The huge capital spending of firms doing millions and sometimes billions of dollars of expansion in the Valley comes on the heels of an announcement by Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research Inc., a San Jose research firm that specializes in the economics of the chip industry.

"This is unprecedented," Hutcheson said. "For the first time, we're seeing that it is turning out to be much less cyclical." Semiconductor manufacturers aren't keeping pace with the products that increasingly rely on processing and memory chips.

• Intel Corporation has a new site in Chandler, dubbed Fab 12, the plant comprises more than 1M square feet, including 140,000 sq. ft. of clean room space - twice the area of a football field - where the chips actually will be produced. Fab 12 eventually will house 2,000 permanent Intel employees, with production expected to begin in early 1997. The 720-acre site in Chandler includes room for future expansion.
  
  
• Sony, a division of Sony Corp., has begun construction on a 90,000 sq.ft. high-tech manufacturing facility in Gilbert, furthering the Valley's image as the Silicon Desert. Materials Research Corp., 3821 E. Broadway, (602) 437-9035, distributes the manufacturing equipment to electronic chip makers throughout the world, placing new sub-half-micron technology, development and manufacturing in a highly accessible and strategic location for our chip manufacturing partners, their president said.
  
  
• Materials Research Corporation, 3821 E. Broadway, (602) 437-9035, distributes the manufacturing equipment to electronic chip makers throughout the world, placing new sub-half-micron technology, development and manufacturing in a highly accessible and strategic location for our chip manufacturing partners, their president said.
  
  
• SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Phoenix semiconductor plant may be increased by additional plants, and discussions are under way. The Phoenix site was designed for the future possibility of doubling its space. About 500 people are expected to be employed. 1000 E. Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ (602) 867-6100.
  
  
• Varian Associates, nearly doubled its size of its Tempe Electronics Center and created 100 new jobs in addition to its local work force of 500. Varian Tempe has found demand in the contract market making electronic assemblies and complete systems for other companies. 615 S. River Road, Tempe, AZ 85281-3024 (602) 968-6790 (602) 894-5381 Fax
  
  
• Olin Corporation, The growing ranks of microelectronic manufacturing companies in the Valley attracted a major supplier to build a $30M plant in Mesa. The company is the producer of chemicals used in the manufacturing of electronic chips. The new plant will have 3 to 4 times the production capabilities of the Chandler plant. 2873 N. Nevada St., Chandler, AZ 85225-1213 (602) 926-2020 (602)892-6122 Fax Employs 275 New: 6550 S. Mountain Road, Mesa, (602) 988-9000
  
  
• Insight Their business is direct marketing of computer products, employing 600, located at: 1912 W. Fourth St., Tempe, AZ 85281-2491, (602) 902-1000, (602) 829-9193 Fax. Founded in 1986 by two brothers with a credit card, the company has now gone public. Insight has plans to build a $6 million building and hire at least 200 people, some in training, sales support and marketing.
  
  
• Avnet, A New York-based electronic component distributor, moved to a 120,000 sq. ft. building in Chandler. The company, which had sales of $3.5 billion last year, increases its corporate presence here, and with this relocation, and will bring 400 to 1,000 high-level jobs and would make Avnet the largest company headquartered in Arizona. Avnet has eight locations in the Valley. 1626 S. Edward Drive, Tempe, AZ (602) 902-4500.
  
  
• TRW Automotive, moved 1200 positions from Michigan to manufacture auto air bags in Mesa.
  
  
• Ancillary suppliers, 12 million lbs. of steel went into Intel Corporation's new chip plant in Chandler - primarily in the form of giant trusses made by Phoenix-based Schuff Steel, Incorporated. Schuff currently is working on 12 jobs in Arizona alone. It's like the food chain, Arizona Association of Industries said. "When the big companies are adding hundreds of jobs, suppliers do nothing but expand. Schuff Steel, Incorporated, 420 S. 19th Avenue, (602) 252-7787.
  
  
• Motorola Corporation, Give us an M. Give us a U. What does that stand for? Motorola University! Dr. Thomas Lorig is a man who likes getting out of bed in the morning to go to work. Why shouldn't he? He works in a classy environment offering panoramic views of the Arizona landscape. He interacts with lots of smart, creative people. He's the corporate vice president and director of the 100,000 sq.ft. Motorola University West. It is designed for continuing education needs of the 20,000 people employed by the company's business units in the Valley. All employees are required to take 40 hours a year of continuing education classes, and many of them take more than that.
  
  
• Honeywell, Incorporated, An impressive video illustrating an impressive landing and takeoff advance - a satellite-based "global positioning system" that communicates with an airplane's electronics, practically allowing the plane to fly itself, has been released by Honeywell, Incorporated. Partly manufactured in Phoenix, the system is just beginning to reach airports, where Honeywell officials believe it will revolutionize air-traffic control.
  
  "It is as significant as the jet engine," said Mesiti, the director of business development for the Business and Commuter Aviation Systems division of Honeywell. When the global positioning system becomes common, it will replace the instrument landing system that has been used for decades. Not only is the satellite system more accurate than the instrument landing system, or ILS, it is much less expensive.
  
  
• NovaLynx International, Limited of Tempe. Zhu Quan and Huang Qing Quan sit at a computer screen that maps weather patterns, a system made by NovaLynx. The Chinese have more than a passing interest - about 4,300 Chinese were killed in summer floods last year, raising the urgency for improving weather-forecasting and flood control programs.
  
  
• Sitex of Phoenix, is owned by Sumitomo Sitix, a Japan-based silicon wafer manufacturer. Sitex is building a new $400 million North Phoenix plant and will be their largest investment to date outside of Japan. Although they are building on a 100-acre property, it will have a 40-acre impact, preserving the desert vegetation and building a campus-like environment. Now hiring Process Engineers, Production Supervisors, Process Technicians and Maintenance Technicians. Call 1-800-307-4849
  
  
• Magnet for firms in medical fields - Anchored by the Mayo Clinic to the east and the recently announced Mayo Hospital to the west, the northeast Valley is emerging as a have for biomedical companies, Mayo's recent decision to build an $80 million hospital on 210 acres came on the heels of an announcement by St. Jude's Medical Corp. plans for a $20 million pacemaker manufacturing facility at Scottsdale's Perimeter Center. It said it was drawn to the area because it perceives it developing as a center for high-tech medical companies.
  
  
• Other medical-related companies, such as Cygnus Instruments, Stockwell Scientific and Royaline Ind. Have moved into the Scottsdale Airpark. Among the early contributors to the synergy is PCS Health Systems, 9501 E. Scottsdale Rd., 85258. (602) 391-4600. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co., administers prescription drug benefit programs throughout the nation. It employs about 1,500 people in Scottsdale.
  
  
• Hollywood moved one step closer to Arizona with the announcement that a major production facility for movies, television shows and commercials will be built in the east Valley. Copperhead Studios will be built on 453 acres at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, a mile off US 60, east of Apache Junction. The project will feature four major sound states for film production, smaller ones for TV shows, a back lot, a hotel and spa, an amphitheater and facilities for public tours.
  
  
• AlliedSignal began construction on a $20 million complex in Tempe, which will hold administrators and engineers involved in the company's military programs, primarily helicopter and turboprop engines.
  
  
• Cerprobe Corp. 600 S. Rockford Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281-3022 (602) 967-7885 (602) 967-7758 Fax, is teaming with the multibillion-dollar Sematech manufacturing consortium to develop test devices for increasingly smaller computer chips. The company said it was selected for the consortium's advanced peripheral-probe technology project to ensure that next-generation probe cards exist for Sematech's 10 member companies, which include Motorola, Intel, IBM and Texas Instruments, among others. Cerprobe currently employs 175 people.
  
  
• High-tech companies in need of engineers - companies around the state are scrambling to find qualified engineers to fill the rapidly increasing number of jobs. Chandler-based Speedfam Corp., a subsidiary of Speedfam International, has positions open. Most of the need for additional staff is fueled by the company's growth in chemical, mechanical polishing of the wafers used in making microchips. Applicants for jobs may call Jim Hodge at (602) 961-5627 or send resumes to 7406 W. Detroit, Chandler 85226.
  
  
• PRI Automation also is looking to expand its Phoenix office. The company makes robotic systems used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
  
  
• IPEC Westech will invest about $12 million to complete construction of its new building in Phoenix and will hire 100 new employees. IPEC Westech manufactures machines that polish semiconductor wafers. IPEC Westech employs about 500 people spread out over seven buildings in the Valley. 3502 E. Atlanta Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85040-2847 (602) 276-4261 (602) 268-8807 Fax
  
  

If these positions are filled when you call, let me know.
I'll send you a list of other possible employers in this field.

• Microchip Technology plans a $1 billion expansion. The semiconductor chips keep falling into Chandler's economy. Microchip Technology announced plans for a $1 billion expansion that is expected to add 2,000 jobs. Founded in 1989, Microchip is a supplier of field programmable 8-bit microcontrollers and related specialty memory products for high-volume embedded control applications.
  
  
• It's the second billion-dollar expansion of semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the east Valley city. Construction is under way on Intel's $1.3 billion Fab 12 site in southern Chandler. The Intel facility also will employ about 2,000 people.
  
  
• Unitech presence growing in Valley. Four years ago, Scottsdale-based cellular phone batter maker Unitech had 25 employees. Today the company employs 275 people in five Valley locations, and is building a 65,000 sq.ft. headquarters on 7+ acres in the Scottsdale Airpark. Unitech also employs 22 engineers who can devise batteries, chargers or acc4essories to meet specialized needs. "You can sit down and draw it on a dinner napkin, and we can provide a turn-key product, said Tony Collura, vice president of finance. 15035 N. 75th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85260-2447 (602) 991-7626 (602) 991-8869 Fax
  
  
• Green industry booms. Landscaping and greenhouse-related businesses make up one of the most rapidly growing sectors in the state. The green industry includes firms involved in the production, design, installation, maintenance and sale of plant products to enhance the environment. Since 1974, the industry has grown 4.5 times in terms of employment, with more than 13,130 industry jobs in 1994.
  
  
• Sicom opens doors to wireless secrets. Removal of the government military taboos and $4.2 million in equity funding has opened the door to products including a wireless modem that runs 5,400 times faster than those on the market today, a wireless computer network for businesses, and a wireless video-conferencing system. Sicom will be a supplier rather than a competitor of companies such as Cox Communications, which are in a rush to bring additional wireless technology to the Valley.
  Another product in Sicom's future is based on a high-tech radio originally built for the military. It will allow companies to have a wireless network of computers spread over their campus. 7585 E. Redfield Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85260-6936 (602) 483-2867 (602) 483-7986 Fax
  
  
• InteSys has completed its $8 million expansion at its Gilbert headquarters. In the past year, the company has grown from 850 employees to 1,200 employees The 23-year old company has been growing at 30% annually since 1990. InteSys designs and manufactures injection-molded plastic parts. Some of its products include components for cellular phones such as the battery packs. The company also purchased 17 acres of land on both sides of its 26-acre campus to allow for future expansion. 1300 N. Fiesta Blvd., Gilbert, AZ 85234-8389 (602) 497-1401 (602) 497-7000 Fax
  
  
• Durel is the maker of the indigo blue light shining from the Timex watch strapped to your wrist. They develop electroluminescent light for commercial and automotive uses. It ranks as the second fastest growing technology company on the AZTech '95 list of the top 50 fastest fowing high-tech firms. Formed in 1988, the company is a joint venture between 3M and Rogers Corp. 2225 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, AZ 85224-6155 (602) 917-6000 (602) 917-6049 Fax
  
  
• Almost from the start, the stars were in Arizona's favor in pursuing a world-class, $129 million satellite center. MCI Corp. and Rupert Murdock's News Corp. announced that a site near Guadalupe and Cooper Roads in Gilbert will the home of a satellite and data uplink facility that is being billed as the largest and most sophisticated television-broadcast facility in the world. American Sky Broadcasting or ASkyB, is scheduled to begin broadcasting more than 300 channels of television programming, plus virtually unlimited quantities of data to businesses in late 1997.
  
  
• Manufacturing operations, such as Spectrum Astro, 1440 N. Fiesta Blvd, Gilbert, AZ 85233 (602) 892-8200 and Materials Research, 2120 W. Guadalupe Rd., Gilbert, AZ (602) 437-9035 are also expanding and adding jobs.
  
  
• Chase Credit Center has started to hire 500-700 after the company's merger with Chemical Bank. The processing center is hiring for back-office, telemarketing and data-processing jobs. The Tempe facility is located at 100 W. University Drive. Anyone interested in applying for jobs with Chase can call (602) 902-6000 for information.
  
  
• Several other credit-card operations in the Valley, including Sears' Discovery Card unit, Dillard's National Bank and Bank One, also are hiring.
  
  
• Avnet... The company, which had sales of $3.5 billion last year, increased its corporate presence here, and with its new relocations, will bring 400 to 1,000 high-level jobs and make Avnet the largest company headquartered in Arizona. Avnet has ten locations in the Valley. 1626 S. Edward Dr., Tempe, (602) 902-4500. Most of Avnet's growth in the Valley has come from jobs shifted from the Los Angeles area. Its employee base in Los Angeles has shrunk to about 300 from 1,200 in 1986, with many of those positions coming to Phoenix.
  
  Chandler is home to Avnet's biggest distribution site, a 202,000-sq-ft electronic components and semiconductor parts facility at Ray Road and Interstate 10. Just a block away on Detroit Street is a 120,000 sq.ft. distribution site for its computer-parts business. That site is expanding by 60,000 sq. ft.
  
  The Great Neck, N.Y.-based company, which opened its first Valley site 10 years ago in Chandler, recently signed a lease for 35,000 sq. ft. of office space near Sky Harbor International Airport to house its president and other top executives moving here.
  
  The number of Avnet employees in the Valley has grown from a few hundred to more than 1,800, and plans are for that growth to continue.
  
  

If you would like a list of the 50 fastest-growing high-tech firms,
just send me an e-mail message or call (800) 863-2971.

• EFData employment has blossomed from fewer than 200 in 1993 to more than 650 people today. To accommodate the increase, EFData is in the process of building a $4 million facility that will be located on its Tempe campus.
  
  
• Hypercom's timing "credited" for growth. America's love of credit cards must make the leaders at Hypercom smile. Based in Phoenix, they manufacturer network access controllers and point of sale equipment, such as credit, debit and charge authorization terminals, printers and input pads. Hypercom employs about 300 in the Valley. Once their expansion in progress now is complete, employment should grow by 80 to 100.
  
  
• State honored for work with female entrepreneurs. Arizona's many programs for female entrepreneurs has helped its reputation as a strong supporter of female-owned businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration bolstered that reputation when they presented the state with the first annual Albee Award, honoring Arizona for playing a vital role in helping women fulfill their dreams of business ownership.
  
  
• Excell Agent Services has opened for business and put out a call for workers. The company designs and manages incoming calling operations for other companies in the telecommunications and service industries. They will be adding 850 jobs in Tempe. Excell will employ some 3,000 people Valleywide, with one in Mesa and another in Phoenix. For more information, call (602) 808-0008.
  
  

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