Why Republic Services Joined the Workplace-to-Workforce Employer Club

Original Article via Phoenix Business Journal  | Eric Jay Toll

Republic Services is the third major Valley employer in the last 16 months to expand into the East Valley to bring its workplace closer to the workforce.

Joe Burkel, senior vice president of customer experience for Phoenix-based Republic (NYSE: RSG), exclusively told the Phoenix Business Journal the company wanted to open its new state of the art facility at 2525 W. Frye Road in Chandler because of proximity to a qualified workforce.

“Chandler has a high concentration of workers with (advanced business service) experience,” he said. “It’s what Republic Services needs for our customer resource center.”

CVS Caremark and Charles Schwab are two other employers with major Valley presences that expanded by opening locations in opposite ends of the Valley from their corporate campuses. CVS moved into 120,000 square feet in Chandler’s Price Corridor and Schwab added a technology division at its south Phoenix campus.

“We’re seeing companies looking to expand into the East Valley, because they want to be closer to a strong workforce,” said John Lewis, president and CEO of East Valley Partnership. “This is a win-win situation for a company already in the Valley, because we have a large workforce (in the East Valley) and the company can retain its other Valley location.”

The split location is a shift away from companies opening large single site locations because today’s workers want to spend less time commuting. GoDaddy is another company with workforce-sited workplaces. It has major presences at its Scottsdale headquarters, the Arizona State University Research Park in Tempe and a facility in the southeast Valley in Gilbert.

“Financial services is one of our strengths, so for a company (like Republic), the East Valley is a natural location,” Lewis said. “Workers’ quality of life is enhanced being able to find a quality job close to home. It’s a plus for the community and for the company.”

The customer resource jobs Republic is bringing to Chandler are reflective of the types of advanced business service jobs flourishing in the Southeast Valley.

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