Area Development

California — 12+ Million Population Category Companies are expanding all over the Golden State, at a rate worthy of a Silver Shovel honor. The biggest project, and one of the most futuristic, involves General Motors in San Francisco. The company is beefing up its Cruise Automation operation, which is focused on self-driving vehicle design, and the expansion is projected to add approximately 1,100 new jobs. Also, on the topic of forward-thinking automotive, Proterra is expanding its electric bus operations in Burlingame.

2017 Top Projects: California

Population: 39.54 Million


Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
1. General Motors San Francisco E 1,163 $14 million Automotive
2. Proterra Burlingame E 432 $85 million Automotive
3. Meggitt, Inc. San Diego E 188 $17 million Aerospace
4. NuVasive, Inc. San Diego E 245 $36 million Medical Devices
5. Motor Vehicle Software Corp. Sacramento E 100 $17.8 million Software Development
6. Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont, Inc. Fremont E 258 $122 million Biotechnology
7. Initiative Foods Sanger E 150 $25 million Food Processing
8. Hulu, LLC Santa E 410 $109 million Sales Monica Management
9. Food Service Partners Richmond E 222 $8.5 million Food Processing
10. Schlosser Forge Co. Rancho Cucamonga E 86 $20 million Aircraft

Other traditionally prominent California industries were well represented on the list of last year’s expansions, too. Two deals were in the aerospace sector, composite engine component maker Meggitt in San Diego and component maker Schlosser Forge Co. in Rancho Cucamonga. The state’s massive food-related industry grabbed some of the headlines, including expansion at baby-food-maker Initiative Foods in Sanger, which has been rebuilding after a fire, and growth in Richmond at Food Service Partners, which runs central production kitchens for healthcare providers. The state also boasted projects in biotech, medical devices, and software. And not to leave out entertainment, streaming service Hulu is growing at its Santa Monica base.

Florida — 12+ Million Population Category Florida’s Silver Shovel performance was driven by a solid series of expansions and a few new location decisions. Leading the way was Modernizing Medicine, a medical records company whose expansion will bring more than 800 new jobs to Boca Raton. A trio of projects promised 600 jobs each: Chewy.com’s new pet products fulfillment center in Ocala, Gartner’s expanding IT consulting presence in Fort Myers, and Brown & Brown’s new insurance headquarters facility in Daytona Beach.

2017 Top Projects: Florida

Population: 20.9 Million


Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
1. KPMG Orlando N 330 $400 million Financial/Professional Services
2. Chewy.com Ocala N 600 $30 million Logistics/Distribution
3. Modernizing Medicine Boca Raton E 838 $15 million Information Technology
4. Sixt* Ft. Lauderdale E 300 $10 million Headquarters
5. Maverick Boat Group Ft. Pierce E 100 $7 million Boatbuilding
6. Cosentino Coral Gables E 85 $1 million Headquarters
7. MetLife Tampa E 430 $25 million Insurance/Professional Services
8. Gartner Ft. Myers E 600 $20 million Information Technology
9. Brown & Brown Daytona E 600 $25 million Financial/Beach Professional Services
10. Cross City Lumber, LLC Cross City N 65 $10 million Lumber Mill
*Represents a state/local sponsor

The state added more headquarters projects in Fort Lauderdale (Sixt Rent a Car) and Coral Gables (Cosentino, which serves the architecture and design industry). KPMG will add jobs in professional services, and MetLife in insurance. And it wouldn’t be Florida without a boat-related project — the expansion at Maverick Boat Group’s manufacturing operation in Fort Pierce.

Illinois — 12+ Million Population Category As in many states, Amazon led the way in Illinois’ route to a Silver Shovel, with separate projects in Waukegan and Crest Hill. Best Buy, meanwhile, also had a distribution announcement in Bolingbrook, while General Mills announced plans to distribute its cereals and other products from a distribution center in Wilmington.

The state enjoyed a diversity of development covering a number of other industries, too. Communications Test Design — which tests and repairs electronics — is growing in Joliet. In paper products, Georgia Pacific will create 400 jobs in University Park. In the food processing sector, Koch Foods is growing its Franklin Park presence. Fresenius Kabi announced plans to significantly grow its pharmaceutical manufacturing operation in Melrose Park. Other projects ranged from steel to automotive components to electric parts.

2017 Top Projects: Illinois

Population: 12.83 Million


Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
1. Koch Foods Franklin Park E 200 $20 million Food Processing
2. Fresenius Kabi Melrose Park N 250 $250 million Pharmaceuticals
3. Amazon Waukegan & Crest Hill N 900 $45 million E-Commerce Fulfillment
4. Nucor Steel Bourbonnais E 75 $180 million Steel
5. Communication Test Design, Inc. Joliet N 600 $36 million Telecom
6. Georgia Pacific University Park N 400 $40 million Paper
7. General Mills Wilmington N 200 $55 million Food Processing
8. Flex-N-Gate Chicago N 286 $30 million Automotive
9. Julian Electric Lockport N 290 $16 million Electric Parts
10. Best Buy Bolingbrook N 250 $24 million Distribution

New York — 12+ Million Population Category Keeping up with the expanding and evolving shopping needs of New Yorkers puts Amazon into a near-constant growth mode, which helped contribute to the state’s Silver Shovel accomplishments. Two Amazon projects announced in 2017 led the list with 2,000 or more jobs each, including a Staten Island fulfillment center and a major office on West 33rd Street in Manhattan.

2017 Top Projects: New York

Population: 19.85 Million


Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
1. Amazon Staten Island, NYC N 2,250 $100 million E-Commerce Fulfillment
2. Amazon Manhattan, NYC N 2,000 $55 million E-Commerce Offices
3. Strategic Financial Solutions Amherst N 1,547 $2.1 million Financial Services
4. Tesla - Solar City Buffalo N 1,460 N/A Solar Cells
5. Mastercard Manhattan, NYC E 473 N/A Financial Services
6. EY Manhattan, NYC N 1,152 $279.8 million Financial/ Professional Services
7. Spotify Manhattan, NYC N 1,050 $200 million Music Services
8. HP Hood Batavia N 230 $206 million Dairy Products
9. The Nature’s Bounty Co. Islip E 157 $142 million Vitamins/Supplements
10. Imperium3 Endicott N 232 $130 million Lithium Ion Batteries

Several other projects also carried four-figure job projections. Spotify’s headquarters’ move to the World Trade Center makes room for more hires, as does the move of Ernst & Young’s U.S. headquarters from Times Square to Manhattan’s west side. At Strategic Financial Solutions’ Amherst office in the Buffalo area, more than 1,500 company reps will help consumers get a handle on their debt.

Also, in the Buffalo area, Tesla’s SolarCity is now producing its solar roof tiles. Other significant manufacturing announcements last year involved lithium ion batteries, nutritional supplements and dairy products.

2018 Gold Shovel Awards: The Winning States

  • Texas
  • North Carolina
  • Wisconsin
  • Kentucky
  • Nevada
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2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Billion Dollar(s) Projects Of The Year (2017)

Project Location Jobs Investment
Switch Lithia Springs, GA 65 jobs $1 billion
Apple Inc. Waukee, IA50 jobs $1.3 billion
Amazon Hebron, KY2,700 jobs $1.5 billion
Toyota Motor Manufacturing KY Georgetown, KY1,209 jobs $1.3 billion
Lotte Chemical Louisiana Calcasieu Parish, LA130 jobs $1.13 billion
Wanhua Chemical Group T/B/D, LA170 jobs $1.12 billion
Ford Motor Co. Flat Rock, MI 700 jobs $1.2 billion
Invenergy LLC, GE, American Electric Power Texas County, OK0 jobs $4.5 billion
Denso Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc. Maryville, TN1,000 jobs $1 billion
ExxonMobil - SABIC Portland, TX 600 jobs $10 billion
Facebook Henrico County, VA100 jobs $1 billion
Foxconn Mount Pleasant, WI13,000 jobs $10 billion

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Large Job-Creating Projects Of The Year (2017)

Project Location Jobs Investment
Chewy, Inc. Goodyear, AZ1,200 jobs $30 million
Bank of the West Tempe, AZ1,000 jobs$25 million
Concentrix Tempe, AZ 1,538 jobs $14.5 million
General Motors San Francisco, CA 1,163 jobs $14 million
Amazon North Haven, CT1,800 jobs $255 million
Charter Communications Stamford, CT1,100 jobs $100 million
ASOS Union City, GA 1,620 jobs $42 million
Luxottica Group NA McDonough, GA 1,000 jobs $78 million
Amazon Jefferson, GA 1,000 jobs N/A
Infosys Ltd. Indianapolis, IN2,000 jobs $8.7 million
XPO Logistics Supply Chain, Inc. Lebanon, IN 1,160 jobs $49.4 million
Amazon Hebron, KY 2,700 jobs $1.5 billion
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Georgetown, KY 1,209 jobs $1.3billion
Diversified Consultants Inc. Louisville, KY 1,000 jobs $6.7 million
DXC Orleans Parish, LA2,000 jobs N/A
Amazon Baltimore City, MD1,500 jobs $225 million
Amazon Romulus, MI 1,600 jobs $140 million
Centria Healthcare Farmington Hills, MI1,200 jobs $10 million
Amazon Shelby Charter Twp., MI1,025 jobs $40 million
24/7 In Touch Clark Cty., NV 1,200 jobs $1.3 million
Amazon Staten Island, NYC2,250 jobs $100 million
Amazon Manhattan, NYC2,000 jobs $55 million
Strategic Financial Solutions Amherst, NY1,547 jobs $2.1 million
Tesla - Solar City Buffalo, NY1,460 jobs N/A
Spotify Manhattan, NYC 1,050 jobs $200 million
EY Manhattan, NYC 1,152 jobs $279.8 million
Allstate Mecklenburg Cty., NC2,250 jobs $22.6 million
Infosys Wake Cty., NC 2,000 jobs $8.7 million
Credit Suisse Wake Cty., NC1,200 jobs $65 million
Amazon North Randal, OHl 2,000 jobs $100 million
Ensemble HP, LLC Blue Ash, OH 1,100 jobs $34 million
Volvo Car USA, LLC Berkeley, SC 1,910 jobs $620 million
BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC Spartanburg, SC 1,000 jobs $600 million
Arthrex, Inc. Anderson, SC1,000 jobs $69 million
Tyson Foods Inc. Humboldt, TN 1,500 jobs $320 million
Denso Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc. Maryville, TN 1,000 jobs $1 billion
Textile Corp. of America Pikeville, TN 1,000 jobs $27.1 million
NTT Data Corp. Plano, TX 6,377 jobs $28.8 million
Nutri Biotech USA Garland, TX 1,600 jobs $100 million
USAA San Antonio, TX 1,500 jobs $70 million
United Parcel Arlington, TX1,400 jobs$22.7 million
C3 McGregor, TX 1,200 jobs $1.35 million
Pluralsight South Jordan, UT 2,464 jobs $371.8 million
Adobe Lehi, UT1,260 jobs $90 million
Navy Federal Credit Union Frederick Cty., VA 1,400 jobs $100 million
Favor Tech-Consulting, LLC Fairfax Cty., VA 1,200 jobs $1.7 million
Foxconn Mount Pleasant, WI 13,000 jobs $10 billion


MethodologyArea 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 2017 (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 — five states achieving the highest weighted overall scores were awarded Area Development’s 2018 Gold Shovels in five population categories: 12+ million, 8+ to 12 million, 5+ to 8 million, 3+ to 5 million, and fewer than 3 million. Runners-up in each of these population categories were awarded 2018 Silver Shovels.