PHOENIX – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) spent the week spotlighting Arizona’s growing economy, touring manufacturing facilities big and small and learning about job training programs across the Valley.
To kick off National Small Business Week, the Senator toured Phoenix-based small business Teaspressa, followed by a roundtable with local small business owners. During the tour and discussion, he heard from the entrepreneurs about the struggles they are facing as costs continue to rise and shared what he’s doing in Congress to support small businesses.
Thanks to legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act and other federal investments Senator Gallego has backed, Arizona has become a hub of high-tech manufacturing. This week, the Senator toured the U.S. headquarters of SUMCO, a leading manufacturer of high-purity silicon wafers used in semiconductor production, supplying critical materials for electronics, automotive, and advanced technology industries.
He then visited the Glendale campus of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, a key hub for the organization’s aerospace operations that has helped develop components and systems supporting NASA missions such as Artemis II.
Later in the week, Senator Gallego gave an update from Capitol Hill to business and civic leaders at the Greater Phoenix Leadership Annual Conference. The Senator discussed how he’s working to build Arizona’s economic future by focusing on water security, housing affordability, energy, and more.
“Arizona is a hot state – not just in temperature. People want to move here,” said Senator Gallego. “Every day, I meet with some CEO, whether it’s in Washington D.C. or here in Arizona, and they’re telling me that they’re looking for some site to bring in some huge company and/or something that will bring in billions and billions of dollars’ worth of investments. That is a story that is not found in many other states in this country right now.”
A growing economy means more good-paying jobs are coming to Arizona. To meet the demand, job training and apprenticeship programs are expanding across the state.
On Monday, Senator Gallego toured Pima Medical Institute’s Phoenix campus, which provides hands-on healthcare training in dental assisting, medical assisting, phlebotomy, sterile processing, surgical technology, and veterinary programs.
Later in the week, Senator Gallego visited Boilermakers Local 627 to meet with union leaders and trainees, learn about their apprenticeship program, and try his hand at welding.
Senator Gallego finished out the week by meeting with the Teamsters Rail Conference to discuss issues impacting the nation’s rail workforce and the freight and passenger rail systems that support the U.S. and Arizona economies.
