Methodology
Area Development’s annual 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 asked for information from all 50 states about their top job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2022. 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 company investments, the number of new facilities, and the diversity of industry represented — five states achieving the highest weighted overall scores were awarded Area Development’s Gold Shovels in five population categories: fewer than 2 million, 2+ to 4 million, 4+ to 6 million, 6+ to 10 million, and 10+ million. The runners-up in each of the above population categories earned Silver Shovels. This year, just one state was given our Platinum Shovel award in recognition of the fact that the state went beyond the Gold standard for job creation and investment.
2023 PLATINUM Shovel Awards: The Winning States
- North Carolina (10+ Million Population)
2023 Gold Shovel Awards: The Winning States
- Ohio (10+ Million Population)
- Arizona (6+ to 10 Million Population)
- Kentucky (4+ to 6 Million Population)
- Kansas (2+ to 4 Million Population)
- Idaho (Under 2 Million Population)
2023 Silver Shovel Awards
10+ Million Population Category
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Texas
6+ to 10 Million Population Category
- Virginia
- Indiana
- Tennessee
4+ to 6 Million Population Category
- Alabama
- South Carolina
- Wisconsin
2+ to 4 Million Population Category
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Mississippi
- Utah
Under 2 Million Population Category
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
In 2022, the pandemic was fading, the economy was sizzling, and growth was continuing to generate exciting economic development headlines. And interestingly, many of the headlines were linked to a different critical challenge as daunting as the pandemic, potentially even more so. That would be the challenge of climate change. Concerns about the environment are accelerating the shift to electric transportation, and in 2022, that shift was a catalyst for huge projects across the country.
The latest Shovel Awards reflect this in a big way. Many of the biggest recent projects involve the manufacture of electric vehicles or the batteries that power them — check the sidebar for more on that. Meanwhile, many other projects driving this round of Shovel Awards reflect the increasingly active domestic semiconductor industry, fueled in part by federal incentives and in part by an ever-increasing hunger for chips that has driven painful shortages. And as noted in the related sidebar on that sector, some of those shortages can be linked to the impact of the COVID pandemic.
Our Shovel Award honors are based on information shared with us by state economic development officials. The info was current at the time it was provided, though it goes without saying that from time to time, plans are later revised or delayed by unforeseen circumstances.
We’ve spotlighted states whose project activity has been exceptionally strong by bestowing Gold Shovel and Silver Shovel awards. And like last year, we’ve put a Platinum Shovel spotlight on one state with job creation and investment activity that is even further above and beyond. Read on for the latest good news!
First, the Platinum
North Carolina earns another Platinum Shovel with a list of major projects that covers most of the economic bases. Leading the way is one of our Manufacturing Project of the Year awards, which happens to be one of the many related to the manufacture of electric vehicles, or EVs. A Vietnamese newcomer to this sector, VinFast plans to hire as many as 7,500 people at a plant in Moncure, North Carolina, which is slated to be operational by 2025.
VinFast is to be a $4 billion investment. Semiconductor maker Wolfspeed one-ups that news with a $5 billion deal to manufacture silicon carbide wafers in Siler City. The wafers are used to form semiconductors, and the company’s chip-related products will help make EVs go — Wolfspeed has partnerships with General Motors, among other automakers. The Siler City plant is to create about 1,800 jobs.
Nearly as many jobs are promised in Greensboro by Boom Supersonic, which is gearing up to make supersonic airliners that go by the name Overture. The company boasts more than 130 orders for Overture aircraft already, and beyond the ability to fly twice as fast as the average commercial airliner, the Overture runs on sustainable aviation fuel, so there’s yet another environmental angle. The company’s Greensboro investment is about half a billion dollars.
North Carolina has covered most of the bases with its recent economic news — with another sector being retailing. Macy’s intends to create 2,800 distribution jobs in China Grove, with an investment of more than half a billion dollars in an automated fulfillment center, earning the project one of our Non-Manufacturing Project of the Year awards.
The pharmaceuticals sector shows up big-time, too. Eli Lilly and Co. has promised to spend nearly a billion dollars and hire nearly 600 people at a brand-new manufacturing facility in Concord that will make injectable products and devices. The company cited local manufacturing technology experience and the proximity of science-focused universities among its decision points.
Also, in pharmaceuticals, BestCo is expanding in Mooresville. The company makes over-the-counter drugs and supplements and has promised a $177 million investment that’ll create nearly 400 jobs. Another life sciences win is the $188 million FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific facility in Research Triangle Park that will make cell culture media and create about a hundred jobs.
The state’s success spreads to food processing. SOPAKCO, which specializes in shelf-stable combat rations for the military (among other customers), plans 440 jobs in Laurinburg, while Believer Meats will make what’s known as cultivated meat in Wilson at the world’s largest facility of its type. The state’s other major announcements are in the fields of steel, specialty chemicals, and nuclear power.
2023 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Projects Of The Year (2022)
2023 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Top 2022 Projects By State
Automotive manufacturing is nothing new in Ohio, where Chevy, Honda, Ford and Acura models roll off assembly lines in large numbers. So, it’s hardly surprising that the state would take home a Gold Shovel Award with the help of lots of automotive announcements related to EVs. The biggest new deal involves Honda and LG Energy Solution partnering to make lithium-ion batteries for Honda EVs. It’s an investment of more than $4 billion with a job count that could exceed 2,500.
The need for EV batteries is also driving the creation of nearly 1,200 jobs in Sidney, where SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group is investing nearly a billion dollars. The factory will make separator film, a component in EV batteries. Ford, meanwhile, is spending a billion and a half dollars at its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The plan would add 1,800 jobs making electric commercial vehicles.
Ohio boasts two of the Projects of the Year this time around. One is truly a megadeal — a $20 billion, 3,000 job semiconductor plant announced by Intel Corp. is recognized as a Manufacturing Project of the Year. That Intel plant is still under construction but its spot on the map is fast becoming a hot property — already, other tech companies are planning their own nearby projects. And the $150 million Medpace Inc. expansion in Cincinnati is recognized as a Non-Manufacturing Project of the Year. The clinical contract research organization offers development services in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors and plans to add 1,500 jobs.
In 2022, the pandemic was fading, the economy was sizzling, and growth was continuing to generate exciting economic development headlines. Arizona takes home a Gold Shovel Award that also owes a lot to semiconductor and EV developments. In Queen Creek, LG Energy Solution announced a $1.4 billion investment to create its first U.S. cylindrical EV battery plant, where production is to begin in 2025. And, as if that 1,500 job project wasn’t enough, the company followed up this spring by upping its planned investment to $5.5 billion, adding a lithium iron phosphate battery facility that’ll open in 2026. Meanwhile, American Battery Factory pledged a $1.2 billion lithium iron phosphate battery plant in Tucson that will employ a thousand people once it scales up between 2026 and 2028.
Chip-related projects are in the works from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in Phoenix, worth $28 billion with a boost of 2,500 jobs (a Manufacturing Project of the Year), along with semiconductor chemical suppliers Chang Chun Arizona and KPCT Advanced Chemicals, both of which are coming to Casa Grande. Chang Chun promises as many as 300 jobs in its $300 million facility that should begin production in 2024, while KPCT is investing $200 million in a 65 job plant that will open by 2025.
Still, the Arizona story is well-rounded, with announcements in a number of other sectors. That includes a Corning fiberoptic cable plant in Gilbert, Nestlé USA creamer production facility in Glendale, a Nucor steel expansion in Kingman, a Procter & Gamble consumer products production operation in Coolidge, XNRGY’s U.S. headquarters and production of air handling equipment in Mesa, and FrameTec production of roof and floor trusses as well as wall panels in Camp Verde. And Sendoso, a tech company, is moving headquarters and a thousand jobs from California to Phoenix.
Kentucky earns a Gold Shovel with a characteristic blend of automotive, logistics, and local adult beverage flavor. It, too, rakes in the EV-related jobs, with the Envision AESC facility in Bowling Green leading the way with an expected 2,000 jobs, and recognized as a Manufacturing Project of the Year. Ascend Elements will be recycling EV batteries and making engineered cathode active materials in Hopkinsville, a billion-dollar deal worth about 400 jobs. In Louisville, Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant is expanding to the tune of $700 million and 500 jobs, preparing for production of the F-Series Super Duty truck.
Another project driven by climate change is the EnerVenue facility planned in Shelby County. About 450 people will make energy storage equipment there. Mayfield Consumer Products is recovering from severe tornado damage with a project that could create nearly 500 jobs. Catalent’s flagship pharma operation in Winchester is growing, and there are logistics projects involving Trader Joe’s in Franklin, Amazon Air in Hebron, and longtime Louisville logistics player UPS. As for the adult beverages, Beam Suntory’s expansion in the Kentucky community of Boston will make more Jim Beam while producing fewer greenhouse emissions, while bourbon-maker Sazerac is investing $600 million to build bourbon-barrel warehouses and expand its cooperage in the community of London.
As mentioned in the sidebar on EVs and batteries, Gold Shovel winner Kansas lands on the EV map in a big way with a Panasonic Energy Co. lithium-ion battery plant in De Soto worth as many as 4,000 jobs, which is recognized as a Manufacturing Project of the Year. That’s definitely a big deal, especially in a smaller state. But the state also records logistics wins that reflect its central location and a host of food processing and agribusiness deals that tap into its agricultural heritage.
On the logistics side, a Clorox distribution project in Olathe is worth as many as 250 jobs. Simmons Pet Food is creating 175 jobs in Edgerton for warehousing and distribution of its private-label pet products, a nice complement for the planned $115 million production expansion at its Emporia facility that will add 177 jobs. Other food processing announcements include Cargill Meat Solutions in Dodge City, JTM Foods in Wichita, and a $326 million state-of-the-art Heartland Coca-Cola production campus in Olathe. Other expansions include projects at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Topeka, Pratt Industries in Park City, McCarty Dairy in Rexford, Kubota/Great Plains Manufacturing in Salina, and at pharmaceutical maker Hospira in McPherson.
The Gold Shovel for the smallest states, population-wise, goes to Idaho, where the good news is led by the 2,000-job, $15 billion Micron expansion in Boise, a Manufacturing Project of the Year, which is mentioned in the sidebar on semiconductor production. The remainder of Idaho’s list of projects is a diverse assortment of plans that foretell a healthy economic future.
In Nampa, for example, The Stow Co. plans to make its custom closet organizers and home organization systems, and Materne is expanding its GoGo Squeez production facility that makes healthy foods in easy-to-tote packaging. Suntado will be making shelf-stable milk and other beverages in Burley, a big boost for area dairy farmers. And in Boise, Black Market Gelato is investing in production of gelatos and sorbets that it claims are “so good, hard to believe it’s legal.” Idaho also boasts such wins as a new, $850 million Meta data center in Kuna, an Equifax expansion in in Boise, and growth at the headquarters of Wild Rye in Ketchum, maker of women’s outdoor apparel.
Silver Shovels for the Runners-Up
States with Population 10+ Million
Continuing the high-level theme for this year’s honors, EV and battery projects are all over the Silver Shovel states, too, and tend to be among the biggest deals that brought Shovel honors.
Georgia landed one of the biggest, the Hyundai project in Ellabell, which is recognized as a Manufacturing Project of the Year. It’s a $5.5 billion plant that is expected to employ more than 8,000 people and turn out as many as 300,000 cars a year. But it’s not the only game of this kind for Georgia — Norway’s FREYR has a $2.6 billion battery plant in the works in Newnan that will employ about 700. This plant is slated for energy storage in general, not just for cars, but the company says it has gotten lots of interest from EV manufacturers.
In Silver Shovel winner Michigan, General Motors is spending $4 billion in Orion Township where it will build full-size EV pickups. Add to that the $2.5 billion Ultium Cells project in Lansing, the $1.7 billion LG Energy Solution project in Holland, the Magna Electric Vehicle Structures expansion in St. Clair, and the $1.6 billion Our Next Energy project in Novi (a Manufacturing Project of the Year), and that’s a whole lot of EV-related jobs in an automotive state.
Though there aren’t any deals related to EVs on the top projects list from Silver Shovel honoree Texas, there’s plenty of growth tied to semiconductors, resources, and petrochemicals. The community of Sherman’s economic future is ensured by the massive Texas Instruments $29 billion deal that will create 3,000 jobs, a Manufacturing Project of the Year, along with a $5 billion, 1,500-job GlobiTech expansion.
Concerns about the environment are accelerating the shift to electric transportation, and in 2022, that shift was a catalyst for huge projects across the country. A promising resources-related development is in Amarillo, where CVRM (Texas) Inc. is dropping $1.5 billion into critical mineral refining and planning to hire a thousand people in early phases, then more than double the payroll in future phases. Meanwhile, though the job counts are lower, the investments are also impressive in Gregory, Texas, where Cheniere Energy is spending $8 billion to expand its LNG plant, and in Beaumont, where OCI is spending a billion dollars on an ammonia plant.
Of course, the economies of these three Silver Shovel states, which large populations, are driven by much more than just EVs, chips, and chemicals. There’s food, for example. Jack Link’s will be hiring as many as 800 people to make beef jerky in Perry, Georgia. Tropicale Foods will be making the frozen treat known as paleta in Lubbock, Texas, with a plan to hire 500 people. Meanwhile, a Greece-based maker of natural snack foods, Unismack, is on the way to Kentwood, Michigan.
Then there are the thousand aerospace jobs on the way at Archer Aviation in Covington, Georgia, and 400 at Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing in Kerrville, Texas. Also, in Texas, TIAA plans 2,000 financial services jobs in Frisco, while CelLink Corp. has a similar number of electronics jobs on the way in Georgetown. And Norma Precision Ammunition is moving its U.S. headquarters, manufacturing, and distribution to Georgia, where it will create 600 jobs.
EVs and Lithium-Ion Battery Projects
| Company | City/County | # Jobs | Inv. Amt. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC | Montgomery, AL | 200 | $300 million |
| Mobis North America Electrified Powertrain, LLC | Montgomery, AL | 400 | $205.1 million |
| LG Energy Solution | Queen Creek, AZ | 1,500 | $1.4 billion |
| American Battery Factory | Tucson, AZ | 1,000 | $1.2 billion |
| Hyundai Motor Group | Ellabell, GA | 8,100 | $5.5 billion |
| FREYR Battery | Newnan, GA | 700 | $2.6 billion |
| Dieomatic Inc. | Williamsburg, IA | 521 | $46 million |
| T/CCI | Decatur, IL | 50 | $20 million |
| Starplus Energy LLC | Kokomo, IN | 1,400 | $2.7 billion |
| General Motors LLC | Marion, IN | 0 | $453.9 million |
| Panasonic Corporation of America | De Soto, KS | 4,000 | $4 billion |
| Envision AESC US | Bowling Green, KY | 2,000 | $2 billion |
| Ascend Elements, Inc. | Hopkinsville, KY | 400 | $941 million |
| General Motors LLC | Orion Township, MI | 2,300 | $4 billion |
| Ultium Cells LLC | Lansing, MI | 1,700 | $2.5 billion |
| LG Energy Solution Michigan, Inc. | Holland, MI | 1,200 | $1.7 billion |
| Our Next Energy (ONE) | Novi, MI | 2,112 | $1.6 billion |
| Magna Electric Vehicle Structures | St. Clair, MI | 1,224 | $196.4 million |
| Piston Automotive | Wentzville, MO | 204 | $10 million |
| Nissan | Canton, MS | N/A | $500 million |
| VinFast | Moncure, NC | 7,500 | $4 billion |
| Redwood Materials, Inc. | Storey, NV | 701 | $1.1 billion |
| Electrovaya | Elliott, NY | 250 | $75 million |
| GM Components | Lockport, NY | 230 | $117 million |
| Li-Cycle | Rochester, NY | 270 | $359.3 million |
| Hondal/LG Energy Solution | Jefferson Township, Marysville, Anna, East Liberty, OH | 2,527 | $4.2 billion |
| Ford Motor Company | Avon Lake, OH | 2,000 | $1.5 billion |
| SEMCORP Manufacturing USA | Sidney, OH | 1,199 | $915 million |
| Crane Carrier Corporation | New Philadephia, OH | 434 | $15 million |
| Redwood Materials | Ridgeville, SC | 1,500 | $3.5 billion |
| BMW Manufacturing | Woodruff, SC | 300 | $1.7 billion |
| Envision AESC | Florence, SC | 1,170 | $810 million |
| Kontrolmatik Technologies | Walterboro, SC | 575 | $279 million |
| BMW | Greer, SC | 200 | $200 million |
| Ultium Cells LLC | Spring Hill, TN | 400 | $275 million |
| Duksan Electera America, Inc. | Shelbyville, TN | 101 | $94.6 million |
| GreenPower Motor Co. | Kanawha County, WV | 200 | $6.7 million |
States with Population 6+ to 10 million
Three states with populations 6+ to 10 million earned Silver Shovel honors. They, too, will be adding lots of jobs related to EVs, batteries, and semiconductors. But just because we can, we’ll talk first about toys.
One of our Manufacturing Projects of the Year is the LEGO Group’s plan to spend a billion dollars and hire nearly 1,800 people in Silver Shovel winner Virginia, making the distinctive building toys that kids can’t get enough of. The company liked the nearly shovel-ready site with room to grow, and the fact that an Amazon fulfillment center will be a neighbor was very attractive.
Virginia’s Silver Shovel honor isn’t just fun and games, though. The state is tallying hundreds of new jobs in distribution, at World Class Distribution, Amazon, AutoZone, Lowe’s, and MS International. A DroneUp expansion will fly high in Virginia Beach, and Plenty Unlimited is spending $300 million to build the world’s largest vertical farm campus, where millions of pounds of strawberries will grow.
Three billion-dollar deals helped seal the Silver Shovel for Indiana. The biggest is the StarPlus Energy announcement of a $2.7 billion, 1,400 employee lithium-ion battery plant in Kokomo, which is recognized as a Manufacturing Project of the Year. The batteries will power vehicles made by Stellantis, the auto giant created by the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and the PSA Group of France. Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. has expansion plans in the suburban community of Lebanon worth $2 billion or more, while SkyWater Technology is planning a $1.8 billion semiconductor R&D and manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, as a partnership involving the state and nearby Purdue University.
Numerous EV/battery and semiconductor projects helped Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio win Gold Shovel awards. Indiana enjoyed another semiconductor announcement, Nhanced Semiconductors in Odon, and another pharmaceutical deal, the Evonik expansion in Lafayette. Rolls-Royce is adding jobs at its Indianapolis aerospace engine facility, and Andretti Global is building a motorsports headquarters facility in suburban Fishers — all projects worth hundreds of millions in investment dollars each.
In Silver Shovel honoree Tennessee, EV batteries are creating the biggest headlines. Leading the way is the $3.2 billion LG Chem America cathode plant announced in Clarksville, where 860 people will manufacture a component for EV batteries — enough to power more than a million new cars a year. Piedmont Lithium is also planning to make a building block for EV batteries in Etowah (where it’s investing nearly $600 million) and so is Duksan Electera America in Shelbyville. And the Ultium Cells battery plant that Tennessee announced back in 2021 is already expanding and adding 400 jobs — it’s intended as a supplier for the General Motors Spring Hill assembly plant.
Jobs-wise, the biggest Tennessee announcement is the Franklin expansion of the Landmark Recovery business services/headquarters facility, where 1,300 new jobs are on the way for this drug and alcohol addiction treatment services firm. In the world of consumer products, hundreds of new Tennessee jobs are being created by 3M and Georgia-Pacific.
Semiconductor/Chips Projects
| Company | City/County | # Jobs | Inv. Amt. |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSMC | Phoenix, AZ | 2,500 | $28 billion |
| KPCT Advanced Chemicals | Casa Grande, AZ | 65 | $200 million |
| Chang Chun Arizona | Casa Grande, AZ | 300 | $300 million |
| ASML | Wilton, CT | 1,000 | $200 million |
| Micron | Boise, ID | 2,000 | $15 billion |
| SkyWater Technology Foundry, Inc. | West Lafayette, IN | 750 | $1.8 billion |
| Nhanced Semiconductors, Inc. | Odon, IN | 413 | $355.6 million |
| Edwards Vacuum | Alabama, NY | 599 | $319 million |
| Micron | Clay, NY | 9,000 | $100 billion |
| Wolfspeed | Siler City, NC | 1,801 | $5 billion |
| Intel Corporation | New Albany, OH | 3,000 | $20 billion |
| USA Rare Earth LLC | Stillwater, OK | 100 | $100 million |
| GlobiTech, Global Wafers USA | Sherman, TX | 1,500 | $5 billion |
| Texas Instruments | Sherman, TX | 3,000 | $29 billion |
States with Population 4+ to 6 million
In Alabama, aluminum is one of the keys to Silver Shovel designation. Atlanta-based Novelis is building a $2.5 billion aluminum mill in Bay Minette, which made our Manufacturing Projects of the Year list and will lead to a thousand jobs after it opens in 2025. Watch for another thousand new jobs in Mobile, where Airbus is spending $700 million to add another final assembly line to boost production of the A320 passenger aircraft. Speaking of flying, United Launch Alliance is expanding in Decatur to accommodate a contract with Amazon to build three dozen rockets that will send Internet-delivering satellites into orbit.
The impact of climate change is also creating jobs in Alabama, as First Solar spends more than a billion dollars on a photovoltaic solar module manufacturing facility that will create about 700 clean energy jobs. Of course, the EV impact is felt here, too, through the expansion of the Hyundai plant in Montgomery and the launch of the Hyundai Mobis battery module plant nearby. Two separate beverage facilities are planned in the same part of the state, as well — Diageo and Manna Beverages & Ventures.
South Carolina earns a Silver Shovel with a host of projects tied one way or another into EVs and the auto sector in general. The biggest is one of the Manufacturing Projects of the Year, the $3.5 billion Redwood Materials battery operation creating 1,500 jobs. But that’s just the start. Envision AESC is investing $810 million in a state-of-the-art battery cell gigafactory that will employ 1,170, BMW is building a $200 million press shop in Greer, and Bosch will be producing fuel cells in Anderson that will drive hydrogen-powered trucks.
Another South Carolina project sparked by an interest in climate change is the Kontrolmatik Technologies project in Walterboro that will create more than 500 jobs. The facility will make lithium-ion batteries for energy storage systems that can pair up with renewable energy generation or serve as backup power during outages.
Lots of companies are expanding in Wisconsin, enough to warrant a Silver Shovel. Leading the way is a Non-Manufacturing Project of the Year, the Exact Sciences headquarters expansion in Madison that will add some 1,300 new jobs. The company makes Cologuard, the heavily marketed at-home colon cancer screening test, along with tests that doctors can use to individualize cancer treatment.
The state has a pair of expansions related to watercraft — yacht-maker KCS International and shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine Group. Plenty of new jobs are being fed by expansions in the food industry, too. Salm Partners makes sausages and hot dogs, McCain Foods processes appetizers, Masters Gallery Foods packages cheese, and Phelps Pet Products makes jerky treats for dogs.
States with Population 2+ to 4 Million
Food processing is also big business in Silver Shovel winner Arkansas. Tyson Foods is expanding in Bentonville, Hostess Brands in Arkadelphia, and together they’re adding a thousand jobs to the state’s economy. Distribution provides growing employment possibilities in Arkansas, too, including new operations from Tractor Supply, Dollar General, and Lowe’s that together will create nearly a thousand more jobs.
Other projects add to the diversity. Italy-based Fiocchi USA picked Little Rock for an ammunition primer facility that will supply the ammo manufacturing sector. Highbar LLC, a new operation focused on sustainable scrap metal recycling and steel production, will build a rebar steel mini-mill in northeast Arkansas worth a couple hundred jobs and more than $450 million in investment. AFCO Steel is expanding in Little Rock, and Lifeplus International is expanding its Batesville holistic well-being products operation.
The story in Silver Shovel honoree Connecticut is led by two $200 million projects. One involves General Dynamics Electric Boat, a submarine builder that’s the biggest employer in Connecticut and Rhode Island and is adding 1,500 jobs in Groton. The other is AMSL, a semiconductor equipment maker adding a thousand jobs in Wilton. A diverse list of projects bolsters the good-news story, including financial services jobs at Mirador and Apollo Global Management, aerospace jobs at Polamer Precision, distribution jobs at BJ’s Wholesale Club, and careers in biotech at Arvinas. Although EV and semiconductor projects seem to dominate this report, there’s no shortage of projects in the life sciences, food processing, logistics/distribution, and other industrial sectors.
To the south in Mississippi, a Manufacturing Project of the Year leads the way — the expansion of Steel Dynamics in Columbus. It’s a $2.5 billion deal promising a thousand new jobs. In Canton, Nissan Motors is spending $500 million to retool its assembly plant and upskill 2,000 jobs. Nissan and Infiniti EVs will start rolling off the line there in 2025. Sustainable wood bioenergy is fueling the $250 million investment that Enviva Inc. is making in the community of Bond, where 100 new employees will produce wood pellets. CLAW Forestry plans 131 jobs at its $200 million sawmill in Gloster. And there are several hundred new distribution jobs on the way, courtesy of Walmart, Baxter, and Standvast Fulfillment.
Another Non-Manufacturing Project of the Year helped Utah take home a Silver Shovel. LiveView Technologies is investing a third of a billion dollars at its Orem headquarters and plans to hire another 3,400 people. The company’s cloud platform gathers data from cameras aboard portable trailers, offering safety and security. The state’s growth is spread across multiple sectors, including some 800 new financial services jobs through expansion at Morgan Stanley, food processing jobs at Frulact and Blue Core Labs, biotech jobs at an expanding Cytiva, and energy storage manufacturing work at Jabil in Grantsville.
States with Population Under 2 Million
South Dakota is home to just under a million people, so it’s not surprising that most of its Silver Shovel projects are smaller. But they are just as vital to local economies. You can bet the Manitou Group expansion plans in Madison and Yankton will have quite an impact, with some 400 new jobs in heavy machinery. The 130 new jobs created through expansion of Valley Queen Cheese in Milbank are rather tasty, too, for those working directly in the plant as well as the dairy farmers expected to add 30,000 cows to their herds. And a new pet food production line at Royal Canin in North Sioux City will add another 150 jobs.
Nucor is adding a $3.7 billion steel mill with 800 jobs to the economy of Mason County, West Virginia, helping to earn that state a Silver Shovel. Precision Castparts plans a $500 million titanium melt facility that will run on renewable energy and supply aerospace and other industries, creating 200 jobs. CMC Metals plans a metals micro mill with another 235 jobs, GreenPower Motor Company is adding 200 jobs in the manufacture of electric school buses, and Mountaintop Beverage is brewing up nearly 300 beverage-making jobs in Monongalia County, representing a $280 million investment.
