A hybrid truck manufacturer, with the promise of over 2,000 jobs, is coming to Coolidge.
Originally slated for Buckeye, the million-square-foot Nikola Motor Company plant will now be located east of the Union Pacific Railroad, south of the Santa Rosa Canal, north of Houser Road and west of Vail Road in the City of Coolidge.
“Production model versions of Nikola’s world class hydrogen powered trucks will be unveiled for fleet testing early next year and Nikola’s Reckless all electric UTV is also being tested in conjunction with the U.S. military,” said Rick Miller, Coolidge City Manager.
“Nikola has decided to move our manufacturing plant from Buckeye, Arizona to Coolidge, Arizona. Both properties are just outside Phoenix. Coolidge had a shovel-ready 430-acre piece of property with the infrastructure already in place that will shave years off our construction time. We have customers like Anheuser-Busch and U.S. Xpress who are ready for their trucks, and with this move, we’ll be able to deliver much faster,” said Trevor Milton, CEO, Nikola Motor Company.
“The City of Coolidge, the Arizona Commerce Authority, Pinal County and Saint Holdings, LLC, worked with Nikola Motor Company to quickly identify a location in Coolidge for a manufacturing facility,” said Miller. “Nikola will invest $1 billion in a capital investment and bring 2,000 jobs to the region by 2025, when it has completed full buildout of the Coolidge facility and its nearly-completed Phoenix headquarters and research and development facility.”
“Arizona is a great place to do business. The Governor’s office and the City of Coolidge both were incredible to work with and helped us find a solution to getting up and running quicker. Ultimately, we have over 2,000 employees to hire and we had nowhere to put them. We needed a quicker path to manufacturing and Coolidge provided that for us with a property that was ready to go.”
Jackob Andersen of Saint Holdings, LLC, worked closely with the City of Coolidge a few years ago to put into place an extensive development agreement, annex and zone a 2,738-acre industrial mega-site adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad along Highway 87 between Houser Road and Selma Highway, according to Miller.
“Heavy industrial parcels ranging from 35 acres to over 1,200 acres are available which are currently being considered by other manufacturers. The proximity of the rail-served site to the new I-10/Hwy 87 Interchange, our regional labor force, and the innovative Central Arizona College leadership offering customized advanced manufacturing curriculum, have been key factors in getting the attention of these world class companies.”