Nikola Motor Company, a Salt Lake City-based hybrid truck company, will soon be establishing headquarters in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The company is targeting Buckeye, a suburb just west of Phoenix, to serve as the location of the future HQ. As a result, around 2,000 jobs are set to open in the area. Nikola executives surveyed a total of 9 states, before deciding upon Buckeye. The company plans to invest $1 billion in its upcoming Arizona headquarters.

Hiring Expected To Begin In 2019

Arizona governor Doug Ducey views the development as a positive change, that will reinforce the economy in Metro Phoenix. On January 30th, the governor met with the motor company, where the decision to pursue Buckeye was made. In addition to the jobs that the motor company’s presence will naturally provide, about 4,000 jobs in the construction industry are expected to open while the site is being built. Hiring within the motor company will likely start in 2019, and production is expected to take place in 2020.

Nikola Motor Company CEO Trevor Milton believes that up to 20,000 jobs providing services alongside the motor company in related industries, could appear in Metro Phoenix in the coming years.

Majority Of Hiring To Be Done Locally

Even after employee transfers from the current headquarters in Utah take place, up to 90 percent of hiring at the Buckeye headquarters is still expected to be done locally. Nikola executives have placed their faith in a technically minded Phoenix labor force. Additionally, Arizona State University’s highly developed engineering curriculum was a major draw for the motor company. Pleasant year-round weather is yet another factor that has drawn the company to Arizona.

Although the company has big plans for the future, competition remains present, namely from Tesla. Fuel-cell truck orders currently stand at about 8,000 in total, according to the company.