Annual Econdev Awards
Recent Features
EV and Semiconductor Projects Stand Out in States Receiving Area Development’s 18th Annual Shovel Awards
With concerns about climate change now supplanting pandemic fears, projects to produce EVs — and the semiconductors used by vehicles and other high-tech goods — come to the forefront in this year’s Shovel Awards report.
Area Development’s 17th Annual Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts — First Two Platinum Shovels Awarded
Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards highlight the nation’s swift post-pandemic economic recovery in 2021 with many projects being initiated that represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of new jobs.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
Although 2020’s global pandemic resulted in some projects being stalled or canceled, the annual Shovel Awards recognize many other new and expanded facilities plans that are on track and expected to created thousands of jobs and billions in investment.
2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
While the current COVID-19 crisis may put some development on “pause,” our annual Shovel Awards recognize states that garnered large job-creating and investment projects over the course of the previous year.
2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recipients Garnered Large Job-Creating and Investment Projects in Diverse Industries
While e-commerce was creating thousands of jobs across the nation last year, high-profile, diverse projects in the manufacturing, information technology, financial services, energy, and other sectors were also making news.
21st Annual Shovel Awards: The Projects of the Year
The investments that stood apart for their scale, strategic significance, and economic impact — from advanced manufacturing and life sciences to headquarters expansions and AI-powered data centers.
First Person: Tate Reeves, Governor of Mississippi
Mississippi is on track to receive a Gold Shovel Award — Area Development's highest honor for states that demonstrate exceptional performance in attracting large-scale capital investment. It's recognition that comes from the publication that speaks directly to the site selectors and corporate real estate executives those states are competing to win over. Since taking office in 2020, Governor Tate Reeves has presided over $85 billion in announced investment — a pace that dwarfs anything the state has seen before. He spoke with Area Development about the power infrastructure, site readiness, and workforce programs behind that run, and why speed has become Mississippi's sharpest competitive edge.
Editor’s Note: Making Sense of the Shifts
If you’re reading this magazine, you’re likely grappling with questions that don’t have easy answers: Where will the next constraint show up? What will this election cycle do to capital flows? How do you build resilience without losing speed?
Editor’s Note: Production of EVs and Chips Comes to Forefront
Despite economic uncertainty, industry investment in both the EV/battery and semiconductor industries continues to grow.
Charging Up the Electric Vehicle and Battery Sector
More than half a dozen of this year’s Project of the Year awards are related to EVs or the batteries that will power them.
Boosting Semiconductor Manufacturing in America
Often referred to as “fabs,” the plants producing semiconductors are all big-money investments promising big job counts.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Chipmaker Intel Adding Semiconductor Facilities in Arizona
Intel’s two new Arizona fabs that represent a $20 billion investment will make an impact on the semiconductor shortage resulting from pandemic-induced supply chain snarls.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Blue Star Manufacturing Ramps Up PPE Production in Virginia
The establishment of a facility for the production of medical-grade gloves in Virginia is an important step in alleviating supply chain issues with Asian-made products.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Samsung Makes Its Largest U.S. Investment in Texas
Working to expand semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., Samsung is adding to its presence in Texas with a $17 billion investment.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Regeneron Expanding Research, Manufacturing in New York
The company’s response to COVID-19 is widely known, and it is building out its R&D and manufacturing in Tarrytown, N.Y.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Oracle America, Inc. Establishing Second U.S. Headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee
The Oracle project along the Cumberland River includes spending on public infrastructure improvements.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Supply Chain Needs to Be Met by U.S. Steel’s New Arkansas Mill
U. S. Steel President and CEO David B. Burritt said in a statement that the company is “reshaping the future of steel making” with this mill.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ford Motor Co. To Turn Out EV Trucks and Batteries in Tennessee
The Blue Oval City development is said to be Tennessee’s biggest investment ever.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: The J.M. Smucker Company Investing in Alabama
Smucker’s investment in Jefferson County, Alabama, for a new frozen sandwich plant promises large-scale job creation.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Toyota Motor North America, Inc. to Produce EV Batteries in North Carolina
Initially expected to produce batteries for 200,000 EVs annually, future expansions will ramp that up enough to power 1.2 million EVs annually.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Apple to Open East Coast Campus in North Carolina and Invest in Local Schools
The North Carolina project is part of Apple’s plan to boost its overall U.S. investment by $430 billion and the creation of 20,000 jobs in several states.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ford/SK Innovation To Make Batteries for EVs in Kentucky
According to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, this is the single largest investment in the history of the state.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: CoStar Group Expanding in Richmond, Virginia
When the firm’s project is completed, it will occupy more than one million square feet along the James River.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: FinTech Leader Fiserv Adding Jobs in New Jersey
Fiserv will attract top talent to its N.J. hub by partnering with local universities, including Rutgers University – Newark.
2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: EV Startup Canoo Inc. Plans Oklahoma “Mega Microfactory”
Mid-America Industrial Park will be the site of Canoo’s new auto manufacturing facility.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Tesla Picks Texas for Its Latest Gigafactory
Tesla’s assembly operation is going up on a 2,100-acre site near Del Valle, where a partnership with the local school district to train high school students helped seal the deal.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Microsoft Chooses Atlanta For New AI/Cloud Computing Facility
The promise of a robust talent pool from area universities, as well as proximity to other tech giants, helped solidify Microsoft’s decision to locate a new facility in Atlanta.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Centene Chooses Charlotte for Regional HQ/Technology Hub
Expected to create 3,200 jobs, the Centene project is the largest single job announcement in the history of North Carolina’s incentives program.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ultium Cells to Mass-Produce Lithium Ion Batteries in Ohio
A joint venture between General Motors and LG Chem, Ultium Cells’ plant will help fulfill GM’s promise of an all-electric lineup by 2035.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Microsoft to Develop Software in Northern Virginia
The site plan for Microsoft’s Reston Town Center development also includes retail space for engaging directly with customer, an important part of the project, according to company officials.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Taiwan Semiconductor’s New Phoenix Plant Will Help Alleviate U.S. Chip Shortage
The semiconductor company’s new $12 billion plant in Phoenix, Ariz., will produce 20,000 wafers monthly and is expected to create 1,600 jobs.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Accenture Federal Services’ St. Louis Facility to Offer AI, Cyber Solutions
Some 1,400 employees at the technology and consulting company will serve federal agencies from this new facility.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Northrop Grumman Growing Jobs, Investment in Utah
Through a $380 million investment to expand its Weber County operations, Northrop Grumman will create jobs around Hill Air Force Base for generations to come.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Netflix to Create 1,000 Jobs in New Mexico
Netflix’s new Albuquerque studio will place it in proximity to Los Angeles, yet in a separate market with its own talent base.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Grön Fuels Complex Can Actually Reverse Climate Change
Louisiana’s Grön Fuels facility plans to capture and sequester tens of millions of tons of biogenic carbon dioxide.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: CREE Wolfspeed’s Wafers Key to Charging of EVs
The silicon carbide wafers to be produced at the Mohawk Valley, N.Y., plant will reduce the charging time and range of EVs and also be used in 5G infrastructure and solar inverters.
