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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Annual Econdev Awards

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Tesla Picks Texas for Its Latest Gigafactory

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Microsoft Chooses Atlanta For New AI/Cloud Computing Facility

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Centene Chooses Charlotte for Regional HQ/Technology Hub

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

Expected to create 3,200 jobs, the Centene project is the largest single job announcement in the history of North Carolina’s incentives program. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ultium Cells to Mass-Produce Lithium Ion Batteries in Ohio

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Microsoft to Develop Software in Northern Virginia

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Taiwan Semiconductor’s New Phoenix Plant Will Help Alleviate U.S. Chip Shortage

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Accenture Federal Services’ St. Louis Facility to Offer AI, Cyber Solutions

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

Some 1,400 employees at the technology and consulting company will serve federal agencies from this new facility. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Northrop Grumman Growing Jobs, Investment in Utah

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Netflix to Create 1,000 Jobs in New Mexico

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

Netflix’s new Albuquerque studio will place it in proximity to Los Angeles, yet in a separate market with its own talent base. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Grön Fuels Complex Can Actually Reverse Climate Change

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

Louisiana’s Grön Fuels facility plans to capture and sequester tens of millions of tons of biogenic carbon dioxide. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: CREE Wolfspeed’s Wafers Key to Charging of EVs

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2020)

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. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recipients Garnered Large Job-Creating and Investment Projects in Diverse Industries

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

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. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Nikola Motor Corp. to Build Hydrogen-Electric Trucks in Arizona

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

The $1 billion Nikola assembly plant is helping to build Arizona’s future in the creation of new-technology vehicles. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Micron Technology Expanding Chip-Making in Virginia

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

In response to increased demand for its computer chips, which are used in today’s advanced-tech vehicles, Micron is expanding in Manassas at a cost of $3 billion. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Alabama Adds Mazda/Toyota Manufacturing USA to Its Auto Roster

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

The $1.6 billion joint-venture Huntsville plant will create some 4,000 jobs. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Electric Boat Corp. to Expand Submarine Production in Rhode Island

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

The 1,300-job project will allow the company to annually produce three Virginia-class submarines. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Life Sciences Company Regeneron Expanding in New York State

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

Regeneron’s $800 million, 1,500-employee expansion will fuel growth in the Capital Regions as well as lifesaving innovation. More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia Awarded Silver Shovels - States with Populations 8 to 12 Million

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: California, Florida, Illinois and New York Awarded Silver Shovels - States with Populations over 12 Million

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Alabama, Louisiana and Utah Awarded Silver Shovels - States with 3 to 5 Million Population

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize States’ Efforts to Attract High-Value Investment & Large Job-Creating Projects

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More than 200 projects across multiple states brought with them the promise -- in total -- of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment. More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Arizona, Indiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee Awarded Silver Shovels - States with 5 to 8 Million Population

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More

2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Kansas and Mississippi Awarded Silver Shovels - States with Populations Less than 3 Million

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

More

2017 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize States Compiling Healthy Rosters of New and Expanded Facilities

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2017)

The work of economic development is a complicated mix of salesmanship, customer service, technical and legal expertise, communications, relationship-building, and a healthy dose of good fortune. More

2016 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize States That Have Garnered High-Impact Economic Development Projects

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2016)

The states receiving this year’s Shovel Awards are being recognized for their large numbers of high-impact economic development projects, including $1 billion+ deals with thousands of new jobs. Six states — California, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina, Nevada and Utah — are being awarded Gold Shovels in recognition of projects undertaken in 2015. More

Slideshow: 2015 Gold and Silver Shovel Award Recipients

Area Development Special Presentation (Directory 2016)

Shown here are 11 of the recipients of Area Development’s 2015 Gold & Silver awards, which were bestowed in recognition of the states’ efforts to capture new facility and expansion projects that resulted in significant investment and job creation. All told, 21 states were recognized for their efforts. More

2015 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognizing Excellence in State Job Creation and Economic Development Efforts

Area Development Special Presentation (Q2 2015)

Area Development’s annual awards recognize individual states for their overall economic development effectiveness. This year, we honor 21 states for their achievements in 2014 in garnering investment and job creation with Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Nevada awarded the Gold Shovel. More

Slideshow: 2014 Gold and Silver Shovel Award Recipients

Area Development Special Presentation (Directory 2015)

Shown here are 12 of the recipients of Area Development’s 2014 Gold & Silver awards, which were bestowed in recognition of the states’ efforts to capture new facility and expansion projects that resulted in significant investment and job creation. All told, 20 states were recognized for their efforts. More

2014 Gold Shovel Awards: Excellence in State Job Creation and Economic Development Efforts

Area Development Special Presentation (Q2 2014)

Area Development’s annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards recognize individual states for their economic development prowess. We honor 20 states for their achievements in 2013 in garnering company investment and job creation. More

The 2013 Gold & Silver Shovel Award Recipients in Pictures

Area Development Special Presentation (Directory 2014)

Shown here are nine of the recipients of Area Development’s 2013 Gold & Silver awards, which were bestowed in recognition of the states’ efforts to capture new facility and expansion projects that resulted in significant investment and job-creation. All told, 19 states were recognized for their efforts. More

2013 Gold Shovel Awards: Recognizing Excellence in U.S. State Economic Development

Area Development Special Presentation (Q2 / Spring 2013)

The 19 states we honor with Gold or Silver Shovels were stars in 2012, landing big projects worth millions or even billions of dollars in investment and creating jobs by the thousands. Growth doesn't just happen - these states have shown that they know how to make it a reality in a still sluggish national economy. More

2012 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recognizing Excellence in U.S. State Economic Development and Job Creation

Area Development Special Presentation (Summer 2012)

Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Utah are being awarded Gold Shovels. These states' innovative economic development policies attracted new employers in 2011, as well as catalyzing investments in facility and operating expansions by existing local businesses, driving significant in-state job growth. More

2011 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recognizing Individual States for Excellence in Economic Development and Job Creation

Area Development Special Presentation (Spring 2011)

This year , three states, Indiana, Michigan, and South Carolina, are being awarded Gold Shovels in recognition of projects undertaken in 2010 creating a significant number of high value-added new jobs as well as investment. More

2010 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: New York Wins Gold

Area Development Special Presentation (June/July 10)

Even in tough economic times, states and local communities engage in intense competition for major projects that bring in significant investment and cherished jobs and increase the tax base. The 2010 Gold Shovel Awards honor the states most successful in these endeavors. More

2009 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards

Area Development Special Presentation (June/July 09)

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. More
Gold & Silver Shovel Winners

2008 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Jun/Jul 08)

Area Development's annual Gold and Silver Shovel awards honor states that have generated top job-creation and investment projects across the nation. These states are highly active in business development, from conducting foreign trade missions to crafting innovative incentive packages and work-force development programs - all of which attract new companies, stimulate investment, create jobs, and strengthen tax bases. More

2007 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Jun/Jul 07)

Area Development's annual Gold and Silver Shovel awards honor states that have generated top job-creation and investment projects across the nation. More

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