By Erin Thorburn | AZBigMedia
Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert were once viewed as sleepy bedroom communities. Today, they’re evolving into cutting-edge hubs of innovation and home to some of the most forward-thinking, technology-driven, innovative companies in the nation.
Tempe, once seen as a raucous college town, is now the place many Silicon Valley companies — including DoorDash, Opendoor, NortonLifeLock, and Silicon Valley Bank. And Scottsdale, once a premier vacationing spot for golfers, is the preferred destination for cybersecurity companies, bioscience innovators and telehealth game-changers.
Collectively, the cities and towns that comprise the East Valley are helping bolster Arizona’s position as a leading technology hub. The East Valley helped Arizona land among the top five states for the number of new technology businesses added between 2017 and 2018. With national industry leaders such as Intel, Northrop Grumman, Amkor Technology, Apple, Keap, JDA Software, Insight, Boeing, GoDaddy, PayPal, Honeywell, Waymo, the GM Innovation Center, and Microchip calling the region home, it’s clear that the East Valley has evolved from being the ‘burbs to becoming Arizona’s technology-industry oasis.
