Casa Grande Dispatch
Former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao will be among the federal, state and municipal officials on-hand Thursday for the groundbreaking of PhoenixMart, according to a press release from the project developers.
The groundbreaking is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the PhoenixMart development site, on Florence Boulevard near Overfield Road, about two miles east of The Promenade at Casa Grande.
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson and PhoenixMart President Jeremy Schoenfelder also are expected to speak at the event.
PhoenixMart, a 1.7-million-square-foot wholesale sourcing facility being built on 585 acres, will be the first global commerce center of its kind in the United States, according to developers. It is expected to create more than 9,000 local jobs and boost U.S. manufacturing by connecting global buyers with sellers, according to project developers.
“We’re excited for this project to move forward and create thousands of jobs in Pinal County,” Kirkpatrick said in an email statement to the Casa Grande Dispatch. “Even though it was shovel-ready long ago, its investors were stuck waiting for EB-5 visas. I’m glad we could work together and help clear the way for this important economic effort to launch.”
PhoenixMart will showcase goods sold wholesale by about 2,000 manufacturers and distributors in various categories.
