Union Bank is expanding from California to Arizona and is starting a new mortgage operations center in Tempe, beginning in June.
Mayor Mark Mitchell said the Tempe location for Union Bank has been seriously discussed in the last few months. The city worked with the Arizona Commerce Authority, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Gov. Jan Brewer's office to bring the new operations center to Tempe.
“(Union Bank is) going to be a great addition to our community,” he said.
He said the new mortgage operations center is expected to bring close to 250 job opportunities to Tempe.
“We are very excited to have them here,” Mitchell said. “It will bring employment here ... so it's a good sign for Tempe.”
Councilman Kolby Granville said company expansion in Tempe is always a good thing.
“Any time a company expands into a city, it's always good for the city,” he said. “It provides good-paying jobs for residents, encourages people to come to the city and to live in the city.”
He said Tempe does well with employment opportunities for city residents and for people outside the city limits.
“Right now Tempe is a net-job importer," Granville said. "We have more jobs than we have people. Tempe has a strong, diverse business base. Whatever we can do to strengthen the city, we will do.”
The new offices will be located at the Papago Spectrum building at the 1200 block of West Washington Street and cover close to 42,000 square feet.
Not only is the mortgage operations center relocation to Tempe going to help provide more employment opportunities for Tempe residents, the University expects it to help finance students who graduate this May, said Kevin Burns, the undergraduate career center director of the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Burns said when companies such as Union Bank expand to Arizona, it provides more career opportunities for students preparing to graduate or who have graduated.
“This is a terrific opportunity for finance students, for students at the W. P. Carey School of Business and for students at ASU in general,” Burns said.
He said although students should be willing to work hard to find and build relationships with many companies before they graduate, new company expansions help make career opportunities easier to come by.
He said Union Bank's expansion to Tempe is especially great, because it will give many students the opportunity to work close to campus.
Burns said the new operations center will offer many job opportunities for graduates, but it might also offer part-time or internship opportunities for students.
“A company this size could possibly offer all three (career, part-time work, and internships) for ASU students,” he said.
Burns said careers that will be offered through Union Bank's new mortgage operations center in Tempe will be posted on the ASU career centers website for the W. P. Carey School of Business for any ASU student who is qualified and interested.
Reach the reporter at wpogden@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @whitneyparis10
