Boeing earns AAED Best of Arizona award

The Boeing Co. recently received the Best of Arizona Award from the Arizona Association for Economic Development, recognizing the company’s extraordinary economic impact and long-standing leadership in the state’s aerospace and defense industry.

The prestigious award honors an organization or individual whose dedication to economic development has made a significant statewide impact, according to a release from the city of Mesa.

Boeing’s Arizona presence is anchored in Mesa, where its campus has served for decades as the home of AH-64 Apache helicopter production and advanced aerospace manufacturing. Boeing employs more than 4,500 Arizonans, works with more than 270 suppliers and vendors statewide, supports an estimated 49,000 direct and indirect jobs and generated $1.1 billion in supplier spending in 2025, it states in the release.

“Boeing has been one of Mesa’s most important economic partners for generations,” Mayor Mark Freeman said in the release. “This Best of Arizona honor reflects the company’s tremendous contribution to Mesa, to the aerospace and defense sector and to Arizona’s economy as a whole.”

The award also highlights Boeing’s long-term economic role in Mesa through major Apache-related contracts, including a nearly $4.7 billion U.S. Army contract supporting production in Mesa through at least 2032, along with approximately $2.7 billion in post-production support and sustainment services through 2030. These investments help reinforce Arizona’s position as a global center for rotorcraft manufacturing, logistics, engineering and sustainment.

“Boeing’s continued investment in Mesa has created high-quality jobs, strengthened our supplier ecosystem and reinforced our city’s role as a center for advanced manufacturing and aerospace innovation,” City Manager Scott Butler said. “We are proud to celebrate this well-earned recognition.”

Beyond Mesa, Boeing’s Arizona operations extend to Chandler and Goodyear and support a broad aerospace value chain, including manufacturing, logistics, supply chain management and engineering. The company’s partnerships with universities, community colleges and technical institutions also help strengthen the workforce pipeline through internships, apprenticeships, STEM collaboration and veteran transition programs.

AAED, founded in 1974, serves as Arizona’s unified voice for responsible economic development through professional education, public policy and collaboration.