News stories from the region this week highlight positive economic development activity impacting the commercial real estate market in Tucson. Summaries below cover hiring announcements, development and construction progress, and recent awards and rankings that demonstrate Southern Arizona's stature as a Sun Corridor growth market.

Although not yet springtime by the calendar, early March in the desert indeed feels like winter is far behind us. As with the changing seasons, hope springs eternal that the Tucson industrial market has joined other commercial real estate sectors in a deliberate climb back to health. Current activity reported by PICOR's industrial team--which lists approximately 43% of Tucson industrial space for lease--is up measurably across the board.