ADP bringing 250 jobs to Tucson

Human resources provider ADP is bringing another 250 jobs to Tucson as part of a program coordinated between the Human Capital Management firm, the City of Tucson and the state of Arizona.

The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to mark the company’s expansion. Now 400 ADP associates will occupy the main facility, which has been renovated to accommodate the extra employees.

ADP has been heavily hiring UA graduates right out of school in the past couple years. Larry Guarano, a 2015 UA business management and entrepreneurship, said he recognized a lot of faces when describing the ADP office.

Guarano estimated that 70 percent of the office is made up of UA graduates, and not just those with business-related degrees. Guarano said political science majors are being hired as well.

Guarano first spoke with ADP about a job during the career fair at the Eller College of Management. Following that he conducted a series interviews over the phone and in person until right after graduation when he was hired. Guarano is currently working in a manager role for ADP in Tucson.

ADP defines itself as a human capital management provider specializing in outsourcing, but also doing things like HR, payroll and taxes. Tucson provides the company with access to diverse labor.

“We need to match the diversity in the marketplace with the diverse sales talent and expertise,” said Carlos Rodriguez, chief executive officer for ADP in the press release. “Tucson is rich in highly educated, diverse talent.”

ADP’s ability to outsource labor requires them to negotiate with companies in foreign states and to convince them that some partnership or business arrangement is in their best interest. It’s no surprise that a diverse sales team would hold an advantage.

“It’s a great way to start a career, it pays well, it’s particularly great for people with a little competitive spirit,” Rodriguez said. “We still have a long way to go in terms of hiring.”

Rodriguez is eager to hire the 250 employees because of economic incentives given to ADP as part of the expansion.

“Arizona has been particularly welcoming and warm to us and the local government has as well,” he said.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild has made economic growth a main platform for his time in office, so it’s no surprise that he spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“I’m delighted that ADP has chosen to increase its presence in Tucson, a city with a talented workforce that is focused on helping companies like ADP succeed in meeting the needs of their clients,” Rothschild said in a release.

ADP has applied for just over $4 million in tax credits from the Arizona Commerce Authority on the condition that they expand their hiring in Tucson. The credits would be given to the company after the 250 new associates have been hired.

“One of the keys to our success has been this impressive growth of Arizona’s advanced business’s service sector,” said Sandra Watson,ACA president and CEO, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

ADP hasn’t been the only company to expand jobs in Tucson. Caterpillar Inc., a Tucson construction equipment company, is bringing over 600 jobs over the next five years. Comcast brought 1,125 jobs in 2016.

The company has been hiring heavily in Phoenix and announced in November that they would add 1,500 new employees to the Tempe office.

“The decision by ADP to create 250 new jobs in Tucson, bringing their total Arizona employment to nearly 2,000 people, is excellent news for our state,” said Gov. Doug Ducey in the press release.

ADP is a national company with offices throughout the US. Arizona “really is a great state to do business in,” Rodriguez said.

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