In February 2020, mere weeks before COVID brought the nation to a near halt, the University of Arizona broke ground on their Tech Park at The Bridges, a 350-acre multi-use development in southern Tucson for technology companies and the university community. The complex is intersected with roads like âCatalyst Driveâ and âInnovative Street,â and though 2020 was a strenuous year for the university system, their alignment to those ideals means The Bridgesâ development remains on track.Â
Tech Parks Arizona operates interactive grounds for technology companies and university talent to collaborate and advance research. Beyond the new park The Bridges, they also operate the UA Tech Park at Rita Road and the UA Center for Innovation. These parks work to recruit companies and startups with connections to the UA to locate at their facilities. Though COVID turned many industries on their head, 2020 remained an efficient year for them.Â
Todd and Sherry Martin are the owners of Tucson Tamale Company. Since opening a restaurant in 2008, the Martins have built the company into an enterprise thatâs on target to make more than 6,000,000 tamales this year. The company has two restaurants in Tucson but has grown into a wholesale company that sells tamales in more than 3,500 grocery stores and specialty shops across the country. The tamales have become the No. 3 seller among natural brands in the frozen burrito category. (There is no frozen tamale category, so they get lumped in with the burritos.) Tucson Tamale Company has recently partnered with Diamond Ventures to purchase the Malone Meat and Poultry facility in South Tucson, where they intend to expand their operation and expanding their staff to 50 employees.