Two thousand new jobs——that’s what Raytheon is celebrating as it cuts the ribbon for a major expansion on it’s Tucson site.
The new buildings include facilities designed for advanced computers, and new technologies like hypersonic missiles that could go maybe five times the speed of sound, fast enough to defeat any defenses we know about.
For Tucson, it means more highly paid jobs and confirmation Tucson has what it takes to attract and hold sophisticated businesses.
The buildings Raytheon built in Tucson and the jobs that come with them could have gone to other Raytheon facilities in Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, Kentucky or Arkansas. But in Tucson Raytheon found the right mix of well-educated workers, tax incentives, and land use.
Missile systems President Dr Taylor Lawrence says the expansion allows Raytheon to add about 2000 new jobs to a local workforce that already has about 12 thousand people.
“Adding 20 percent headcount to that, especially high technology jobs that pay well. The average for these jobs is over 100 thousand dollars for engineers. There’s a great multiplicative effect through the communities.”
Gov Ducey was at Raytheon for the ribbon cutting. He says a strong K through 12 education system is essential to train workers ready to work at a place like Raytheon.
