Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies, is the first corporate tenant at the new UA Tech Park at the Bridges, leasing approximately 14,000 square feet of office space just minutes away from the University of Arizona (UA) main campus. The park’s offerings extend beyond bricks and mortar boundaries to provide customized business development support that ensures companies are plugged into the resources of the University of Arizona.
The expansion makes Raytheon the newest addition to the first multitenant building called The Refinery, moving in alongside several University of Arizona units. The four-story building sits near the southern edge of the 65-acre UA Tech Park at The Bridges – near East 36th Street and South Kino Parkway – within the larger, 350-acre, multi-use development, which also includes residential and retail development in central Tucson.
The building's name emphasizes its proximity to the talent and sharp minds that can be mined from the University of Arizona. This unique opportunity allows leading-edge technology companies to recruit the best and brightest, which in turn provides graduates with engaging employment and students with hands-on internships.
The UA Tech Park at the Bridges is directed by Tech Parks Arizona, which also manages the flagship UA Tech Park at Rita Road and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation UA’s startup incubator network for science and tech based startups.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a world leader in aerospace and defense, is a longstanding partner with the University of Arizona through its workforce, innovation and technology initiatives. The company also is one of the largest tenants at the UA Tech Park at Rita Road since establishing its operations there in 1993. The well-established park has served as an ideal business location for Raytheon for years, and the same world-class team is invested in its success at the new location.
“The Refinery provides us the much needed space where we can continue to collaborate with our university partners and government agencies to develop next-generation technology,” said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “It will also help us continue to develop the local workforce for future careers in aerospace and enable us to expand are our research due to the proximity to the University of Arizona’s engineering facilities.”
Raytheon Missiles & Defense hires a record number of University of Arizona graduates at all skill levels, with an emphasis on engineering and other higher-wage, technical positions. The company also has a strong internship program with many University of Arizona students benefiting from the mentorship and applied learning experience.
“Raytheon’s commitment to The Refinery is an extension of the robust relationship with the University of Arizona," said Carol Stewart, vice president for Tech Parks Arizona. "We purposefully built the UA Tech Park to facilitate university-industry interaction and create a sandbox for new technology advancement and economic prosperity. We have seen first-hand the regional benefits of the Raytheon and University relationship and it is exciting to see that relationship expand.”
The Refinery was built by development partner The Boyer Company in close coordination with Tech Parks Arizona and opened in 2022. The four-story building provides 120,000 square feet of Class A space, with 50% of the leasable space committed to the University of Arizona and the remainder of the Class A office space available for lease to businesses and organizations looking to co-locate with the University of Arizona’s expertise.
The Boyer Company is headquartered in Salt Lake City and maintains an office in Phoenix. The company is one of the largest full-service real estate development firms in the Western United States and currently has Arizona development projects in Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix and Tucson.
“We have seen great interest in The Refinery because of the unique opportunity for companies to work closely with the University of Arizona community,” said Matt Jensen, a partner with The Boyer Company. “We are currently planning the next phase of development with additional multitenant buildings onsite so we can expand the unique offerings that this property holds. “