Business View Civil and Municipal | June 2022

71 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 TOWN OF SAHUAR I TA , AR I ZONA companies have signed on to relocate their operations within the SAMTEC facility. Together, PowerPhotonic, an optical systems business, and Steel Jupiter, an R&D specialty coatings manufacturer, will take up approximately 27,000 square-feet of industrial space. “These contracts are exciting, because they’ll provide more employment opportunities for our residents,” says Mayor Murphy. “It all about quality of life. We’re making Sahuarita a place where people can live, work, and play all within their own community.” Of course, strong working partnerships are essential to Sahuarita’s continued success. According to Mayor Murphy, the mining company Freeport-McMoRan is a “great friend” of the be identified, but proper infrastructure must be created so developments are properly supported moving forward. Completed in 2020, the Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center (SAMTEC) is a successful example of what can be achieved when suitable infrastructure is in place. “SAMTEC is a 32,000-square-foot industrial facility owned and operated by the town,” explains Gonzalez. “It was built to address the lack of industrial real estate within our community.” Funding was secured through a $3 million- dollar Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant, as well as local fundraising efforts on behalf of the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation. Recently, two high-profile technology