NN, Inc. recently announced that it will close Whirlaway Corporation, the company's Tempe-based metals manufacturing facility, in a move that will result in the loss of 130 jobs. According to an article by the Phoenix Business Journal, those workers will be offered severance payments, continuation of benefits and outplacement assistance from an unnamed company.

Tennessee-based NN, Inc. acquired its Tempe facility when the company purchased Whirlaway Corporation in 2006. The current condition of the economy, along with NN, Inc.'s long-term manufacturing strategy for Whirlaway, prompted the company to consolidate its manufacturing resources in Ohio.

Whirlaway, which had sales of about $12 million last year, produces high-precision metal products, including fluid control components, assemblies and shafts. NN, Inc., which had sales of $425 million during 2008, manufactures high precision metal bearing components, industrial plastic products, rubber products and precision metal components.

Although Arizona's overall economy has been improving, and the manufacturing industry has managed to add jobs on a monthly basis as of late, a significant amount of workers in the industry have been lost from year-to-year.

The state's manufacturing industry employed 161,300 workers during November 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 160,300 workers during October, but a 6.7 percent decrease from November 2008.

During November, Arizona's unemployment rate decreased from 9.3 percent to 8.9 percent, following an increase from 9.1 percent during October. The recent decrease places the state's current unemployment rate lower than the national rate of 10 percent.

Arizona had a total non-farm employment of 2,415,300 workers during November, up from 2,411,000 workers during October, but a 5.6 percent decrease from the previous year.

Abraxis Health, the healthcare division of Abraxis BioScience Inc., recently opened a $70 million biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Phoenix. That plant is expected to create up to 200 high-tech jobs. Abraxis manufactures a chemotherapy drug that uses nanoparticles.

Abraxis is known for manufacturing Abraxane, which has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 38 other countries for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. The drug is now in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of pancreatic, melanoma and lung cancer.

The company's new facility has the capacity to produce more than 10 million units of Abraxane and that number could eventually be expanded to 20 million units, which is enough for global distribution. Overall, the new plant could end up being a $100 million investment.

Abraxis has had a presence in Arizona for the last few years. During 2007, the company purchased the former Phoenix site of Watson Pharmaceuticals. During 2008, the company invested $15 million into Catapult Bio, a non-profit philanthropic organization that grants funding to help commercialize late-stage discovery research. That company requires that any expansions be done in Arizona.

"What could have been a major failure, the closing of the Watson facility, has actually turned into a big win," Robert Green, president and CEO of the Arizona BioIndustry Association, told Bizjournals. "The landing of a firm as prestigious as Abraxis surely gets noticed in the industry and helps build our international reputation. Our job now is to welcome the staff and ensure they are integrated into our community."

W.L. Gore & Associates recently announced that it will seek approval from the City of Phoenix for up to $30 million in bonds to help finance the company's local expansion. The project would create 1,800 construction jobs during the next two years and 500 permanent jobs with the company.

According to an article by The Arizona Republic, available jobs at the new manufacturing facility will include positions in research and development, engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance, marketing, technical oversight and management.

The Phoenix Industrial Development Authority already pre-approved up to $30 million in recovery-zone bonds for the project and could give final approval by the end of the year. However, the Phoenix City Council also must approve the project before the bonds can be used, which are part of Arizona's share of $130 million in recovery-zone bonds from the federal stimulus.

Gore, a Delaware-based company that manufactures medical products, has a main base in Flagstaff, Ariz., that employs more than 1,500 workers. The Phoenix expansion project, which would house the company in two 100,000-square-foot buildings, is expected to cost about $100 million.

The new construction jobs would be a welcome addition to the construction industry in Phoenix, which has taken a big hit amidst the current economic recession.

The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area's construction industry employed 102,300 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 103,400 workers during August and a 25.5 percent decrease from last year.

Becker's Hospital Review recently released its list of the 10 best hospitals in America for 2009. The organizations included in the list are leaders in quality care and innovation. Most have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Thomson Reuters, HealthGrades, The Leapfrog Group, their local communities and other industry associations.

BHR stated that the 38-year-old University Medical Center Tucson made the list because it consistently pushes the quality envelope in many directions. The hospital, which has 355 beds, is part of the Arizona Health Sciences Center, which is located near the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health.

Although the medical center was part of the university when it was founded in 1971, it is now a separate, non-profit organization that keeps strong ties with the university. UMC Tucson is Arizona's only academic health sciences center. It also has a presence on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

The hospital oversees a large, high-tech research enterprise that recently developed a two-drug therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent colorectal polyps. It also is home to Andrew Weil, MD, who is known for founding integrative medicine and preferring botanical medicines to prescription drugs.

UMC Tucson barely placed in U.S. News' 2009 specialty rankings, which focus on long-established university centers. However, Thomson Reuters, whose rankings focus on objective measures, this year recognized UMC Tucson on its list of Top Hospitals, naming the hospital as one of only 15 major teaching institutions and giving it the elite Everest Award, which is meant for the top 25 hospitals on the list.

This year, UMC Tucson also won the University HealthSystem Consortium's Quality Leadership Award and the Consumer Choice Award for the region from the National Research Corporation, as well as the Magnet Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2003.

Other hospitals on BHR's list include:

• Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C.
• Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore
• Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa.
• Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
• Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
• NYU Langone Medical Center in New York
• Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles
• University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

As of the end of September, a total of $139 million in contracts had helped to create or save about 657 jobs in Arizona. While that may seem like a large number, naysayers think it is only a small number compared to the total number of jobs the stimulus is expected to create throughout the state.

Overall, Arizona is expected to receive about $14.6 billion in federal stimulus money, but so far the state has only seen about 1 percent of that.

According to an article by The Arizona Republic, more than $6 billion has been earmarked for state and local governments in Arizona. So far, money has gone to federal agencies and private businesses as well as state and local governments.

One reason why Arizona has only seen a small percentage of its expected total from the stimulus is the fact that half of the federal work slated throughout the state has yet to begin. In addition, firms in Arizona have another $32 million in stimulus contracts for work outside the state, but most of that work is still in early planning stages.

Two projects have accounted for almost half of the jobs created or saved in Arizona, including the Tres Rios Wetlands-restoration project in Tolleson and the construction of 14 new homes for the poor and elderly on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation in Tucson.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Arizona has lost 268,000 jobs since the recession began in December 2007.

President Barack Obama has estimated that the stimulus could help create or save 70,000 jobs in Arizona, including indirect benefits from provisions such as tax cuts and extended unemployment benefits.

White House officials recently reported that the stimulus has created or saved anywhere from 600,000 jobs to 1.5 million jobs throughout the country.

During September, the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area saw its unemployment rate stay steady at 8.6 percent, unchanged from August and a slight decrease from the area's 8.7 percent unemployment rate during July. The current rate also is lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 1,708,800 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,700,500 workers during August, but an 8 percent decrease from last year.

Three industries saw an increase in employment on a monthly basis, including education and health services by 1,100 jobs, other services by 200 jobs and government by 15,100 jobs. The mining and logging industry employed 3,100 workers, the same as during August.

No industries managed to add jobs on a yearly basis. The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year, employing 102,300 workers during September, which is down from 103,400 workers during August and a 25.5 percent decrease from last year. The next biggest yearly employment decline came in the mining and logging industry, which lost 20.5 percent of its jobs when compared to last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• manufacturing by 8 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 8.1 percent
• information by 5.3 percent
• financial activities by 6.5 percent
• professional and business services by 11.7 percent
• education and health services by 1 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 2.8 percent
• other services by 6.6 percent
• government by 5 percent

Gov. Jan Brewer recently announced that 15 school districts throughout the state will receive federal stimulus funding for solar energy projects through the Solar on Schools initiative. The funding is part of the $55,447,000 awarded to the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office through the State Energy Program.

The grants, which will provide more than $5 million to procure photovoltaic systems for qualifying school districts, will be managed by the School Facilities Board. The current round of funding includes $2.6 million.

"These projects help our schools make energy-related investments for Arizona’s future," Brewer said. "They will generate clean energy and green jobs, reduce energy costs, and help keep more money in classrooms to educate our state’s children. It’s a priority for my administration in everything we do.”

The SFB has recommended that the solar program be based around smaller schools so it can have a bigger impact and cover more schools. In order to receive funding, school districts had to apply through a competitive grant process.

The following schools were chosen to receive funding:

• Apache Elementary
• Blue Elementary
• Bouse Elementary
• Graham County Special Services
• Hillside Elementary
• Navajo County Accommodation
• Owens-Whitney Elementary
• Paloma Elementary
• San Fernando Elementary
• Sentinel Elementary
• Skull Valley Elementary
• Tonto Basin Elementary
• Vernon Elementary
• Yavapai Accommodation
• Yucca Elementary

"The awards being made today are the first wave of solar grants," SFB Director John Arnold said. "The SFB anticipates that additional school districts will be awarded at next month’s board meeting on November 4, 2009."

"The ARRA grant for Solar on Schools will save the districts money that will continue for years into the future,” ADOCEO Director Jim Arwood said. “Not only do they help generate utility cost savings, these systems are hands-on science experiments for our children and will serve to teach the entire community about the promising future of solar energy.”