14, 2012
The Phoenix metro housing market is seeing a rise in home prices and a decline in the number of houses on the market, putting the area ahead of most other U.S. cities on the road to recovery, according to real estate experts. Economists say the upward trend in the Phoenix area may serve as a beacon of hope for other cities across the nation that suffered when the housing bubble burst. "The Phoenix market will be a benchmark city to monitor for residents in Las Vegas, the Inland Empire of California and ... the Florida market," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors.
Arizona Unemployment Rate Steady at 8.2 Percent
The Arizona Republic :: July 20, 2012
Seasonal job loss is typical for Arizona in June, but this year the losses were milder, the state reported Thursday. The June state unemployment rate was unchanged from May, at 8.2 percent. The unemployment rate was 1.4 percent higher at the same time last year, at 9.6percent, according to Arizona Department of Administration officials. Arizona had 57,300 more jobs than a year ago, the lowest seasonal unemployment rate since 2008.
Insurance Firm Moving to Larger Call Center Near Chandler Fashion Center
The Arizona Republic :: July 21, 2012
QBE First, part of Australia-based QBE Insurance Group Limited, plans to move its call center into a larger building at 2700 Frye Road near the Chandler Fashion Center. The 183,000-square-foot facility has room to house more than 1,000 employees, although the company says it won't be hiring until at least next year. The company will move its 600 employees from its current center at Chandler Boulevard and Ellis Road by the end of this year.
Jobing.com Parent Moves to SkySong
The Arizona Republic :: July 18, 2012
Jobing, an online company that connects employers and job seekers nationally, has relocated its corporate headquarters from Phoenix to SkySong, the Arizona State University Scottsdale Innovation Center. Jobing, founded in 1999, had been based at 22nd Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. It relocated to SkySong, at the southeastern corner of Scottsdale and McDowell roads, this month. The company had a small tech group at the Scottsdale campus and decided to move its headquarters there. The headquarters includes about 50 employees.
ASU, YMCA in Phoenix Partner on Building
The Arizona Republic :: July 16, 2012
The Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA in Phoenix is about to become a construction site. Arizona State University is paying an estimated $25 million to build a 64,283-square-foot building addition to the recreation center that was built in 1955 and last renovated in 2006. ASU officials say the five-story project will increase classroom space for the campus and improve the YMCA's fitness amenities. The new building will be connected to the current building, at First Avenue and Van Buren Street in downtown Phoenix.
Blackstone Picks Up Nine Phoenix-Area Properties in National Buy
Phoenix Business Journal :: July 20, 2012
Nine industrial properties throughout metro Phoenix were snagged via a $68.7 million transaction late last month by an affiliate of the Blackstone Group LP, a publicly traded private equity firm based in New York. The local industrial assets, totaling about 1.58 million square feet, were among 65 commercial properties in 10 states acquired in a $770 million deal by entities of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group. The seller was the Dexus Property Group, a publicly traded commercial real estate firm based in Sydney.
Mexican Visitors Spending Big at Phoenix-Area Stores
Phoenix Business Journal :: July 20, 2012
While illegal border crossings get a lot of attention in Arizona, the benefits from legal Mexican visitors sometimes are overlooked. Mexican residents traveling to Arizona for tourism and shopping have a significant, positive impact on the Phoenix area’s businesses and economy, experts say. Each day, more than 65,000 Mexican residents come to Arizona through lawful channels and spend more than $7.3 million at Arizona retail stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses, according to a University of Arizona report published by the Arizona Office of Tourism in 2008.
Badminton Facility in Mesa is State's First
The Arizona Republic :: July 20, 2012
After a 25-year-search, Guy Chadwick finally found a place for his sport to call home. Chadwick is the owner of the Arizona Badminton Center, a warehouse turned into the state's first dedicated center for the game. The center, on Broadway Road just west of Dobson Road in Mesa, opened to new members Feb. 20. As a former national-team member and coach at Arizona State University, Chadwick said founding a badminton-specific facility has been a dream of his for decades. But for years, he could not interest a commercial broker to help him locate a building for his project. Even with a broker, it was a two-year search until he found a warehouse in west Mesa that had a ceiling higher than 27 feet for unhindered play.
| 
