• Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development

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.

• Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development

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.

• Tom Gresham

Growth and collaboration mark the economic development picture in the Plains States, which have joined forces to compete against other more populous regions.

• Christine Bustamante, National Co-Leader, Global Location and Expansion Services, State and Local Tax, KPMG LLP
• Erica Fowler-Johnson, Manager, State and Local Tax, KPMG

Tax incentives have played a key role in differentiating potential data center facility locations.

• Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development

Efforts to diversify their economies have helped the Plains States to weather the downturn in the oil and gas industry.