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2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Project of the Year: Amazon Starts Hiring for Virginia HQ2

Workforce development efforts are under way at the Amazon HQ2 project in Arlington County, Va., which will ultimately employ 25,000.

Q2 2020
AMAZON HAS BEEN A HUGE job-creator and headline-generator year-in and year-out, and 2019 was no exception. The company already had more than 10,000 on its payroll in Virginia even before it named Arling¬ton County winner of the coveted HQ2 prize, and that announcement promised another 25,000 jobs. As 2019 progressed, so did that landmark project, a Shovel Awards Project of the Year.

By year-end, the first few hundred of the 25,000 had been hired, and local officials approved millions of dollars in growth incentives. Metropolitan Park is where the growth is to be based, on a campus set to include a couple of high-rise office buildings, neighborhood retail options, a daycare center, and a meeting facility. Amazon is designing its primary buildings with sustainability in mind, with goals going well beyond what’s required for LEED Platinum cer¬tification. The company also spent the year connecting with local nonprofit and community groups and laying the groundwork for workforce develop¬ment efforts.

It’ll take some time for the big picture to really take shape. The hiring goal of 25,000 is a long-term projection, over perhaps a decade. In the mean¬time, Amazon also made headlines elsewhere in the country in 2019 as it continued to build out its distribution network.

2020 Gold Shovel Awards: The Winning States

  • Texas (12+ Million Population)
  • Virginia (8 to 12 Million Population)
  • Tennessee (5 to 8 Million Population)
  • Utah (3 to 5 Million Population)
  • Mississippi (Under 3 Million Population)

2020 Silver Shovel Awards

12+ Million Population Category

  • Florida

8+ to 12 Million Population Category

  • Georgia
  • Michigan
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio

5+ to 8 Million Population Category

  • Arizona
  • Missouri

3+ to 5 Million Population Category

  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Oklahoma

Under 3 Million Population Category

  • Kansas
  • Nebraska
SlideshowTop 2019 Projects By State

2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Projects Of The Year (2019)

Project Location Jobs Investment
Raytheon Missile Systems Tucson, AZ 1,000 N/A*
Apple, Inc. Austin, TX 5,000 $1 billion
Qualtrics LLC Utah County, UT 2,245 $45 million
Amazon Arlington County, VA 25,000 $2.5 billion
*Confidential
Close

2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Top 2019 Projects By State

  • 2019 Top Projects: *Texas

    Population: 28.70 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Apple, Inc.** Austin N 5,000 $1 billion Tech Products
    2. JPMorgan Chase Bank Plano N 4,000 $106 million Financial Services
    3. Uber Technologies Dallas N 3,000 $75.1 million Software Development
    4. Indeed Austin E 3,000 $29.8 million Internet Technology
    5. Allstate Insurance Co. Irving E 1,300 $11 million Insurance
    6. Steel Dynamics Southwest, LLC Sinton N 592 $1.9 billion Steel
    7. Bayport Polymers LLC (Baystar) Pasadena N 25 $810 million Petrochemicals
    8. Google Midlothian N 40 $600 million Data Center
    9. Phillips 66 Sweeny E 10 $500 million Natural Gas
    10. AW Texas Cibolo N 900 $400 million Auto Parts Technology
    *Sponsor: Lubbock Economic Development Alliance
    **Project of the Year
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Florida

    Population: 21.48 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Tellus Broward County E 30 $109.3 million IT
    2. NBC Universal Orange County E 150 $348 million Corporate HQ
    3. UPS Jacksonville E 270 $76.7 million Distribution
    4. Minimise USA Hillsborough County N 115 $81.1 million Corporate HQ
    5. VTMAE** Pensacola E 1,325 $210.1 million Aviation/Aerospace
    6. Lockheed Martin Corp. Orlando E 1,314 $300 million Defense/Homeland Security
    7. Alta Resources Fort Myers E 577 $21.3 million Corporate HQ
    8. Kroger Lake County N 350 $83.1 million Logistics/Distribution
    9. Royal Caribbean Miami E 100 $300 million Corporate HQ
    10. Starwood Capital Group Holdings Miami E 293 $110 million Corporate HQ
    *Sponsor: Enterprise Florida, Inc.
    **Sponsors: FloridaWest EDA & Florida’s Great Northwest
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Virginia

    Population: 8.63 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Amazon** Arlington County N 25,000 $2.5 billion Headquarters
    2. Incentive Technology Group (ITG) Arlington County E 1,000 $5.1 million IT
    3. Volvo Trucks North America Pulaski County E 777 $400 million Heavy Trucks
    4. Morgan Olsen, LLC Pittsylvania County N 703 $57.8 million Walk-in Step Vans
    5. Wegmans Hanover County N 700 $206 million Distribution
    6. PPD, Inc. Henrico County E 200 $63.7 million Contract Research
    7. Merck & Co., Inc. Rockingham County E 152 $1 billion Bio pharmaceuticals
    8. PointOne. Developments Ltd Fauquier County N 72 $265 million Data Center
    9. Hershey Chocolate of Virginia, Inc. Augusta County E 65 $104.4 million Food Products
    10. WestRock Covington E N/A $248.4 million Corrugated Containers
    *Sponsor: Virginia Economic Development Partnership
    ** Project of the Year
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Georgia

    Population: 10.62 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Amazon Stone Mountain N 1,000 $237.1 million Distribution
    2. Home Depot Cobb County E 919 $42 million Tech/Software Development
    3. Stitch Fix Lithia Springs N 981 $15.5 million Distribution
    4. Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. Palmetto N 575 $77.6 million Distribution
    5. Wayfair, Inc. Athens N 503 $7.7 million Call Center
    6. Invesco Atlanta E 500 $70 million Financial Services
    7. Guidoni McRae-Helena N 455 $96.6 million Quartz Mfg.
    8. Kroger/Ocado Forest Park N 410 $121 million Food Distribution
    9. Irving Consumer Products Macon E 159 $400 million Paper Products Mfg.
    10. Ball Corp. Rome E 187 $283.5 million Beverage Packaging
    *Sponsors: Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Ports Authority
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Michigan

    Population: 9.99 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC Wayne County E 6,433 $4.4 billion Automotive
    2. Ford Motor Co. Wayne County E 3,000 $1.5 billion Automotive
    3. Ari-El Enterprises Oakland County N 2,183 $63 million Real Estate Brokerage
    4. Amazon Kent County N 1,000 $150 million Distribution
    5. KLA Corp. Washington County N 600 $217.8 million Electronic Equipment
    6. My Locker Wayne County E 452 $20.4 million Custom Apparel
    7. Webasto Roof Systems, Inc. Wayne County E 441 $47.9 million Automotive Parts
    8. Acrisure Kent County E 400 $33.2 million Financial Services
    9. Roskam Baking Co. Kent County E 238 $85.2 million Food Processing
    10. Shunli Steel Group Monroe County N 110 $119.3 million Steel Products
    *Sponsor: Michigan Economic Development Corporation
  • 2019 Top Projects: North Carolina

    Population: 10.38 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Mecklenburg County N 1,612 $153.9 million IT
    2. Chewy.com Rowan County N 1,200 $55 million Distribution/Logistics
    3. Chime Solutions Mecklenburg County N 1,000 $7 million Business & Financial Services
    4. Microsoft Wake & Mecklenburg Cos N 930 $71.4 million IT
    5. Q2 Solutions Durham County N 749 $84 million Biotechnology
    6. Pendo.io, Inc. Wake County E 590 $34.6 million IT
    7. Bharat Forge Lee County N 460 $170.9 million Metal Forging
    8. Cree Inc. Durham County E 420 $500 million IT
    9. Merck & Co., Inc. Durham County E 391 $650 million Bio- pharmaceuticals
    10. Pfizer Lee County E 300 $500 million Pharmaceuticals
  • 2019 Top Projects: Ohio

    Population: 11.69 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. AMG Vanadium LLC Washington N 102 $200.7 million Energy/Chemicals
    2. Ensemble RCM, LLC Springdale E 1,600 $14.5 million Healthcare Corporate Offices
    3. Total Quality Logistics, LLC Union E 594 $13 million Logistics/Distribution
    4. Apex Power Group LLC Valley N 25 $1.6 billion Energy/Chemicals
    5. Fortress Transportation & Southeast Infrastructure Investors LLC Southeast Ohio N 30 $500 million Energy/Chemicals
    6. Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc. Troy E 400 $183.2 million Food Sciences
    7. Carvana, LLC Heath N 400 $22.7 million e-Commerce/Distribution
    8. Walmart Associates, Inc. Groveport N 525 $14.7 million Logistics/Distribution
    9. North Star Bluescope Steel LLC York E 90 $459 million Steel
    10. Willams Lea Inc. Columbus N 500 $4 million Business Services
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Tennessee

    Population: 6.77 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Smile Direct Club, LLC Nashville E 2,010 $217 million Corporate Offices
    2. Volkswagen Group of Americas Chattanooga E 1,000 $800 million Automotive
    3. Fedex Logistics Memphis E 689 $494.1 million Logistics
    4. JNJ Express Memphis E 610 $83.6 million Corporate Offices
    5. Arrive Logistics Chattanooga E 500 $3.6 million Logistics
    6. Western Express, Inc. Nashville E 225 $88 million Freight Trucking
    7. Hyosung Heavy Industries Memphis E 410 $87 million Motors/Generators
    8. Mueller Water Products Kimball E 325 $41 million Industrial Valves
    9. Pilot.com, Inc. Nashville N 455 $6.3 million Computer Services
    10. STULZ Air Technology Systems, Inc. Dayton E 250 $2 million A/C/Heating, Industrial Refrigeration Eqpt.
    *Sponsor: Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development
  • 2019 Top Projects: **Arizona

    Population: 7.17 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Raytheon Missile Systems*** Tucson E 1,000 N/A* Aerospace & Defense
    2. Microsoft Goodyear & El Mirage N 110 N/A* IT
    3. Fox Corp. Tempe E N/A* $150 million IT
    4. Fairlife Goodyear N 186 $200 million Consumer Products
    5. Red Bull Glendale N 144 $149 million Consumer Products
    6. State Farm Tempe E 1,100 N/A Banking/Finance/Ins.
    7. Farmer’s Insurance Phoenix E 943 $32 million Banking/Finance/Ins.
    8. Shellpoint Mortgage Tempe E 1,350 $13.8 million Banking/Finance/Ins.
    9. USAA Phoenix N 1,000 $20 million Banking/Finance/Ins.
    10. Opendoor Labs Tempe E 804 $21.2 million IT
    *Confidential
    **Sponsor: Arizona Commerce Authority
    ***Project of the Year
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Missouri

    Population: 6.14 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Boeing St. Charles/St. Louis E 2,000 $70 million Aerospace
    2. USDA Kansas City N 525 N/A AgTech
    3. Bayer AG St. Louis E 500 $164 million AgTech
    4. Benson Hill Biosystems St. Louis E 300 $52 million AgTech
    5. Safety National Casualty Corp. Maryland Heights E 300 $32 million Financial Services
    6. 1st Phorm St. Louis E 250 $20 million Nutritional Products
    7. ChowNow Kansas City N 173 $2 million Financial Services
    8. Niagara Bottling Kansas City N 49 $68 million Bottled Water
    9. Medline Industries St. Peters N 150 $47.5 million Logistics/Distribution
    10. Waddell & Reed, Inc. Kansas City E 1,039 $89.8 million Financial/Professional Services
    *Sponsor: Missouri One Start
  • 2019 Top Projects: Utah

    Population: 3.21 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Qualtrics LLC* Utah County E 2,245 $45 million IT
    2. BlueVine Capital Inc. Salt Lake County N 1,449 $20 million Financial Services
    3. Brex, Inc. Salt Lake County N 1,000 $23.4 million Financial Services
    4. Weave Communications, Inc. Utah County E 997 $65 million IT
    5. Ancestry US Utah County E 506 $10.5 million IT
    6. Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. Utah County N 500 $286 million Food Mfg./Distribution
    7. Oatly Inc. Weber County N 50 $40 million Food Mfg./Distribution
    8. GE Healthcare Cache County E 68 $31 million Life Sciences
    9. Amazon Web Services Salt Lake County N 300 $25.4 million IT
    10. Quick Base Inc. Salt Lake County N 485 $713,500 IT
    *Project of the Year
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Kentucky

    Population: 4.47 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. UPS Worldport II Louisville E 1,000 $750 million Distribution/Logistics
    2. Ford Motor Co. LAP Louisville E 185 $550 million Automotive
    3. CMWA Paris E 145 $111.9 million Automotive
    4. Pinkerton Tobacco Co. LP Owensboro E 120 $100 million Tobacco
    5. Georgia Pacific Consumer Operations LLC Bowling Green E 50 $100 million Paper Products
    6. AppHarvest, Inc. Morehead N 285 $85 million Agritech
    7. Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems Kentucky Danville E 83 $82.7 million Aerospace
    8. Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC Bowling Green E 94 $65.1 million Automotive
    9. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Erlanger N 593 $34.1 million Air Transportation Services
    10. Lakeshore Learning Materials Midway E 100 $27.6 million Distribution/Logistics
    *Sponsor: Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Louisiana

    Population: 4.7 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. LHC Group Lafayette E 500 $45 million Healthcare HQ
    2. Medline Covington N 464 $53 million Distribution/Logistics
    3. South Louisiana Methanol St. James Parish N 75 $2.2 billion Chemical Processing
    4. Methanex Geismar E 62 $1.4 billion Chemical Processing
    5. SNF Plaquemine E 150 $375 million Polymers
    6. Shell Chemical Geismar E 23 $1.2 billion Chemical Processing
    7. Exxon Mobil Baton Rouge E 65 $469 million Chemical Processing
    8. Valero/Diamond Green Diesel Norco E 54 $1.5 billion Fuel Refining
    9. Bagwell Energy Delcambre E 240 $2.5 million Energy Services
    10. EY New Orleans E 200 $2 million HQ/Financial Services
    *Sponsor: Louisiana Economic Development
  • 2019 Top Projects: Oklahoma

    Population: 3.94 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Tinker Air Force Sustainment Center Oklahoma City E 1,300 $120.5 million Aerospace/Defense
    2. Enable Midstream Services LLC Oklahoma City E 75 $1 billion EnergyServices
    3. TTEC Digital Inc. Oklahoma City N 450 $2.5 million Information Services
    4. Google North America Pryor E 100 $600 million Data Center
    5. Kimberly-Clark Corp. Jenks E 65 $132.7 million Paper Mfg.
    6. Preferred Sands of Oklahoma LLC Oakwood N 150 $112 million Mining
    7. Tubacex Durant, LLC Durant N 126 $44 million Tubing Products
    8. Kimray Inc. Oklahoma City E 355 $77 million Control Equipment
    9. Milo’s Tea Company Inc. Tulsa N 150 $55.5 million Beverages
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Mississippi

    Population: 2.9 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. Entergy Nuclear Hinds & Clairborne Counties E 320 $127.1 million Energy
    2. Baxter International Bolivar County E 70 $72.7 million Medical Eqpt.
    3. Kohler Engines Forrest County E 250 $13.6 million Engines
    4. ESCO (The Weir Group) Newton County E 150 $50 million Mining Machinery/Eqpt.
    5. VT Halter Marine Jackson County E 900 $37.5 million Shipbuilding/Repair
    6. Relativity Space Hancock County E 190 $59 million Aerospace
    7. Correlle Brands Marshall County N/E 450 $30.1 million Plastics Mfg./Distribution
    8. Amazon Desoto County E 500 $100 million Distribution
    9. Medline Industries Desoto County N 450 $46 million Distribution
    10. Spectra Laboratories Desoto County N 300 $88 million Life Sciences
    *Sponsor: Mississippi Development Authority
  • 2019 Top Projects: *Kansas

    Population: 2.91 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. King of Freight Wichita E 1,060 $1.1 million Freight Brokerage
    2. SelectQuote Insurance Services Overland Park E 968 $10.1 million Insurance Brokerage
    3. 1 Vision Aviation, PLLC Salina N 900 $5.2 million Aerospace
    4. Faith Technologies Olathe E 780 $38.5 million Pre-fab Electrical Products
    5. A Place for Mom Overland N 622 $5 million Back Office Park Operations
    6. CarMaxAuto Superstores, Inc. Olathe N 315 $5 million Back Office Operations
    7. Resers Fine Foods Topeka E 301 $54 million Food Processing
    8. Walmart Topeka N 300 $235 million Logistics/Distribution
    9. Advisors Excel Holdings, LLC Topeka E 275 $14.4 million Insurance & Brokerage
    10. Empirical Foods, Inc. Garden City N 300 $252 million Food Processing
    *Sponsor: Kansas Department of Commerce
  • 2019 Top Projects: Nebraska

    Population: 1.92 million


    Company City N/E Job Creation Investment Industry
    1. LinkedIn Corp. Omaha E 540 $70 million IT
    2. Monolith Materials, Inc. Hallam N 100 $100 million Natural Gas Products
    3. The Scoular Co. Seward N 100 $51.2 million Pet Foods
    4. Merck Animal Health Lincoln E 50 $103 million Pharmaceuticals
    5. Great Plains Beef, LLC Lincoln E 40 $360 million Meat Processing
    6. Google Omaha N 30 $600 million Data Center
    7. Thunderhead Wind Energy, LLC Neligh N 15 $309.1 million Wind Energy
    8. Plum Creek Wind, LLC Wayne N 10 $209.1 million Wind Energy
    9. Kawaski Motors Mfg. Corp., USA Lincoln E 50 $12.6 milion Aerospace
    10. Avansya Blair E N/A $50 million Sweetners
  • 2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Projects Of The Year (2019)

    Project Location Jobs Investment
    Raytheon Missile Systems Tucson, AZ 1,000 N/A*
    Apple, Inc. Austin, TX 5,000 $1 billion
    Qualtrics LLC Utah County, UT 2,245 $45 million
    Amazon Arlington County, VA 25,000 $2.5 billion
    *Confidential

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