Arizona Technology Industry Impact Report 2021 Q3
A Message from the Arizona Technology Council President + CEO
1) Year-over-year growth in the number of technology jobs was robust at 2.64% although slightly lower than the 3.25% reported in the second quarter. Total industry wages grew at about the same level, suggesting that employers in Arizona are not facing the same inflationary pressure as other industries.
2) The number of third quarter STEM job postings remained above the July 2019 high but down slightly from the second quarter. Clearly, Arizona employers see strong growth on the horizon and are hungry for the talent to help realize it.
3) The amount of venture capital invested in 2020 declined 27.5% compared with 2019. That could be expected given the pandemic-related uncertainty that characterized last year. Given all the reports of new investment, including some described below, we should expect to see VC investment rebound when the 2021 numbers are released.
In addition to these highlights and other data points in the dashboard below, you will find inspiring stories behind the numbers in conversations with people like Doug Stetson, CEO of FreeFall Aerospace; Angela Creedon, Arizona public affairs manager for City, County and Higher Education at Intel; Alex Iuorio, senior vice president of Supplier Development at Avnet; and Lindsay Gorrill, CEO of KORE Power — all stories illustrating the powerful impact of Arizona’s technology industry.
14 AZ Tech Leaders to Watch in 2022
Arizona’s technology community is built on the strength of its people. These leaders and the thousands of experienced employees at their companies have put Arizona on the map as one of the strongest innovation ecosystems in the world. Their work in not only developing critical innovation but also providing high-quality jobs and advocating for technology-friendly legislation has pushed our community beyond what we could have ever imagined 15 to 20 years ago.
- Carol Stewart, associate vice president, Tech Parks Arizona, The University of Arizona
- Christine Boles, vice president in the Internet of Things Group (IoTG) and general manager of Industrial Solutions Division, Intel
- Clate Mask, CEO, Keap
- Gregory J. Hayes, chairman and CEO, Raytheon Technologies
- Greg Scoresby, founder and CEO, CampusLogic
- Heidi Jannenga, co-founder and chief clinical officer, WebPT
- Jamie Baxter, CEO, Qwick
- Jeff Benck, president and CEO, Benchmark
- Khalid Al-Maskari, president and CEO, Health Information Management Systems
- Dr. Kishlay Anand, co-founder, president, Apricus Health
- Mark Russell, CEO, Nikola
- Matthew Likens, president and CEO, GT Medical Technologies
- Mike McCormack, president and CEO, CP Technologies
- Ron Robertson, CEO and co-founder, Picmonic
A Conversation with Doug Stetson, CEO of FreeFall Aerospace
Doug Stetson is the CEO of FreeFall Aerospace developing innovative antenna technology for satellite communications. FreeFall was founded in Tucson as a spin-off from the University of Arizona and maintains a close connection with UA faculty and supporters. Before founding FreeFall, Doug spent 30 years at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory having lead roles in systems engineering and mission design for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn missions. After leaving JPL in 2008, Doug was the project manager for the LightSail mission that successfully deployed and tested a solar sail in Earth orbit.
KORE Power CEO Lindsay Gorrill on Building a Battery Manufacturing Ecosystem in AZ
As the Biden administration pushes massive investments in clean energy as part of a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the White House wants the technology behind that energy to be homegrown. That’s a challenge that Lindsay Gorrill, CEO of KORE Power, is ready to tackle. KORE Power, which was founded in 2019, announced plans to build a battery cell factory in Buckeye, 40 miles west of Phoenix, earlier this year. The company projects the factory will produce 12 GWh of total annual capacity by the end of 2023 and anchor what Gorrill hopes will become a grand-scale battery ecosystem in the Grand Canyon State.
NSF Grant to NAU Will Support R&D + Training in Parallel Computing
An assistant professor at Northern Arizona University’s School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Mike Gowanlock, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support his research in the emerging field of parallel computing architectures needed to process large volumes of data generated by major astronomical surveys, including the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The grant will also support development of a new undergraduate course that teaches parallel computing, ensuring that graduates of NAU’s computer science undergraduate program have the skills needed to exploit future generation computer systems.
University of Arizona Researchers Closer to Developing Pain Drug That Cuts Opioids’ Addictiveness
University of Arizona researchers say they are closer to developing a pain relief treatment that dramatically diminishes the danger of opioids. The research is focused on a new compound created at UArizona’s Health Sciences department that reduces the sensation of pain by regulating a biological channel linked to pain, the university said. The research team was led by Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D., associate director of the UArizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center, professor of pharmacology in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson and a member of the BIO5 Institute.
Regents Approve Millions in New Research Funding for Arizona’s Public Universities
The Arizona Board of Regents, the body that oversees the state’s three public universities, has approved new technology-focused funding plans. The new funding will last for three years; UA and ASU will each receive $32 million annually, while NAU will get $16 million per year. "Our universities are on the leading edge of innovative research and development that will benefit Arizona and the world long into the future," said ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson said in a statement. "These dollars will fund critical research that ensures ASU, NAU and UArizona to continue to act as problem-solvers and promote the long-term prosperity, health, security and strength of Arizona communities."
The Arizona Technology Council (AZTC) is Arizona’s premier trade association for science and technology companies. Recognized as having a diverse professional business community, Council members work towards furthering the advancement of technology in Arizona through leadership, education, legislation and social action. The Council offers numerous events, educational forums and business conferences that bring together leaders, visionaries, and community members to make an impact on the technology industry. These interactions contribute to the Council’s culture of growing member businesses and transforming technology in Arizona. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit www.aztechcouncil.org and follow AZTC on Twitter at @aztechcouncil.
Data
METHODOLOGY
This report includes totalling 0 data points from 13 measures, collected from 1 public sources (described below). We also estimated 0 data points based on our estimation and projection methodology.
Some of the summary data included in the report may not include suppressed data. Data suppression occurs in cases where private, identifying information would be disclosed. In most cases, this does not impact the total values presented in the report, but in cases where there are small industries or areas, data suppressions may reduce the accuracy of the data we can display.
SOURCES
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Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Website: https://www.bls.gov/cew/
Data Year:The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program publishes a quarterly count of employment and wages reported by employers covering more than 95 percent of U.S. jobs, available at the county, MSA, state and national levels by industry.
Measures
Total Annual Wages, Taxable Annual Wages, Firms, Employment Level, Annual Contributions, Employment Growth (YoY Change), Firms (YoY Change), Wage Growth (YoY Change), Yearly Pay Growth (YoY Change), Average Industry Pay, Employment vs US Average, Wages vs US Average, Yearly Pay vs US Average
Populations
2131 - Support Activities for Mining, 2211 - Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, 3252 - Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing, 3261 - Plastics Product Manufacturing, 3313 - Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing, 3314 - Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing, 3327 - Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing, 33299 - All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing, 33312 - Construction Machinery Manufacturing, 3332 - Industrial Machinery Manufacturing, 3333 - Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing, 3336 - Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing, 333613 - Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing, 3339 - Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing, 3341 - Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing, 3342 - Communications Equipment Manufacturing, 3343 - Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing, 3344 - Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing, 3345 - Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing, 3346 - Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media, 3353 - Electrical Equipment Manufacturing, 3359 - Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing, 3363 - Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing, 3364 - Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing, 336992 - Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component Manufacturing, 3391 - Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing, 42343 - Computer and Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software Merchant Wholesalers, 5112 - Software Publishers, 5152 - Cable and Other Subscription Programming, 517 - Telecommunications, 518 - Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services, 51913 - Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, 5415 - Computer Systems Design and Related Services, 5417 - Scientific Research and Development Services, 61142 - Computer Training