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LA Times: Is Austin, Texas, Becoming the Next Silicon Valley?

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WASHINGTON — When Tesla announced last fall that it was moving its corporate headquarters from California to Texas, officials in Sacramento seemed more surprised than concerned.
After all, Tesla was expanding its sprawling Fremont, Calif., assembly plant, which already employs thousands of people. It’s building a battery factory in the Northern California town of Lathrop.

And real estate brokers say the company is leasing more office space in Palo Alto, where its corporate headquarters had been located since 2009. Tesla was founded in nearby San Carlos in 2003.

Yet the decision by the electric vehicle pioneer’s chief executive, Elon Musk, to move Tesla’s headquarters to the Texas state capital of Austin may signal gathering clouds on the horizon of California’s economic future.

Musk, in his characteristically flamboyant style, said its Texas operations could scale up to 20,000 employees. Its Austin-area factory has the potential to produce three times as many vehicles as the Fremont facility, said Ives of Wedbush.

Over the next 18 to 24 months, Ives said, Tesla is likely to move the R&D and design operations now in Palo Alto to Austin.

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Arizona Online ranked No. 7 in nation, No. 4 for vets by US News & World Report

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In its seventh year of operation and sixth year of rankings eligibility, Arizona Online scored its second consecutive top-10 finish among the best online bachelor’s degree programs, ranking tied for No. 7 out of 361 ranked programs overall and tied for No. 6 among public universities. Arizona Online’s overall score of 95 out of a possible 100 is the university’s best score to date in these rankings.

Arizona Online also earned a No. 4 ranking overall (No. 3 among public universities) for its bachelor’s program offerings for veterans, a one-spot jump from last year and a four-position increase from 2020.

“The University of Arizona strives to provide top-notch educational opportunities for all students throughout the world,” said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. “Our consistently excellent performance in these rankings confirms our place among the nation’s best online education providers and exemplifies our longstanding commitment to educational flexibility and accessibility.”

all USNWR rankings graphic
The Eller College of Management’s MBA program, offered through Arizona Online, rose three spots in the rankings, tying for No. 7 overall and tying for No. 6 among public universities. Arizona Online ranked No. 5 overall in the best online MBA programs for veterans and tied for No. 8 overall in business. Arizona Online also scored strong marks in the business subspecialties of business analytics (tied for No. 6), marketing (tied for No. 10), general management (tied for No. 11) and finance (tied for No. 15).

Arizona Online’s information technology graduate programs – which include information systems, computer science, computer engineering and software engineering – tied for No. 5 overall and were ranked No. 2 among public universities and No. 2 for veterans. These programs are offered through the Eller College of Management, the College of Science and the College of Engineering.

The following Arizona Online programs also performed well:

Master’s in nursing (No. 29 overall and tied for No. 5 for veterans)
Psychology (tied for No. 11 overall)
Engineering (tied for No. 30 overall and tied for No. 20 for veterans)
Master’s in education (No. 41 overall – a five-spot jump from last year – and tied for No. 20 overall in the educational administration and supervision subspecialty)
“It is incredible to witness the growth of Arizona Online over these last seven years,” said Liesl Folks, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Our top priority is to provide all of our students with quality education and keep the building of meaningful relationships with our students at the forefront of the Arizona Online experience.”

In fall 2021, Arizona Online enrolled more than 7,300 students in undergraduate and graduate programs – an increase of more than 1,000 students from the previous year. Many Arizona Online students are adults who work full time, parents who seek the flexibility of online courses or active military personnel who require the ability to study from wherever they are stationed or deployed.

According to a June 2020 survey of Arizona Online students, 93% of students would recommend Arizona Online to others.

“We are delighted to be recognized once again by U.S. News & World Report as a leader and an innovator in providing high-quality online learning experiences to our students,” said Craig Wilson, vice provost for online, distance and continuing education. “Our sustained presence in these rankings is a testament to our talented and hard-working students and faculty. I am proud of the Arizona Online team that consistently embraces challenges associated with providing our students a solid education in a world environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.”

U.S. News & World Report ranks programs based on student engagement, student services and technology, faculty credentials and training, and expert opinion.

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Tucson Tamale adds nearly 14,000 square feet to production footprint with opening of second facility

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Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Tamale, a Tucson-based company which makes hand-made, premium, healthy tamales for local sale and national distribution, today announced the opening of its second production facility to meet the growing demand for its award-winning tamales. The new 13,671 square foot facility is located at 102 W. 29th Street in South Tucson. The company’s other facility, which opened near W. Grant Road in 2015, will continue to operate, and the two locations together are expected to produce 10 million tamales next year.

In February of this year, Tucson Tamale and Diamond Ventures, both locally-owned Tucson companies, partnered in the purchase and renovation of the building which most recently housed Malone Meat and Poultry. The repurposing of this vacant food processing plant will continue the revitalization that is occurring in the region’s urban core.

“It is amazing to realize how far we have come since 2008, from that magical 1,000 square foot storefront on Broadway to having over 28,000 square feet of production and warehouse space today,” said Sherry Martin, co-founder of Tucson Tamale. “Our tamales are sold in 4,000 grocery stores in all 50 states, and we spread the tamale love by shipping our tamales to individuals and households as gifts as well as through recurring subscriptions. They are a great gift any time of year – but especially as we enter this holiday season. We are so proud that our tamales have become national food ambassadors for Tucson and our shared pride as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.”

Todd Martin, co-founder of Tucson Tamale, added, “Our company’s success is defined by our great employees, suppliers, wholesale clients and loyal tamale lovers everywhere. The opportunity to collaborate with the City of South Tucson, and a local team led by Diamond Ventures, an experienced and highly respected developer, has been a great experience for all of us.”

Bill Kelley, chief financial officer at Diamond Ventures, noted, “We are pleased and excited to be a part of Tucson Tamale’s expansion in South Tucson. Working with the city has been great. This kind of project is what we do, and Diamond Ventures looks forward to continued opportunities to work on local business expansion as our regional economy recovers.”

In addition to the two production facilities that will collectively employ about 50 people, the company will continue to operate its two local restaurants and marketplaces, located at 7159 E. Tanque Verde Road and 7286 N. Oracle Road.

Tucson Tamale and Diamond Ventures celebrated the opening of the new facility at a special event last night. The event honored the community partnerships that made the expansion possible and highlighted the manufacturing technology in the new facility.