More than 700 new jobs coming to Mesa – AZCentral.com

More than 700 new jobs are headed to Mesa with employers such as Dexcom, Alorica and EuroContempo Cabinetry. Wochit

Recruiter Jinnfer Goodwyn assists prospective employees during a job fair at Alorica in Mesa on May 4, 2017. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic)

Looking for a job in the East Valley? Mesa may be a good place to start your search.

In the coming years, several new and existing employers are looking to add upward of 700 full-time positions in the Valley's second-largest city.

Many are in key industriesthat Mesa officials have been courting for years, such as high-end manufacturing.

"In general, we're seeing that the economy is comingbacknow and companies seem to be more confident about hiring, and expansions that may have been on hold are now moving forward," said Jaye O'Donnell, Mesa's assistant director of economic development.

RELATED:Hiring picks up at Arizona's biggest employers

Mesa and Arizona leaders join Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer at a ribbon-cutting event for the company's new Mesa facility on April 25, 2017.(Photo: Dexcom)

Dexcom, a manufacturer of continuous glucose monitoring for people with diabetes, opened a 180,000-square-foot facility in west Mesa late last month.

The company is actively recruiting 500 employees for a variety of functions including manufacturing, administration and customer service.

Dexcom is headquartered in San Diego. The new Mesa location will be the company's second and largest manufacturing facility.

Employees areprepping the first phase of the new facility for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Full manufacturing operations should be underway early next year, according to Jeff Moy, senior vice president of operations.

Dexcom's glucose monitoring system tracks glucose throughout the day without finger pricking and sends alerts to patients' smartphones if their levels are high or low.

"Diabetes, it's a chronic disease, so it'sbasically about reducing burdens," Moy said.

Mesa Mayor John Giles said he was thrilled with Dexcom's decision to locate in Mesa both from an economic and public health perspective.

"Diabetes is a nationwide epidemic. Thenumbers are just off the charts, particularly for children ... it's a veryhigh-maintenancedisease. So this technology isreally life-changing," Giles said.

Dexcom's new facility is located at the former Motorola campus in west Mesa, which was once the "center of our economic portfolio," Giles said. It's been closed for more than a decade.

Giles said it's encouraging to see Dexcom take advantage of "a piece of property (that) remains very strategic" because of its proximity to major freeways. He said he believes Dexcom's success will attract other similar businesses to the area.

Moy said his companysettled on the Mesa location because of its proximity to San Diego and the flexibility of the site itself, which allowed them to design the facility to Food and Drug Administration standards.

MORE:Intel says it's investing $7B in Chandler facility, bringing 3K jobs

Alorica supervisor Jeremy Leonard demonstrates the AT&T Wow station at the company's Mesa facility on May 4, 2017. The AT&T Wow station is used to help train employees on different products.(Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic)

Alorica, the largest customer-service provider in the country, is adding 150 jobs to its Mesa location.

Alorica provides customer-service solutionsfor large companies in about a dozenindustries, including communications and health care.

The staff additions, which are mainly customer-service positions, willaccommodate growing client demand, according to spokesman Ken Much.

He said the company welcomes applicants with varied backgrounds. Customer-service experience is not a prerequisite.

"If you're the kind of person who likes helping others, we want to meet you," Muchsaid.

Wages are competitive within the industry, butthere are opportunities for advancement that often don't exist with other entry-level customer-service positions, he said. About 70 percent of Alorica supervisors or managers began as customer-service specialists, Much said.

"We want people who have that potential and interest for a career," he said.

READ:Apple plans to make servers in Mesa data center

Alorica managers Ernest Johnson (from right) and Jake Montgomeryanswer questions from prospective employees during a company job fair in Mesa on May 4, 2017.(Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic)

Later this year, a high-end cabinet manufacturer will open a 72,000-square-foot facility just north of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

EuroContempo Cabinetry announced the newsitein February and plans to break ground later this month, according to co-owner Lisa Storey.

The company, which currently operates out of a smaller outfit in Gilbert, plans to add about 40 new jobs in the next three years.

Storey and her husband picked the Mesa Gateway location because of the easy freeway access and visibility, she said.

"When we were shoppingaround we saw this location here and we thought, 'Oh my gosh,this is perfect,'" Storey said.

The city has focused on the Mesa Gateway areaas one of its key employment corridors.

"We really see (EuroContempo)as one more company to add to what we know will become a very vibrant regional employment area with a mix of high-wage jobs and also companies that have complementary relationships with the airport," O'Donnell said.

Giles said the company was a great addition because along with newjobs, it will provide high-end cabinetry to a growing area of Mesa.

"It's bringing a beautiful building and jobs to an area of Mesa thatneeds a lot ofcabinets and it needs good jobs. So it's a good fit," Giles said.

City Bakers employees and guests at the Mesa grand opening of the Denver-based artisan bakery.(Photo: City of Mesa)

City Bakery: 20 jobs

The artisan bakery out of Denver opened a 5,000-square-foot facility in west Mesa where it producesand distributes breads and pastries to restaurants across the Valley. It's expected to employ 20 people.

Infineon Technologies: 20 jobs

The Germansemiconductor manufacturerannounced in December it would add 20 high-wage jobs and 11,500 square feet to its west Mesa facility.

Santander Consumer USA: 970 jobs over three years

The Dallas-based company, which specializes in consumer financing for vehicles, began adding employees to its Fiesta District location in January 2016. It's expected to bring 970 jobs to the former Bed, Bath and Beyond building in three years.

READ MORE:

Mesa schools change grad rules 1 year after denying leukemia survivor's request to walk

Victim in fatal Mesa apartment fire identified as Arizona Department of Economic Security employee

Quiz: How well do you know Mesa, Arizona?

Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2pTpROp

Read the rest here:
More than 700 new jobs coming to Mesa - AZCentral.com