Eric’s Family Barbecue

Panaderia La Central is baking cakes for couple after a popular Valley bakery abruptly closed. Micaela Marshall reports.

The world of advanced technology and innovation is an exciting one, one that affords entrepreneurs the ability to find their niche, follow their passions, and create global solutions for the greater good. Some cities breed such creatives. Others create the perfect envi ronment to bring their ideas to life.
Avondale, Arizona is doing both.

Located in one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation and situated within the booming Phoenix Metro region, Avon-dale sits at the center of it all-geographi cally, economically, and technologically.
What makes Avondale uniquely

positioned to become the next big tech hub? The answer lies in its combination of infrastructure, talent, accessibility, and vision. It has all the elements tech companies are looking for-land ready for development, a deep talent pool, a future-focused educational ecosystem, and a lifestyle that attracts and retains top-tier professionals

At the heart of this momentum is Avondale Tech Park, a premier location for high-tech businesses. Situated less than a half mile from Interstate 10, this park offers unparalleled accessibility-connecting goods, people, and ideas across the coun-try with ease. It’s more than just a conve nient location, it’s a gateway to growth.

With over 2.5 million skilled workers in the surrounding trade area, busi-nesses won’t just find shovel-ready sites they’ll find people ready to make an impact. Ushering in the next era of tech talent are institutions like Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), located right in Avondale’s backyard.
EMCC’s groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Cer-tificate Program is the first of its kind in the nation. Partnering with Intel, the certificate goes hand-in-hand with the Al Learning Lab, a state-of-the-art facility that provides hands-on learning for the students. Combined with EMCC’s Micro-
soft Datacenter Academy, this academic ecosystem is at the forefront of building the next generation of Al talent.

Avondale also benefits from proxim-ity to semiconductor giants like TSMC and Intel, anchoring the region’s status as a global leader in advanced manu-facturing and microchip innovation. With these companies just miles away, and easily accessible through Avondale’s proximity to major traffic corridors, the opportunities for supply chain part-nerships, workforce synergies, and tech clustering are limitless.
But it’s not just about technical training and strategic partners-it’s about quality of life. Avondale is home to The BLVD, a dynamic mixed-use district offering restaurants, retail, enter-tainment, and residential living. Add to that beautiful, modern commercial buildings in the Tech Park-designed with amenities employees love and it’s clear Avondale is building not just for business, but for people.

For companies looking to be part of the next wave of innovation, Avondale offers a simple promise: Build it here, and they will come. With land to grow, talent to hire, education to sustain inno-vation, and infrastructure to connect globally-Avondale is not an emerging player. It’s a rising powerhouse.
When it comes to innovation, Avon-dale is truly at the center of it all. The future for tech starts here.
Visit www.avondaleecdev.com for more information.

Blueprints Capital and Whitten Development are leading the mixed-use project envisioned as a high-quality restaurant, retail and entertainment hub to serve as a gateway into the city.

The 38-acre development is poised to attract users in key industries like defense contracting, pharmaceutical development and semiconductor manufacturing.

City officials have approved amendments to Avondale’s Hermosa Ranch tech campus project, adjusting plans for both retail and data center components.