Transit: Employment Outlook is Sky-High

By John Yantis, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Jan. 29–The merger of America West Airlines and US Airways resulted in more aviation jobs in the East Valley, and international shipping giant DHL continues to add to its presence here. Add the continual march of car dealers, and the area becomes a hotbed of transportation and logistics.

The airline merger in September left the Tempe company using the US Airways name but it is run by former America West executives. The combination resulted in the nation’s fifth largest airline.

In the last year, the carrier has added 260 jobs and a few hundred more are expected this year. In the fall, US Airways announced the consolidation that resulted in the leasing of two new Tempe buildings for 750 workers. The carrier will move into 148,000 square feet of space — about the size of three traditional grocery stores — in the Rio West Business Park at Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway. The space will be used for support functions including customer relations, accounting, purchasing, cargo sales and training. It is expected to open in March or April.

“We think we’re adding to Tempe alone about 1,000 jobs and some of those have already come over (from the old US Airways),” said airline spokesman Phil Gee.

Currently, the company employs 412 people in two buildings on 52nd Street in east Phoenix.

The buildings contain information technology functions, customer relations positions and US Airways Vacations.

There are 624 employees at its headquarters on Rio Salado Parkway in downtown Tempe and another 1,093 at its reservations center in east Phoenix.

The carrier employes more than 7,400 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

DHL, the Plantation, Fla.-based international and domestic shipper, continues to add employees in the East Valley. It now has 2,000 employees between its Scottsdale data center and a call center in Tempe, up nearly 500 from 2004.

The company added 4,000 square feet to its 24-hour data information center in north Scottsdale, one of three worldwide that manages and monitors all the company’s deliveries.

The East Valley continues to be a great place to sell cars with three chains employing about 1,500 people each.

Bloomfield, Mich.-based United Auto Group added 267 employees since last year. It opened two dealerships in Chandler, Lexus of Chandler and Mercedes Benz of Chandler.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based AutoNation employs 1,525 in the East Valley at 10 stores in Tempe, Scottsdale and Mesa. Gilbertbased Earnhardt Auto Centers employs 1,460 employees in eight East Valley locations, including Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Apache Junction.

The industry is expected to continue to grow this year as the Santan Motorplex in Gilbert takes shape.

In December, the Earnhardts said they would move their longtime Gilbert Hyundai business from Country Club Drive to the motorplex, the latest in a string of dealerships that have signed on at the 132-acre auto mall that will open this summer.

Earnhardt Hyundai is buying slightly more than 8 acres. Previously, Ford, Suzuki, Pontiac-Buick-GMC and Saturn announced plans to move into the auto mall.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

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