Jordan Schnitzer

BizTUCSONApril 19, 2026

2 minutes read

President & Chief Executive Officer
Schnitzer Properties

What opportunities do you see for your business here in the next several years?

I have watched Tucson grow over the last 25 years. Approximately 10 years ago, I started buying industrial properties here. What excited me then is even more exciting now!

First, the friendliness of the business community. I have offices in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Las Vegas, San Diego, Tucson and Phoenix. When I’m asked which city is easiest to work in, I always rave about Tucson! The Chamber of Southern Arizona has a positive attitude and a desire to help bring businesses to Tucson, which results in additional tenants for our projects. A huge driving factor is the University of Arizona, a nationally outstanding university that contributes so much to the region. Aside from many graduates wanting to stay in the area, having world-class programs attracts students from across the country and world. The humanities employ hundreds of professors and adjunct professors who add to the community culture. The military bases alongside high-tech companies, like Raytheon, create an environment that’s worth our continuing investment for years to come!

What issues keep you up at night?

As a border community, Tucson has benefitted from the wonderful business relationship with companies in Mexico. We need legal migrants and a younger workforce to counter the declining birth rates in our country. This is not a political statement—this is an economic statement. What’s made our country great is legally accepting people from all over the world who want to work and eventually own their own businesses. What keeps me up at night is Tucson being very susceptible to immigration struggles and I hope we end up with a balanced program where we still legally welcome hardworking, family-oriented individuals who help Tucson, the state of Arizona and the country continue to flourish.

Are there any exciting updates in your industry or business you want to highlight?

We have two new industrial projects under construction, and we are modeling two other projects in Tucson. We bought 150 acres of prime industrial land for future developments. I look forward to continuing to serve the community by building warehouses for smaller, family-owned and regional businesses.

How can The Chamber help you going forward?

The Chamber of Southern Arizona is a role model for effectively bringing together private companies, government, educators and entrepreneurs. It helps existing businesses that want to grow and says, “We want you to be in Tucson!” It sounds so simple, but many cities have an anti-business attitude. What’s so confusing is that some politicians don’t realize that you need businesses because businesses employ people. When people are employed, they pay taxes. Without the taxes, cities cannot deliver services effectively. My hat is off to Tucson. We are honored to be part of the community.