Sarah Frost
Chief Executive Officer
Banner – University Medical Center Tucson
Banner – University Medical Center South
If you were to be asked by a site selector, what is the best part of doing business in Tucson, what are the areas you would highlight?
The best part of doing business in Southern Arizona is our community and the existing infrastructure where education and innovation fuel the economy. Our community includes a top-ranked research university that works in partnership with two state-of-the-art academic medical centers, and both are committed to education and advanced training and learning. Our community also includes a diverse population, a beautiful stable climate and environment to work and play, the can-do attitude of our business and political leaders, and the shared commitment to keep focused on growth and flourishing economically and socially. This combination of elements has earned our community accolades such as being named the United States’ first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, being named as one of Time’s World’s Greatest Places, recognition as one of the top five areas for entrepreneurs, recognition in new technological markets, and the accolades keep coming which demonstrate endless possibilities for anyone looking to do business in Southern Arizona.
What are some of the emerging trends in your industry that could have an impact locally on site selectors looking at the Tucson region?
The healthcare industry is growing and needs to grow to be able to keep up with the patient care demands of our growing population. This growth represents opportunity. Some of the highest paying jobs are in healthcare and there is an abundance of business opportunities within healthcare tied to innovation and workforce development. This includes innovation in a variety of related fields including the bioscience field, diagnostic field, and medical device field. The partnership between the University of Arizona and Banner – Academic Medicine is a good example of how industry and education can create growth and industry opportunities. Banner and UArizona have joined together and have efforts aimed at addressing the physician shortage, ensuring patient care excellence, and expanding healthcare research and innovation. By leveraging our strengths and working together, we can meet consumer healthcare demand now and in the future, while also creating an educated workforce ready to advance the bioscience or healthcare industry.
Aside from the areas you would highlight to a site selector, what are you most optimistic about for the future economic development in the region?
The technological innovation that has transpired within the last decade has been impactful and gives me optimism for endless opportunities that can advance our economic development. For example, genomics and mRNA science can lead to cures for illnesses and is already creating a boom in novel therapy development as we all witnessed and experienced with the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare has gone digital, consumers have readily adapted to its use, and telemedicine is here to stay. Southern Arizona’s commitment to higher education, research, training and workforce development ensures a bright future for entrepreneurial industries willing to harness these innovations and establish or grow a business in Southern Arizona.
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