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2011 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Indiana, Michigan, and South Carolina Awarded Gold Shovels

Recognition of individual states for their achievements in attracting big projects during 2010 while creating a significant number of high value-added new jobs as well as investment.

Spring 2011
Top 10 2010 Projects | Gold Shovel Winners
Indiana Population: 6.4 Million
    • Company
    • City/County
    • N/E
    • #Jobs
    • Inv. Amt.
    • Industry
    • 1.
    • Chrysler Group LLC
    • Kokomo
    • E
    • 400
    • $1.15 billion
    • Automotive
    • 2.
    • Abound Solar Manufacturing, LLC
    • Tipton
    • N
    • 850
    • $524.6 million
    • Renewable Energy
    • 3.
    • Dow Agro Sciences, LLC
    • Indianapolis
    • E
    • 577
    • $343.9 million
    • R&D
    • 4.
    • Progress Rail Manufacturing Corp.
    • Muncie
    • N
    • 650
    • $50 million
    • Locomotive Engines
    • 5.
    • Exact Target, Inc.
    • Indianapolis
    • E
    • 500
    • $71.7 million
    • Information Technology
    • 6.
    • Think North America
    • Elkhart
    • N
    • 415
    • $43.5 million
    • Green Automotive
    • 7.
    • EnerDel, Inc.
    • Indianapolis
    • E
    • 1,401
    • $314 million
    • Lithium-Ion Batteries
    • 8.
    • Arcadia Resources, Inc.
    • Indianapolis
    • E
    • 934
    • $3.9 million
    • Medical Services
    • 9.
    • Genesco Inc.
    • Indianapolis
    • E
    • 571
    • $22.1 million
    • Sporting Goods
    • 10.
    • Ascension Health Shared Services, LLC
    • Indianapolis
    • N
    • 500
    • $10.9 million
    • Back Office
      Operations
  • * Top 10 projects as supplied by state's economic development agency.
Top 10 2010 Projects | Gold Shovel Winner
Michigan Population: 9.8 Million
    • Company
    • City/County
    • N/E
    • #Jobs
    • Inv. Amt.
    • Industry
    • 1.
    • Johnson Controls-SAFT
    • Holland
    • N
    • 1,096
    • $220 million
    • Advanced Batteries/
      Lithium-Ion
    • 2.
    • Dow Kokam
    • Midland
    • N
    • 480
    • $342 million
    • Advanced Batteries/
      Lithium-Ion
    • 3.
    • LG Chem/
      Compact Power
    • Holland
    • E
    • 300
    • $303 million
    • Advanced Batteries/
      Lithium-Ion
    • 4.
    • TSC Michigan
    • Northville
    • N
    • 279
    • $31.1 million
    • Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes
    • 5.
    • Dow Power-
      house Solar
    • Midland
    • N
    • 1,275
    • $240 million
    • Solar Shingles Shingles
    • 6.
    • Ford Motor Co.
    • Van Buren, Sterling Heights, Livonia, Dearborn
    • E
    • 1,200
    • $850 million
    • Hybrid Cars
    • 7.
    • Whirlpool Corp.
    • Benton Harbor/St. Joseph
    • E
    • NA
    • $86.8 million
    • Headquarters
    • 8.
    • Four Winns
    • Cadillac
    • E
    • 2,320
    • $63 million
    • Fiberglass Boats
    • 9.
    • BioDri
    • Blissfield
    • N
    • 337
    • $39.5 million
    • Alternative Energy
    • 10.
    • Diplomat Spec. Pharmacy
    • Flint
    • E
    • 139
    • $12 million
    • Call Center/
      Distribution
  • * Top 10 projects as supplied by state's economic development agency.
Top 10 2010 Projects | Gold Shovel Winner
South Carolina Population: 4.6 Million
    • Company
    • City/County
    • N/E
    • #Jobs
    • Inv. Amt.
    • Industry
    • 1.
    • Proterra
    • Greenville
    • N
    • 1,300
    • $68 million
    • Alternative Fuels/
      Automotoive
    • 2.
    • Dixie Narco
    • Barnwell
    • E
    • 1,000
    • $20 million
    • Machinery
    • 3.
    • Johnson Controls
    • Florence
    • N
    • 250
    • $100 million
    • Recycling
    • 4.
    • First
      Quality Enterprises
    • Anderson
    • N
    • 1,000
    • $1 billion
    • Paper Products
    • 5.
    • ZF Group
      NAO
    • Laurens
    • N
    • 900
    • $350 million
    • Automotive
    • 6.
    • Caterpillar
    • Newberry
    • E
    • 500
    • $15 million
    • Trans-
      portation
      Eqpt.
    • 7.
    • CT&T Co.,
      Ltd.
    • Spartanburg
    • N
    • 370
    • $21 million
    • Automotive
    • 8.
    • Robert Bosch LLC
    • Dorchester
    • E
    • 305
    • $125 million
    • Automotive
    • 9.
    • South Carolina Tissue,
      LLC
    • Barnwell
    • N
    • 200
    • $140 million
    • Paper Products
    • 10.
    • Boeing Fabrication Interiors
    • Charleston
    • N
    • 150
    • $100 million
    • Aerospace
  • * Top 10 projects as supplied by state's economic development agency.

Indianapolis Is a Place to Expand

A strong work force, low business costs, and high quality of life are three key reasons Indianapolis companies are expanding their operations there instead of relocating elsewhere. Six big 2010 expansions are responsible for some $766 million in investment and the creation of almost 4,500 new jobs in the IT, life sciences, green energy, and other industries.

Dow AgroSciences, for example, is investing $343.9 million in its Indianapolis headquarters and creating 577 new jobs by 2015. "Our multi-phase expansion project will advance our progress in meeting our R&D needs in Indiana," says Antonio Galindez, president and chief executive officer of Dow AgroSciences. "We continue to move forward on our five-year global growth plan to expand our research and development and commercial capabilities to continue developing new products for the agricultural and related market segments."

Also expanding in Indianapolis are Exact Target, Inc., ($71.7 million investment and 500 new jobs); EnerDel, (some 1,400 jobs with a $314 million investment); Arcadia Resources ($3.9 million investment and 934 new jobs); Genesco Inc. (22.1 million and 571 jobs); and Ascension Health Shared Services ($10.9 million and 500 jobs).

Indiana
After winning Silver Shovels in 2008-2010, Indiana received its first Gold Shovel Award this year - a reflection of its business-friendly environment and talented work force. Key Indiana clusters include transportation, distribution and logistics, sustainable energy, IT, and advanced manufacturing. Automotive continues to be a growing industry in the state, including "green" car manufacturing, such as Think North America's $43.5 million plant in Elkhart that will produce electric cars. The biggest news is Chrysler Group expanding its transmission manufacturing facilities in Kokomo; this $1.15 billion investment will enable production of advanced front-wheel drive automatic transmission for future vehicles and employ 400 workers. "Kokomo has been the center of our power-train strategy for years and this additional investment reaffirms that position," says Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne. "We're committed to this community and its work force and appreciate the support of the City of Kokomo."


Michigan
Michigan also received its first Gold Shovel Award after winning Silver Shovels in 2006-2007 and 2009-2010. The state continues to build on its global reputation for excellence in automotive manufacturing and R&D. Every major vehicle-related manufacturer and supplier has a research presence here - in fact, Michigan is fourth in the nation in research intensity (ratio of expenditures to gross state product). Michigan is also fastbecoming a major player in batteries for hybrid vehicles. Dow Kokam is building a $342 million plant in Midland to manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries. TSC Michigan is spending $31.1 million to construct a facility in Northville that will produce lithium-ion electrolytes for the battery industry; approximately 300 new jobs will be created over five years at the facility. A third company - LG Chem Limited - plans to open its first North American lithium- ion battery plant in Holland, Michigan. The $303 million facility will generate 300 jobs. LG Chem selected Holland for its infrastructure, work force, and a quality of life that would be attractive to transferring executives.

South Carolina
Like Indiana and Michigan, this is also South Carolina's first Gold Shovel Award, after winning Silver Shovels in 2009 and 2010. Anchoring its strong manufacturing base is the $29 billion-a-year automotive industry. One of its biggest impacts on the state GDP is its multiplier effect - the ability of the auto industry to create ancillary jobs and industries is 1.5 times higher than the average industry multiplier in South Carolina. One example is Robert Bosch LLC. This leading automotive supplier will expand its Dorchester County operations over the next five years, investing $125 million and creating approximately 300 new jobs. Proterra, which designs and manufactures all-electric and battery-dominant hybrid-drive solutions for commercial vehicles, is also investing in the state. It will build a $68 million, 240,000- square-foot manufacturing and R&D center at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, creating 1,300 jobs over seven years. "After a nationwide search involving some 30 states, we selected Greenville because of work force capabilities and research and development support," indicates Proterra CEO Jeff Granato. "The efforts of state and local officials and economic development entities on our behalf far exceeded our expectations."


    .................................................
    Methodology
    Area Development's annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. We collected information from all 50 states about their top-10 job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2010 (only those projects that actually had monies invested, "broke ground," began an expansion, started new hiring, etc. were considered). Based on a combination of weighted factors - including the number of new jobs to be created in relation to the state's population, the combined dollar amount of the investments, the number of new facilities, the diversity of industry represented - three states achieving the highest weighted overall score are awarded Area Development's 2011 Gold Shovels. Runner-ups in three population categories - over 9 million, between 4 and 9 million, and under 4 million - are awarded 2011 Silver Shovels..

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