The Strategic Advantage Behind Evolution Free Zone’s Location

August 2026. In advanced manufacturing, location has evolved as a strategic asset, shaping operational performance, logistics efficiency, access to specialized talent, supply chain responsiveness, and long-term scalability. For global companies evaluating where to establish or expand operations, the decision also relies on being part of a business environment that can support continuity, resilience, and sustained competitiveness.

In Costa Rica, this decision has gained new relevance as industrial growth expands beyond the Greater Metropolitan Area. The Western Region, and Grecia in particular, have become part of a broader national opportunity to bring high-value operations, quality employment, and productive development closer to communities with strong educational presence and workforce potential.

Evolution Free Zone was created to respond to this opportunity with a planned, future-ready business platform for global industries. Located in Tacares, Grecia, our Park brings together specialized infrastructure, direct access to Costa Rica’s main transportation corridors, proximity to Juan Santamaría International Airport, and a development model designed to support companies as their operations evolve.

As the fastest growing business ecosystem in Costa Rica, Evolution Free Zone provides the scale, planning, and integrated conditions required by companies in Life Sciences, Smart Manufacturing, Semiconductors, and other advanced sectors.

Connected to Costa Rica’s Next Talent Hub

For manufacturers, efficient connectivity directly influences production performance. Reliable infrastructure enables agile logistics, strengthens supply chain resilience, and facilitates seamless access to global markets.

As highlighted by Mariola Sánchez, Marketing and Business Development Director at CODE Development Group, Evolution Free Zone offers “strategic connectivity with the international airport, important population centers across the Western Region, and also with Alajuela, Heredia, and even San José”.

Beyond logistics, one of the Western Region’s strongest advantages is its talent. For years, the area has developed a solid educational foundation through public and private universities, technical high schools, five INA -National Learning Institute- campuses, and other training institutions that contribute to a talent pipeline aligned with the needs of advanced manufacturing.

As Sánchez explains, “the Western Region is rich in human talent.” This strength is the result of years of educational development and preparation across the area.

Also, the upcoming presence of the first INA Center within Evolution Free Zone further strengthens this connection between technical education and needs of the industry. This advantage is especially relevant because employment opportunities in these sectors are not limited to university degrees. Many roles depend on technical capabilities, production knowledge, quality orientation, adaptability, and soft skills. This opens broader pathways for people with specialized training and practical expertise.

At the same time, people from the Western Region commute daily to access employment opportunities in cities like Heredia and Central Alajuela. This reality highlights the opportunity to bring quality jobs closer to home, reduce commuting time, and strengthen local economic development.

By aligning industrial growth with regional talent, Evolution Free Zone contributes to a model where companies can operate near a qualified workforce, while communities benefit from new opportunities within their own area.

Productive Linkages and Regional Growth

The growth of industrial activity in the Western Region has also strengthened productive linkages. As more companies establish operations in the area, new opportunities emerge for suppliers, service providers and logistics partners.

This creates a broader economic impact where industrial development also relies on the ability of the surrounding area to support specialized services, supplier networks, and community prosperity.

Evolution Free Zone is part of this transformation. Its development contributes to a broader national opportunity: expanding quality employment beyond the Greater Metropolitan Area. The eight companies confirmed in Evolution Free Zone are projected to generate 6,000 direct jobs during their initial stages. Over the next 15 years, the Park is expected to generate up to 20,000 quality jobs, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for economic development in the Western Region.

For the area, this means more than attracting investment. It means strengthening the conditions for people, companies, institutions, and communities to participate in a more dynamic productive environment.

Productive Linkages and Regional Growth

Evolution Free Zone was created with a long-term vision: to provide the infrastructure, talent, connectivity, and expansion capacity required by global companies as their operations evolve across its 124-hectare master plan, allowing companies to establish, expand, and scale in an environment designed to support operational continuity and business development.

This vision is closely connected to the future of Grecia and the Western Region. As Sánchez states: “Our mission and vision as developers and administrators of Evolution Free Zone are for the Western Region and Grecia to become Costa Rica’s epicenter of innovation, technology, and talent.”

The region has already demonstrated its potential as a successful manufacturing hub. Companies are establishing operations, talent is prepared, productive linkages are expanding, and new opportunities are emerging for surrounding communities.
As global companies evaluate where to invest, the value of a location is measured by more than geography; it lies in the ability to connect infrastructure, logistics, talent, and opportunities within a single platform. By bringing these elements together, Evolution Free Zone offers a Next-Generation Business Ecosystem designed to support companies establishing and growing their operations in Costa Rica, with the ideal conditions for continuity, efficiency, and long-term competitiveness.