All Sections

Site Selection

Facility Planning

Workforce Development

Business+Place

AD Editorial Board

Alan Reeves

Senior Managing Director, Newmark
Alexandra Segers

General Manager, Tochi Advisors
Amy Gerber

Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield
Bradley Migdal

Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Brian Corde

Managing Partner, Atlas Insight
Brian Gallagher

Vice President, Corporate Development, Graycor
Chris Schwinden

Vice President, Site Selection Group
Chris Volney

Senior Director, Labor Analytics, CBRE
Courtney Dunbar

Site Selection & Economic Development Leader, Burns & McDonnell
Dan White

Director, Government Consulting and Fiscal Policy Research, Moody's Analytics
David Hickey

Managing Director, Hickey & Associates
Dennis Cuneo

Director, Site Selection Services, Walbridge
Eric Stavriotis

Vice Chairman, CBRE
Josh Bays

Senior Partner, Site Selection Group, LLC
Kate Crowley

Principal, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
Marc Beauchamp

Managing Director, Hickey Canada
Matt Powers

Executive Vice President, Retail/E-Commerce Distribution, JLL
Scott J. Ziance

Partner and Economic Incentives Practice Leader, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Scott Kupperman

Founder, Kupperman Location Solutions
Stephen Gray

President & CEO, Gray, Inc.
Steven Tozier

Managing Director, Ernst & Young LLP

Annual Econdev Awards

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Chipmaker Intel Adding Semiconductor Facilities in Arizona

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Blue Star Manufacturing Ramps Up PPE Production in Virginia

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Samsung Makes Its Largest U.S. Investment in Texas

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Working to expand semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., Samsung is adding to its presence in Texas with a $17 billion investment. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Regeneron Expanding Research, Manufacturing in New York

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

The company’s response to COVID-19 is widely known, and it is building out its R&D and manufacturing in Tarrytown, N.Y. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Oracle America, Inc. Establishing Second U.S. Headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

The Oracle project along the Cumberland River includes spending on public infrastructure improvements. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Supply Chain Needs to Be Met by U.S. Steel’s New Arkansas Mill

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ford Motor Co. To Turn Out EV Trucks and Batteries in Tennessee

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

The Blue Oval City development is said to be Tennessee’s biggest investment ever. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: The J.M. Smucker Company Investing in Alabama

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Smucker’s investment in Jefferson County, Alabama, for a new frozen sandwich plant promises large-scale job creation. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Toyota Motor North America, Inc. to Produce EV Batteries in North Carolina

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Initially expected to produce batteries for 200,000 EVs annually, future expansions will ramp that up enough to power 1.2 million EVs annually. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Apple to Open East Coast Campus in North Carolina and Invest in Local Schools

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Ford/SK Innovation To Make Batteries for EVs in Kentucky

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

According to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, this is the single largest investment in the history of the state. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: CoStar Group Expanding in Richmond, Virginia

(Q2 2022)

When the firm’s project is completed, it will occupy more than one million square feet along the James River. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: FinTech Leader Fiserv Adding Jobs in New Jersey

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Fiserv will attract top talent to its N.J. hub by partnering with local universities, including Rutgers University – Newark. More

2022 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: EV Startup Canoo Inc. Plans Oklahoma “Mega Microfactory”

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Mid-America Industrial Park will be the site of Canoo’s new auto manufacturing facility. More

Area Development’s 17th Annual Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts — First Two Platinum Shovels Awarded

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

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

Annual Econdev Awards

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

(Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Project Announcements

Volkswagen Group Plans St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, North American Gigafactory

03/20/2023

NYX Linden Expands Linden, Tennessee, Manufacturing Operations

03/20/2023

Arcosa Wind Towers Plans Belen, New Mexico, Wind-Tower Manufacturing Plant

03/20/2023

The Federal Metal Company Plans North Little Rock, Arkansas, Manufacturing Plant