Business Xpansion Journal: August - September 2024

ILLINOIS: Grow Your Business Here

NEW YORK: Welcome to the State of Opportunity

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Freight Handlers and Ports Managers Step Up Digital Upgrades

Better methods to locate, track and streamline movement of cargo from ports to inland destinations is rapidly changing the freight handling landscape

By David Hodes

INNOVATION AND STRATEGIES: Opportunity Zones Still Finding Their Footing

While still a relatively new program, the opportunity zone concept is facing management and development challenges to its goal of revitalizing cities

By David Hodes

INDUSTRY INSIGHT: Growing the Role of Forestry in Climate Change

As the battle against greenhouse emissions continues to be a top agenda item among world leaders, forests and wood products take center stage

By David Hodes

NEW JERSEY: The Smart Choice

MICHIGAN: Pure Opportunity

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Calling all changemakers, visionaries, influencers, disruptors, and developers, the IEDC 2024 Annual Conference awaits!

Aerial view of the Port of Los Angeles that moves more containers than any other port and is North America’s largest trade gateway.

Freight Handlers and Ports Managers Step Up Digital Upgrades

BY: DAVID HODES

Better methods to locate, track and streamline movement of cargo from ports to inland destinations is rapidly changing the freight handling landscape

Freight movement across the globe is undergoing a shift in overall management, away from the old-school methods of sending emails or spreadsheets to track and manage shipments. Much of what the shipping industry is doing today in updating information and data flow is an indirect result of the pandemic, when shipments were stalled and the movement of products from ports to customers became increasingly difficult.

In a sort of silver lining to the global pandemic, a better way of expediting freight management was born.

Water is the leading transportation mode for U.S. international freight trade by weight and value. U.S. ports handled 1.6 billion tons of imports and exports in 2021. But during the pandemic, it was a common sight to see vessels waiting offshore until a slot opened in congested big ports such as Long Beach and Los Angeles.

A United Nations Maritime Logistics (UNML) case study reported that those two ports experienced massive logjams of container vessels at anchor at the port, with an average of 30 vessels waiting at any given time during the pandemic.

The crisis in those ports abated slightly between mid-April and the end of July, 2021 when the average number of vessels anchored dropped to about ten, then surged to record levels (60-80 vessels) a month later as congestion resumed, mainly due to the peak import season of the late summer and early fall.

By the first half 2022, congestion in the ports began to ease. It was a slightly different scenario at the Port of Seattle. The port had issues with flooding plus delays because of the pandemic, but took a set of emergency measures that included using digital tools shared across port stakeholders.

The UNML case study laid out other lessons learned from adjustments to the effects of the pandemic. For example, in the cases of Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, additional warehousing capacity was recommended which would help solve inland congestion and lack of storage space.

Speeding up the flow of containers moving around at those two ports could help avoid extended dwell times and inefficiencies, according to the case study, with ports and ocean carriers working out a joint strategy to deal with empty containers and ensure their availability to exporters.

A third recommendation from the case study for the ports was that efforts should aim to enable digitally facilitated real-time coordination between the port and inland operators.

“International freight has been determined to be sort of behind the curve in terms of digitalization,” Judah Levine, head of research for Freightos, told BXJ. Freightos operates a booking and payments platform for international freight management to track and exchange data and help the movement of freight.

The platform can connect freight forwarders with both ocean and air carriers. “The freight forwarders and ocean and air carriers can communicate online on a single platform,” Levine said. “They can see all the rate data, and they can communicate back and forth. And most importantly, place bookings online.”

Previously that SOP work flow action involved a lot of phone calls and emails, he said. There’s a lot of movement to track. “There’s almost an infinite combination of origins and destinations,” Levine said. “There’s a range of prices and pricing based on all these different considerations. Up until now, this was done by email or by sending Excel sheets or PDFs back and forth.”

He said that the biggest growth Freightos has seen has been in air cargo. “Last year, we had more than a million e-bookings for the year. In 2018, it was just a few thousand. So there’s been a lot of progress on that front.”

When the pandemic started, it was a giant mess, Levine said. “First of all, you had almost no passenger travel. So you had all that capacity removed from the market. Then you had this big surge in demand for pandemic-specific goods, such as medical supplies, masks, and all these things that were going by air because they were time sensitive. So even amidst all that, we saw the fastest growth, especially in air cargo.”

There was a big spike in air carriers who wanted to digitalize, but not just digitalize on their own portals but through a third party platform. “At this point, if you look at all the air carriers who are on third party platforms, they represent almost 70 percent of the total global capacity,” Levine said. There is not the same sort of surge in e-bookings with ocean carriers, he said. “A lot of them have their own online portals. I’m not sure about the overall share of their volumes that are being booked online, but it’s a little bit trickier.”

Walmart, for example, has a relationship directly with the carriers. “They don’t have to go online and make bookings, and have a certain

number of volumes per month that they want to make available.”

Freight forwarders and shippers need to come up with an industry standard now for everyone to efficiently use platforms and digitized data. “They are making progress. But it’s been slow,” Levine said.

More Concern for the Geopolitics Factor

Geopolitics is the main driver in the ocean freight market right now, Levine said, citing issues at the Red Sea and Suez Canal. “A very few vessels, by percentage of container volumes, are going through the Suez Canal. Rates now are up per vessel,” he said. “They have to divert and go around the south of Africa in order to keep to their weekly schedules. They have to use many more vessels than they normally would, because maybe one vessel from Shanghai to Rotterdam isn’t going to make it back in time for when it’s supposed to be back in Shanghai to depart the next time. So they add another vessel.”

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, fees in the Suez Canal in late 2023 varied between $400,000 and $700,000 per transit, depending on the size of the ship. Carriers transiting the canal were hit with a cost increase beginning in January, 2024, of $60,000-$105,000 per voyage.

The challenge is staying on top of geopolitical developments. “We try to provide that kind of intelligence that importers and exporters and forwarders and carriers can use to determine when to ship, or expedite some of these goods to air cargo instead, even though it’s more expensive, because it’s not going to make it in time for what they need as inventory because of these delays,” Levine said.

The Red Sea remains a serious hotspot for vessel traffic. Maersk, the second largest global ocean carrier and the third-largest ocean carrier for U.S. exports in 2023, reported being targeted by a flying object in the northernmost part of the Gulf of Aden (the southern entrance to the Red Sea) in the early morning hours of July 9th. Maersk is advising customers to prepare for a Red Sea crisis that could stretch well into the second half of this year.

In his testimony to the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation in January, Dr. Ian Ralby, a leading maritime expert with the Center for Maritime Strategy, said that the southern entrance to the Red Sea has seen a 47 percent year-on-year decrease of shipping traffic between the third week of January, 2023 and the third week of January 2024.

Meanwhile, the Cape of Good Hope, which is the southernmost point of Africa, has seen an 80 percent increase in year-on-year traffic this January. “This change is already affecting insurance rates, which have increased as much as 40 times what they were, and, as a result, the cost of shipping,” Ralby testified.

Other Slowdowns

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in 2022, Hurricane Ian forced temporary closures of seven major U.S. ports. Droughts in the Mississippi River basin disrupted river shipping for parts of both 2022 and 2023, causing lengthy delays in shipping and greatly increasing shipping rates. Similarly, drought-induced low water in the Panama Canal caused significant disruptions to vessels serving U.S. east coast ports.

Still, there is survival and growth. In 2021, there were almost 44,800 U.S.-flagged maritime vessels operating on the waterways—an increase of 10.5 percent since 2010.

And in March, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $450 million in funding to focus on modernizing coastal and inland waterway ports.

Projects funded so far include a dock replacement in Alaska, on-dock rail improvements in California, pier infrastructure renovations in New Jersey, safety and capacity improvements at a tribal harbor in Oregon, a new barge terminal in Minnesota, safety improvements and electric vehicle charging infrastructure in North Carolina, a container yard expansion in Washington State, a wharf expansion at a port on the St. Lawrence Seaway in New York, and a new facility for mooring barges in Arkansas.

A project at the port of Wilmington, Delaware, received $50 million in funding to build a container yard featuring all-electric operations, a new modern truck gate complex, terminal buildings, and an approximately 100,000-square-foot warehouse and inspection platform.

There are 32 other projects around the country using grant money from the fund.

That program complements the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program, which just made $3 billion available. This program will fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions at U.S. ports, which may include cargo handling equipment, harbor craft and vessels, electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and a number of other technology investments.

The Port of Lake Charles

The Port of Lake Charles is a deepwater port located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, located on the Calcasieu Ship Channel, north of the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Port opened in 1926 and today is the 12th-busiest port district in the nation, based on tonnage, as ranked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also was named by Forbes magazine as the seventh-fastest growing seaport in America.

The Port manages the Calcasieu Ship Channel, which runs inland 36 miles and extends out into the Gulf of Mexico another 32 miles. The Port of Lake Charles’ official name is the Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District, a public body created by the Louisiana Legislature. The District encompasses 203 square miles in Calcasieu Parish and operates on 5,420 acres.

The Port of Lake Charles owns and operates two marine terminals— the City Docks and Bulk Terminal No. 1—and two industrial parks—the Industrial Canal and Industrial Park East. In addition, this deepwater port serves as landlord to companies leasing Port-owned property and owns several leasable sites on and near the Calcasieu Ship Channel. Lake Charles is a port of choice along the gulf coast for breakbulk, specialty and project cargo. Principal cargoes moving through the Port’s terminals are project cargoes, aluminum, forest products, steel, bulk grain and other agricultural food products, petroleum coke and other petroleum products, barite and rutile.

The funding is designed to help eligible applicants complete critical port and port-related infrastructure projects in urban, rural and tribal communities, according to MARAD.

Applicants include port authorities, state and local governments, indigenous tribal nations, counties, and other eligible public entities. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to support projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports. X

The Port of Lake Charles and the Calcasieu Ship Channel have been a catalyst for economic growth for nearly a century. Today, the Calcasieu Ship Channel drives $39 billion of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the 2021 study “The Economic Impacts of the Calcasieu Ship Channel” conducted by Martin Associates and commissioned by Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District. In addition, the Calcasieu Ship Channel drives two-thirds of the GDP in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.

The Port of Lake Charles is a deepwater seaport in Lake Charles, Louisiana, located on the Calcasieu Ship Channel, north of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Improving tomato quality and safety is another focus for UC Davis researchers. Courtesy of AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems.

QUONSET BUSINESS PARK’S PORT OF DAVISVILLE

Quonset Business Park’s Port of Davisville supports nearly 1,700 jobs and $374.3 million in economic activity for Rhode Island annually. In the last 20 years, the Port has increased its annual imports by 745% and is home to one of the largest auto importers in North America.

In March 2024, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge temporarily closed the Port of Baltimore and diverted automobile imports to other marine terminals up and down the East Coast, sending 10,000 additional cars to Quonset. From January 1 to June 30, 2024, auto imports at Davisville are 51% ahead of that same period in 2023. Even without the additional cargo from Baltimore, imports are up 40%.

To accommodate even more growth, Quonset has embarked on the Port of Davisville Master Plan, a $234 million development project that will provide a new 50-year service life to the port’s infrastructure. At Pier 1, Quonset is replacing thousands of wooden pilings with concrete and steel pilings. Construction at Pier 2 was completed in 2022 and extended the pier by 232 ft., creating an additional berthing space to accommodate larger ships, including roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) carrier ships delivering automobiles.

Quonset is also offloading non-auto cargo, including lumber, project cargo and offshore wind components. More than 200 steel pilings recently arrived at Davisville for the construction of the Port’s new Terminal 5 Pier, which will provide additional, specialized berthing spaces to accommodate the region’s growing offshore wind industry.

Quonset is an emerging hub for the offshore wind industry in the North Atlantic. Last year, Davisville had 260 ship calls, including 57 offshore wind related vessels. So far this year, the port has already seen nearly 40 ship calls supporting offshore wind – a pace that would significantly exceed last year’s numbers.

The bottom line is that the Port of Davisville is booming.

Quonset’s guiding philosophy is that opportunity plus preparedness equals success. With the implementation of the Port Master Plan well underway, Quonset is well-prepared to continue to grow.

THE PREMIER GATEWAY FOR TRANS-PACIFIC TRADE FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE

Leading the way to an environmentally sustainable and economically robust future, the Port of Long Beach is partnering with industry and community to strengthen competitiveness, modernize facilities and enhance operational excellence. The Port is focused on improving service throughout the supply chain by collaborating, innovating and imagining.

Customers choose the Port of Long Beach for the most dependable, cost-effective and fastest delivery of goods in the world, along with the strong relationships it maintains with industry, community, environmental advocates and partner agencies.

As the West Coast’s premier container seaport, the Port of Long Beach handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the United States, including 575,000 in Southern California and 1 in 5 jobs in Long Beach.

Spanning 3,200 acres with 31 miles of waterfront, 10 piers, 72 post-Panamax cranes and some of the deepest berths in the country, the Port’s world-class facilities can accommodate the largest shipping vessels in the world. Goods moving through the Port originate in or are destined for every U.S. congressional district.

The Port is pursuing a comprehensive capital improvement program to modernize its facilities and ensure that cargo is moved with reliability, speed and efficiency.

In the next 10 years, the Port is planning $2.2 billion in modernization projects to further prepare for the demands of global trade. Plans include investing $1.3 billion in on-dock rail projects, adding capacity, improving speed-to-market and allowing for the rapid movement of cargo throughout the harbor.

By operating Foreign Trade Zone 50, the Port of Long Beach lessens the impacts of tariffs and eliminates Customs clearance delays by having shipments delivered directly to qualifying businesses within Orange County and parts of San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

Customers choose the Port of Long Beach for the most dependable, cost-effective and fastest delivery of goods in the world, along with the strong relationships it maintains with industry, community, environmental advocates and partner agencies.

For more information on the business opportunities of Port of Long Beach, please contact the Business Development Division at 562-283-7750 or visit their website at www.polb.com

Making Tracks

The Port of Long Beach’s Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility breaks ground later this year – part of a $1.5 billion investment in rail infrastructure. We’ll increase throughput, lower emissions, lessen traffic impacts and move cargo faster and more efficiently.

Cleveland city officials saw Opprotunity Zones as a chance to leverage federal dollars to elevate pre-existing city plans, such as the mayor’s 2017 Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.

Opportunity Zones Still Finding Their Footing

BY: DAVID HODES

While still a relatively new program, the opportunity zone concept is facing management and development challenges to its goal of revitalizing cities

Opportunity zones (OZ) is “one of the most consequential place-based policy initiatives in a generation,” according to the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank.

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OZs can be used to support small businesses by providing access to OZ capital or by using OZ capital to leverage small business loans or venture capital. OZs can also be used to develop innovation and small business hubs that support local businesses and entrepreneurs.

The OZ policy initiative, introduced in 2017 through the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was the first federal development program to use capital gains tax incentives to drive behavior, unlocking $48 billion worth of direct equity capital for investing in targeted low income communities by the end of 2020.

Qualified OZs have been designated to cover parts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. The first set of qualified OZ designations, covering

parts of 18 states, were designated on April 9, 2018.

The concept has seriously caught on. There are thousands of OZs listed by the U.S. Treasury/Housing and Urban Development for all U.S. states, with nearly 1,000 OZs across 57 counties in California alone. New York City alone has 306, with the majority in Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson was the chairperson of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, which helped identify best practices and assist leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs in using OZs to incentive to revitalize low-income communities.

He reported that the council completed over 300 action items to target, streamline, and coordinate more resources to OZs, including a $489 million investment from the Department of Commerce

in over 360 OZ projects, and $1.2 billion from the Department of Transportation to build new infrastructure and spur economic development.

CLEVELAND REBOUNDING

A report by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, revealed that Cleveland is in the midst of revitalization that has been uneven, and concentrated in a few pockets of growth. OZs may help.

Cleveland city officials saw OZs as a chance to leverage federal dollars to elevate pre-existing city plans, such as the mayor’s 2017 Neighborhood Transformation Initiative. City leaders had already been encouraging private investment in four neighborhoods—Circle North, East 79th Street, Buckeye-Woodhill, and Clark-Metro—that are next to areas of growth.

The city plans to increase density and encourage mixed-use, mixed-income development along strategic corridors, which include downtown, Ohio City, Euclid Avenue, the lakefront, and University Circle.

Cleveland is also supporting revitalization efforts around vacant land in the Opportunity Corridor, a multimodal boulevard connecting the east side to University Circle. In both areas, the city owns vacant property, which will give the city greater control over development of these parcels, according to the Urban Institute report.

FRESNO CHASING ECONOMIC GOALS

Fresno, California is the fifth-most-populous city in California and is the heart of California’s central valley economy. But it’s struggling.

It has the second highest rate of poverty in the country, and city leaders have been trying to increase density and improve equity through mixed-use development along transit corridors.

They think OZs are the answer.

They want to focus development in the downtown area and the main transit corridors in need of infill development with their OZs. Fresno city management eventually got the governor to designate OZs in the city’s strategic economic development and transit-oriented corridors, which are primarily in the southern part of the city.

They include areas zoned predominately for residential, industrial, and public institution use. Many of the deteriorating strip malls that the city hoped to revitalize are in tracts with residential zoning.

An analysis of the urban decay of Fresno by a business research organization in 2023 showed the depth of Fresno’s revitalization needs. Of the 63,000 acres within Fresno, approximately 8,700 acres, or 14 percent, are vacant. While the majority of the vacant parcels are smaller than a quarter acre, among both vacant and non-vacant parcels, vacant parcels contain a greater share of parcels larger than a quarter acre. These parcels of undeveloped land has the capacity to hold over 134,000 housing units.

LOUISVILLE’S OZ STRUGGLE

Louisville, Kentucky has received its share of OZ offerings, but as with other cities, results are mixed.

According to a report by Thomas Lambert, an assistant professor

Fresno, California has the second highest rate of poverty in the country, and city leaders have been trying to increase density and improve equity through mixed-use development along transit corridors. They think OZs are the answer.

and applied economist at the University of Louisville College of Business, most of the investment is being done by individual investors in the top one percent of the income distribution, and most funding is going to tracts that already showed signs of redevelopment (such as gentrification) before the OZ legislation was passed.

Governor Matt Bevin identified around 79 low income tracts in Louisville-Jefferson County as eligible for the OZ program. Of that number, 19 are approved.

“These economic opportunity zones pretty much overlap with the old Louisville Enterprise Zone Program, which was a state program,” Lambert told BXJ. “The OZ program is a federal program. And this time, you’ve got more of an experimental situation.”

The economic opportunity zones are skewed towards the zones that were already doing better before the program started, he said. “What I noticed in the two census tracks within the economic opportunity zones that were doing well is that there was a lot of government intervention. In those zones, there was permission to redevelop brownfield sites. There was some public housing that was redeveloped and rehabilitated. There were two new stadiums were put in,” he said. “I mean they did the whole nine yards.”

If there was an opportunity to change the program, he said, he

would try to target it toward areas which have already had some type of government reinvestment, or some brownfield cleanup tied in.

“Because what we’ve noticed in the research over the years is that the private sector wants some type of signal that it’s OK to invest in many of these older neighborhoods. Like they want to see that sewer and drainage problems have been taken care of, for example,” he said.

“Whether we’re talking about the enterprise zone or we’re talking about these economic opportunity zones, to have any type of results, to show any measure of success, you’ve got to have the government putting down a foundation, and then the other stuff can be built around it.”

OZ STRATEGIES GOING FORWARD

Another Urban Institute report lined up the steps that are needed to lower risk of investment in communities of need designated by the OZ program, such as using public-private partnerships to help develop the infrastructure that certain real estate and business projects may require to improve their chances of success.

Economic development agencies can be useful partners in plans to relocate a business into an OZ, according to the report. Facilitating and promoting community buy-in through alternative financial

investments can also lower investment risk. These might include offering guarantees, easing the zoning or entitlement processes, or pursuing policies aimed at increasing residents’ incomes.

IMPLEMENTING, EVOLVING, ADJUSTING

As with many government created financing and investment programs, the relatively new OZ program has come under increasing scrutiny, with calls for it to get better organized and reduce the inherent challenges to implementation.

Brett Theodos, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute testifying before the Ways and Means Committee in November, 2021, said that his research has shown that OZs have “reached actors who had not been previously engaged with the community development field.”

In some communities the program has catalyzed an ecosystem of community development efforts but it’s not gone smoothly. “Although the incentive can be used to finance projects that yield community benefit, the fundamental design of the incentive makes doing so challenging at best and often impossible,” he said.

When OZ projects have been impactful, he said, they have succeeded after substantial concessions and wrangling. They relied on highly altruistic investors who have forgone larger returns, or drawn on other substantial federal, state, and local subsidies to make projects work.

“The OZ program is not standing on its own two feet to produce impact or reachcommunities the private market is not already serving,” Theodos testified.

He outlined changes that could be made to make the OZ program an effective tool for community development, adding that the U.S. Treasury can consider ways to improve OZs, such as conducting a rigorous certification process for OZ funds, not the self-certification process that was conceived by the Treasury in 2018 and continues today; making the OZ tool more like a “program,” not merely an “incentive”; and require transaction reporting that answers the who, what, when, where, and how much of all investments made.

To be effective, reporting should be required through a mechanism separate from a tax form.

“Tax forms reporting by its very design and structure discourages public reporting. It appears to bolster reporting, but it is actually a deeply flawed approach,” Theodos testified. “Now, four years since the OZ inception, we sit at an important crossroads. Either the OZ incentive can stay the course, failing to fully deliver on equitable growth for the disinvested communities it is meant to serve, or Congress can chart a new path that prioritizes projects that generate substantial social impact and community benefit for low- and moderate-income residents.” X

Governor Matt Bevin identified around 79 low income tracts in Louisville-Jefferson County as eligible for the OZ program.

Growing the Role of Forestry in Climate Change

BY DAVID HODES

As the battle against greenhouse emissions continues to be a top agenda item among world leaders, forests and wood products take center stage

The role of forests in climate change continues to be one of the driving interests of the forestry industry. New ideas in applications of wood is leading to such innovations as using certain wood for building large skyscrapers and other structures, taking both emissions control and sustainability to another level.

According to a September, 2020, policy statement issued by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), forests and harvested forest products capture between 600 and 700 million tons of greenhouse gas equivalents. This helps offset 12 percent of U.S. annual greenhouse gas emissions.

But there is a broader understanding of how forests help the environment, and how to maintain the general well-being of forests.

HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS FORESTS

Changing climate and weather patterns affects the health and capabilities of forests because they can create both longer duration flooding and growth of invasive species. The NASF advises better forest management to realize the economic benefits of forestry. That involves a deeper understanding of the dynamics of forests, such as how

fast trees grow, according to David Zilberman, professor and chair of the Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics at the University of California-Berkley, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Zilberman and his team are working on economic models to address fundamental problems in agriculture. He explained some common sense thinking about forests management: “You always have a trade-off between cutting the trees now and making money now, and letting the trees grow,” Zilberman told BXJ. “If you let the trees grow, you will make more money in the future, because they will be a little bit bigger. If you harvest too early, you lose growth.”

The value of a stand of trees grows over time like a conventional asset, such as stock or money in an interest bearing account, Zilberman explained in a lecture about the economics of forestry.

Another factor affecting the management and economics of forestry is the quality of the wood within the tree, Zilberman said. “Different trees have different harvesting times. It depends on their application, and their designated use. You need different trees for different functions.”

One key element in the growth of trees is weather, he said. “If you grow trees where there is a lot of sun all the time and a lot of water, the trees sometimes grow very fast. If you don’t have a lot of sun, they don’t grow as fast. So it’s about location, and it’s about growing methods.”

Beyond growing methods, genetic engineering for wood is also being explored. That is difficult, Zilberman said, but it can be done. “We can develop, probably, wood products that will sequester carbon better.”

And sequestering carbon—which is the removal of carbon oxide from the air by plants—is the name of the game in controlling greenhouse emissions.

As a tree grows, it stores more carbon by holding it in its accumulated tissue. The amount of carbon annually sequestered is increased with the size and health of the trees. “At the same time,” Zilberman said, “you can have better properties for wood building materials.”

There are a number of federal programs getting more funding to address climate change issues in forests. These include United States Forest Service (USFS) Forest Legacy conservation program, which protects 2.5 million acres of working forests; the USFS Forest Stewardship Program, providing technical assistance to non-industrial forest landowners; and the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, which maintains wetlands and agriculture lands by purchasing easements from landowners.

A FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PROJECT

The stated main focus of any forestry management program is about both accommodating population growth and providing survival of forest-living species, specifically to “understand the response of targeted native wildlife and plant species to forest management, in order to identify the positive effects and mitigate the potential negative effects on species of conservation concern.”

The NASF recommends management strategies that include promoting species and age class diversity, actively managing for optimal forest health, and creating pathways for species migration.

The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE), done in two forests in south central Indiana, is a long-term, large-scale experimental study of forest management and its impacts, that was initiated in 2006 and is expected to be a 100-year project.

The project was based on the understanding that, as populations of some forest organisms decline, restrictions on landowners may increase because some species become classified as endangered or threatened. It was designed to measure and account for “the scale and rate of human disturbance” of these forests since these woodlands were first used by European settlers.

One of the other aims of the ongoing project is to develop a proven system of forest management to maintain desired populations of native plant and animal species and important communities of certain trees.

Another goal is to assess public attitudes towards forest management to develop new approaches for education of the general public and private landowners, and to engage various interest groups in a discussion of proper land management.

THE LACK OF FORMAL STUDIES AND PROJECTS

The HEE is one example of a formal study of forests, with outcomes 100 years in the future.

But more experimental projects and studies are needed to develop policies and strategies.

The economics of forestry is easy, Zilberman said, but understanding forestry is difficult.

“To develop a simulation of trees is quite expensive, and we don’t have a lot of people that do it,” he said. “Alot of times the research becomes problematic because of environmental groups that love the trees and don’t really want to cut them down, or they don’t want genetic engineering done. We need to realize that we need to know as much about them as possible now.”

LESSER KNOWN USES OF TREES

What many people also don’t know is the value of trees for cooling down cities, Zilberman said. “I really think that we need to have more urban city avenues and with fast-growing trees to develop shade,” he said. “A lot of times in places that are humid, you may also find a mechanism to suck the moisture out of the humidity to get water to feed the trees in these urban environments, because developing trees is important.”

But that’s just one example of how tree and wood products are used. There is wood in food, toothpaste, and clothing, according to Forest Landowners Association, an economics-based organization of family forest landowners.

Hot dogs and sausage casings are made of the cellulose from

trees. Syrups, spices and condiments, fast foods, dairy products, frozen foods, hand sanitizers, soaps, bath products—all are made with cellulose derived from trees.

ENGINEERED WOOD APPLICATIONS

Engineered wood, such as mass timber or structural timber, made by gluing together pieces of softer wood to make a reinforced wood product called glulam (glued laminated timber) is being used to construct large buildings in Sydney, Australia (a 590-foot hybrid timber project), Perth, Australia (the 627 foot, 50 story, 200 apartment C6 building, billed as the largest wooden skyscraper in the world), and Milwaukee, Wisconsin (285 foot, 25 story, 259 apartment The Ascent building).

Other wooden skyscrapers have been built or are in the planning stages in Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

THE FUTURE OF FORESTRY

The USFS conducts research in nanotechnology, bioenergy utilization, and mass timber. Cellulose development is on their radar.

Cellulose nanomaterials are made by breaking down wood fiber into the tiniest components, and have unique properties different than similar products made from crude oil.

For example, the addition of cellulose nanofibrils can improve the surface of graphic paper for a better image of graphics printed on paper.

In fact, the USFS invested $12.3 million from 2010 to 2020 into nanotechnology research through partnerships with Georgia

Tech, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other industry scientists to develop light-weight materials for cars by coating the fiberglass in fiberglass-reinforced polymers with cellulose nanomaterials.

Engineers are working with Siskiyou County, California on a concrete bridge project to demonstrate how cellulose nanocrystals can make concrete stronger and lighter while reducing CO2 emissions from concrete.

USFS researchers are also looking into ways of using wood biomass as a feedstock for biochar (a form of charcoal produced by the biomass of wood) to combat climate change, improve soil quality, and reduce waste. They are hoping to convert biochar into energy, for example, for space heating and liquid transportation fuels.

The global biochar market potential is huge. According to one study, the biochar market is expected to reach a value of $3 billion by 2025.

In a speech by Vicki Christiansen, the USFS chief, at the American Forestry Conference in Washington, D.C. in July, 2020, she summed up the ongoing mission of the forest service: “The challenge for the forest service has always been to listen to what people want.. to take conditions on the ground into account.. to take science into account.. and then to decide on the best balance of uses that is sustainable for generations to come,” she said. “The broader variety of things is what Americans now want from their forests. It’s what all of us in the broader forest community are committed to delivering.” X

Family forest owners in some southern states are eligible to enroll in the Family Forest Carbon Program, with participating landowners getting funds for implementing sustainable forest management practices. Photo courtesy American Forest Foundation.

The southern Appalachian hardwood forest. Photo courtesy of the VA Dept of Conservation and Recreation.

Grow Your Business Here ILLINOIS:

Welcome to the intersection of America— and the world. Where talent, innovation, transportation and infrastructure converge and where many of the nation’s top businesses thrive.

Strategically located at the heart of the country, Illinois is the crossroads of commerce that puts businesses, people and goods within a Four-hour flight of the entire North American market not to mention the home to the world's most connected airport

On top of that, Illinois companies benefit from a world-class transportation and logistics network, reliable, low-cost energy, abundant water and natural resources and a highly educated workforce supported by more than 247 higher education institutions.

Learn why over 30 Fortune 500 companies and more than 2,000 international industry leaders call Illinois home.

Illinois’ economic strength begins with its ecosystem of likeminded pioneers and trailblazers. The 18th largest economy in the world, Illinois has grown and attracted some of the most innovative and iconic companies on the planet including Abbott, ADM, Allstate, Baxter, Motorola Solutions, Exelon, John Deere, Kraft Heinz, McDonalds, Mondelez, State Farm, United, Walgreens and more.

Among the state’s greatest assets are its talent pool of nearly 6.4 million people—about a third of whom hold a bachelor’s degree or

higher—and one of the most connected transportation and logistics networks in the country. The state is also home to a supportive business environment that welcomes and fosters growth.

Illinois has a strong workforce ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow. The state’s labor force has nearly 6.4 million people, and its nearly 250 higher education institutions fuel one of its greatest assets: its robust, skilled talent pool.

Illinois boasts a rich history of industrial excellence that has evolved into an advanced, technology-driven sector. Companies manufacturing in Illinois benefit from reliable energy and deregulation as well as a low-cost, high-quality water supply—not to mention the state’s skilled workforce, central North American location and world-class air, passenger and freight transportation network.

Home to titans like ADM, Ingredion, ConAgra, U.S. Foods, McDonalds and Kraft Heinz, Illinois is at the epicenter of the agribusiness industry with a dynamic ecosystem of food manufacturers, producers and agtech companies. Illinois counties are the most productive in the country for corn and soy. The state is #1 in the nation for private food-related R&D, while also home to 72,000 farms, and ranks 3rd nationally in the export of agricultural commodities with $11.2 billion worth of goods shipped to other countries. Big on the reduction of the state's (and world's) carbon footprint, Illinois companies like LanzaJet and Marquis Sustainable Aviation Fuel use on-site carbon sequestration and renewable

Photo by Antonio Gabola on Unsplash

LITCHFIELD offers new and expanding businesses the appeal of a stable community with affordable Midwestern living, regional healthcare services and quality recreational and entertainment opportunities, all in proximity to the conveniences of metropolitan areas.

• Strategically located, shovel-ready industrial sites within one mile of I-55

• High-quality infrastructure

• Talented labor pool

• Community college for workforce training, plus 20 four-year colleges within an hour’s drive

• City programs and incentives to support growth and development

• Quality, progressive community

energy to convert low-carbon intensity (CI) feedstocks into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.

Building on its long, successful history in auto manufacturing, innovation, and logistics, Illinois is at the forefront of the EV revolution and on the path to achieve 100% clean energy. The state has tremendous assets for EV companies to grow, including its workforce, network of EV companies and strong incentives.

The birthplace of groundbreaking inventions including the cell phone, the wireless remote and the first-ever web browser, Illinois is a place where ideas become patents, businesses and life-changing technologies. The state is among the top 10 for IT jobs and GDP, and home to a continuous flow of successful tech startups, along with innovation hubs for “traditional” companies. Tech businesses thrive in Illinois because of the state’s robust pool of highly educated talent. The technologies of yesterday, today, and tomorrow are being built and developed in Illinois.

Illinois’ status as a top destination for transportation and logistics is fueled by its tremendous infrastructure. The state’s Rebuild Illinois capital program allocates $33.2B directly to transportation infrastructure. In Illinois you can reach 83% of the continental U.S. within a two-day truck drive. Chicago’s O’Hare is ranked the most connected airport in the world. It's the only state with all seven Class one railroads and home to the largest inland port in North America. The state’s connectivity makes it the clear choice for delivering goods to consumers nationwide and beyond.

For more information on all the opportunities in Illinois, please contact Intersect Illinois at 312-667-6010 or visit their website at www.intersectillinois.org

ILLINOIS: LITCHFIELD

With strategically located industrial sites, well-planned infrastructure, a skilled labor force, quality lifestyle amenities and recreation opportunities, Litchfield, Illinois is an attractive option for companies seeking an environment conducive to growth and success.

Litchfield enjoys an accessible location at the intersection of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 16, halfway between the St. Louis metropolitan area and Springfield, Illinois. The location provides for direct transportation access and network connections to all major U. S. markets in the manufacturing, distribution/logistics, processing, retail and hospitality industries. Recently, another 80-acre business/industrial park was developed. It also offers easy interstate access and the ability to build customized facilities to suit to support operations. City Administrator, Breann Vazquez adds, “Our new industrial park is equipped with high-quality infrastructure and is ready to support the needs of industrial users. It’s in a safe, user-friendly area that is well-connected to major hubs.”

The location is truly a crossroads of opportunity with regional influence. Litchfield offers an affordable environment for businesses that want to easily access the large number of consumers, transportation links and potential visitors found in large markets. In addition, the business tax rate is highly competitive, and utilities

are cost-effective compared to larger markets. Businesses will also appreciate:

• A municipal airport with facilities to serve corporate and private aviation

• A satellite campus of Lincoln Land Community College to help provide workforce training, plus 20 four-year colleges are within an hour’s drive

• City programs and incentives to support business growth and development

Litchfield’s size and convenient location equates to an exceptional value for businesses -- value that is enhanced by a quality community and services.

LIVING IN LITCHFIELD

Eagle Ridge is a new development of 41 waterfront and wooded residential lots ready for new home construction at beautiful Lake Lou Yaeger. Whether you want a weekend getaway or convenient year-round living, the development offers a variety of outstanding home sites on the 1,400-acre lake surrounded by 4,600 acres of recreational and conservation areas.

The wooded lake sites offer welcome privacy, making them perfect retreats for relaxing and as a gathering-space for family and friends, where you can entertain with boating, fishing, bonfires and more. Plus, its proximity to the Interstate 55 is a bonus. As Vazquez points out, “Eagle Ridge allows for private lake living with the convenience of being right off the interstate.”

At Lake Lou Yaeger, families can enjoy beach swimming, picnicking and playgrounds as well as hiking, mountain biking and eagle watching. The Shoal Creek Conservation Area also has hiking trails and is home to over 700 species of native plants.

Community events, both large and small, are popular in Litchfield. The highlight of the year is the Litchfield Pickers Market. On the second Sunday of each month, May through October, the downtown streets fill with almost 7,000 people for the renowned juried antique sale, live music in Carnegie Park and tons of food vendors. Another street adjoining the pickers market is dedicated to arts and crafts vendors and a farmers market. The event draws vendors from up to 200 miles away.

Litchfield offers new and expanding businesses the appeal of a stable community with affordable Midwestern living, quality recreational and entertainment opportunities and regional healthcare services, all in proximity to the conveniences of metropolitan areas. For more information on all the opportunities in Litchfield, please call 217-324-8151 or visit www.cityoflitchfieldil.com

ILLINOIS: Vandalia — Positioned For Growth

Vandalia, Illinois (pop. 7,460) is centrally located in Southern Illinois on Interstate 70, Exits 61 & 63, between St. Louis, MO and Terre Haute, IN. Rich in history, Vandalia was the 2nd State Capitol of Illinois, serving as capitol from 1819-1839. It is where

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Vandalia Industrial Park Conservation Area

One hour east of St. Louis on 1-70 at Exit 61

Up to 120 Shovel-Ready Acres Land Incentive Package Available

Geotechnical and Environmental Surveys Complete

Logistics = Excellent Midwest Access to 1-70, 1-55, 1-57, 1- 64, US 51, SR 40, 140 & 185

Main Rail Served by CSX - Short Line Served by Patriot Rail Company

TIF Benefits Tax Reimbursements through 2027

Enterprise Zone through 2034

Kaskaskia Community College and Okaw Area

Vocational Center workforce training resources

Abraham Lincoln begain his political and legal career. The building he last served in, the Vandalia Statehouse, remains standing today in Historic Downtown Vandalia, averaging 20,000 visitors a year. Vandalia is a community with a hometown feel, a great school system with a Vocational Education center, as well as a community college, Kaskaskia College extension center to serve the residents in their secondary education pursuits. Many of the businesses in Vandalia have been ran by people born and raised here and of recent, younger residents and people within Fayette County (pop. 21,492) are interested in starting their business ventures because of the local support received and because of Vandalia’s location, serving as county seat.

Workforce Development is one of the highest priorities for the City of Vandalia, Illinois. Many of our established manufacturers, distribution centers, small businesses and service industries are wanting to grow and expand. To meet this challenge, in collaboration with Kaskaskia College, the City has brought industries together to understand their needs and identify the skills required of an expanded workforce and will begin marketing these opportunities to job seekers.

The OKAW Vocational Center, located in Vandalia, works with 12 area high schools, located in four counties to train students in a variety of trades, such as: Auto Body, Auto Mechanics, Building Trades, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), Computer Technology and Networking, Culinary Arts & Food Service, Foundations of Education, Graphic Design/Commercial Arts, Health Occupations, Office Technology/Business Entrepreneur, Power Mechanics/ Power Sports, Welding/Metal Fabrication. The program is venturing towards grants to build a new 40,000 sf facility in the Vandali Industrial Park. With Kaskaskia College Vandalia campus only .8 miles away, it is prime for working together to get people to work!

These collaborations position Vandalia, Illinois for growth, not only for those who currently reside and have businesses here, but also for those who are looking for an opportunity to relocate or expand. We have a wide variety of available buildings and sites for both lease and for sale with City incentives including TIF, Opporunity Zone and Enterprise Zone. Specifically, the City of Vandalia, Illinois has 120 acres available for development within their Industrial Park, located not even a .5 mile from Interstate 70.

If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities that exist and the success that you can realize in Vandalia, Illinois, reach out to LaTisha Paslay, City Administrator and Interim Economic Development DIrtector at vandaliaed@vandaliaillinois. com.

ILLINOIS: HISTORIC GROWTH IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Transformational Development

Businesses are thriving throughout Southern Illinois, but one project is set to transform the entire region. As the owners of one of the most successful Harley-Davidson dealerships in the country,

Rodney Cabaness and Shad Zimbro have long understood the advantages of running a business in Southern Illinois. From Harleys to RVs, manufactured homes, appliances, and even Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, the pair have grown their family of businesses in Marion, Illinois.

However, their most ambitious endeavor yet is to transform Marion into a regional sports, entertainment, and tourism destination. Anchored by the Oasis Sports Complex, which will feature fourteen multi-use turf fields, a full-size soccer stadium, basketball courts, a championship baseball diamond, and a 140,000 square foot dome housing baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and pickleball. The Oasis Sports Complex will be surrounded by projects that include a 380,000 square foot retail and entertainment destination with a hotel and convention center, a large shopping center, and one of five elite golf and pickleball complexes in the country currently being developed by partner Mammoth Sports Construction.

These projects have the backing of the State of Illinois through STAR (Sales, Tax, and Revenue) Bonds, a financing tool used to stimulate economic development and fund projects that will generate significant retail, entertainment, and tourism activity. The bonds are issued to finance the project costs such as property acquisition, site preparation, or infrastructure within a designated STAR Bond District. They are then repaid by the incremental state and local sales tax revenue generated by the completed project. The city and its taxpayers do not assume financial risk for the bonds, nor do they incur a higher tax burden.

A feasibility study required by the State of Illinois projects the Oasis Sports Complex will bring an estimated 450,000 non-local visitors, over 82,000 hotel room stays, tens of millions in annual direct spending, and over a half billion in economic impact annually.

Companies Taking Notice

Considered a “hidden gem,” companies are taking notice of Southern Illinois’ centralized location, robust transportation offerings, and diverse site selection inventory. The region has become a hub for automotive parts manufacturers, food and beverage manufacturing, agribusiness, and even aviation.

Car part manufacturer Aisin just completed a 463,000 square foot logistics center in Marion, Illinois. Italian cable manufacturer, Prysmian, is expanding its Du Quoin, Illinois plant to double production of medium voltage transmission cable. Texas-based Manner Polymers, a manufacturer of plastic compounds, is building a new 80,000 square foot, 100% solar-powered factory in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Attracted to a pipeline of talent at Southern Illinois University’s world-renowned School of Aviation, Crucial MRO

performs maintenance, repair, and overhaul for some of the biggest commercial airlines in Carbondale, Illinois and is rapidly expanding.

“Our competitors are in the bigger markets, such as Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles and we can do the same work on the same aircraft in an area that’s 40% cheaper to live,” said Wes Perkins, Crucial MRO vice president.

Room to Grow: 17-County Site Inventory

Southern Illinois offers a vast inventory of available industrial sites for development. Large acreage, green fields, existing buildings, and transportation infrastructure to match, Southern Illinois’ 17 county approach to business development positions it to accommodate projects big and small.

Southern Illinois is still a hidden gem, but it is getting more attention every day. With its unparalleled transportation network, the

region provides businesses with exceptional logistical advantages. Coupled with a favorable business environment and cost efficiencies, Southern Illinois is not just a location, but a strategic asset for growth and success.

Come grow with us! Contact SI Now at 618-353-0100 or visit southernillinoisnow.org

ILLINOIS: Arlington Heights — Take Your Vision to The Heights!

With over 75,000 residents and a median annual household income of over $100,000, Arlington Heights continues to grow and thrive. As one of the largest business communities in Chicagoland, Arlington Heights is the home of more than 3,000 businesses. Arlington Heights also boasts an educated workforce with 60% of adult residents having earned

Southern Illinois

Central Transportation & Distribution Hub

17-County Site Inventory

Priority Energy Communities Region for Federal Programs

LOGISTICS INFRASTRUCTURE: 3 Interstate Highways & 5 Class I Railroads

INLAND PORTS: Mississippi & Ohio Rivers; Route for 80% of U.S. Inland Barge Traffic

CENTRAL: Within 5 Hours Driving Distance To 8 Major Cities; 1 Hour Flight to Chicago

SITES: Large & Small Existing Buildings Available; Sites 250+ Acres Available

LABOR FORCE: 400,000+ within 50 miles; 1 MILLION+ within 75 miles

WORKFORCE TRAINING: 5 Community Colleges, Employer-Specific Training Options, Top Research University - Southern Illinois University Carbondale

COST OF LIVING: 12% Below U.S. Average

QUALITY OF LIFE: Shawnee National Forest, 9 State Parks, 10+ Lakes, 100+ Miles of Bike Trails

SouthernIllinoisNow.org • 618-353-0100

EXPANSION

OPPORTUNITIES

a bachelor’s degree or higher. A corporate destination as well, Arlington Heights has numerous major companies that have invested in operations within our community, including Amazon, United Airlines, Frito-Lay (PepsiCo), GE Healthcare, Red Bull, and Northwest Community Healthcare.

Location is one of the community’s key assets, offering incomparable positioning within the region. Arlington Heights is served by two Metra rail stations, connecting to the Chicago Loop in under 45 minutes. Arlington Heights also provides immediate access to three interstate highways and is conveniently located just 15 minutes from both O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Chicago Executive Airport (PWK).

Downtown Arlington Heights has become one of the region’s top destinations to visit, presenting a unique, eclectic experience with an enticing urban lifestyle. Shoppers can find one-of-a-kind gifts and products at more than 30 shops and boutiques. Cuisine is a key ingredient to Downtown’s success, showcasing a diverse collection of nearly 40 different restaurants

and casual eateries. Arlington Alfresco, one of the Chicago region’s premier outdoor dining experiences, brings over 200,000 visitors to Downtown from May to September.

Downtown Arlington Heights is also a Chicagoland destination for entertainment, hosting outdoor concerts and annual events, and is home to live music venues such as Hey Nonny and Big Shot Piano Lounge. Meanwhile, the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre features live comedy, theatre, and music. Downtown development continues with over 400 new multi-family residential units approved or under construction, further validating Arlington Heights as a key location for investment.

Business thrives throughout Arlington Heights as well. In 2023, Arlington Heights businesses conducted over $1.5 billion in retail sales. Mitsuwa Marketplace, the largest Japanese grocery store in the Midwest, serves as a cultural and culinary destination for patrons from throughout the region. Arlington Heights is also a major manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution hub. The community has over 5.5 million square feet of industrial space,

including the recently completed Northwest Gateway Center, which offers over 500,000 square feet of versatile warehouse and manufacturing space with immediate access to I-90, I-290, and I-355 via IL-53.

Arlington Heights also remains the target of significant development. The 27-acre Arlington Downs development continues to take shape with more than 500 luxury residential units, in addition to current and planned commercial development, and interstate highway access nearby. Additionally, the first phase of the Arlington Gateway project is approved to begin construction on 300 new residential units, and 25,000 square feet of commercial space, immediately off of I-90. And Hickory/ Kensington, just east of Downtown Arlington Heights, features the recently-completed FourNorth development offering 76 new multi-family residential units and ground floor commercial space. This area is supported by a TIF district, and additional development proposals are currently under consideration.

Quality of life is exceptional in Arlington Heights, with many of its students attending some of the Chicago area’s best elementary schools and high schools. In the past ten years, six Arlington Heights schools have received the prestigious “Blue Ribbon” designation from the U.S. Department of Education. Also, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library is regularly ranked among the nation’s best public libraries for its size and is an 11-time recipient of a “Five Star” designation by Library Journal, the publication’s highest rating. The community is also served by the Arlington Heights Park District with more than 50 public parks and facilities. Health care rates highly as well thanks to Northwest Community Hospital, ranked one of the 20 best hospitals in Illinois by U.S. News & World Report.

With an exceptional quality of life, a wealth of amenities, and unparalleled access within the Chicago metro area, Arlington Heights is positioned to continue to grow and thrive. To learn more about business and development opportunities in Arlington Heights, please visit VAH.com/business, or contact the Department of Planning & Community Development at planningmail@ vah.com or at (847) 368-5200. X

Welcome to the State of Opportunity NEW YORK:

The climate for doing business in New York has never been better. If you’re looking to launch or expand your business, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find an array of Empire State advantages: tax-based incentives, resources and training for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to go global, industry/university partnerships fostering the development of innovative technologies and products, and the financial support needed to help businesses grow.

There's a reason why the world's most innovative companies are choosing New York State. New York is leading by example, investing in people and places as well as in

transformational technologies. From life-saving medical treatments to the latest in semiconductors, New York is at the forefront of innovation.

Their world-class colleges, universities and workforce development programs are training tomorrow’s leaders. A growing green economy and revitalized downtowns make New York the best place to live, work and play—both now, and for a sustainable future. All of this is supported by historic investments in unrivaled infrastructure to connect our goods and services with the world. From top-tier talent across industries and nation-leading infrastructure to competitive incentives and unparalleled quality of life, there's no place like New York.

New York State’s diverse and talented workforce is a key to business success and growth here. That success is reflected in

Photo by Nikoloz Gachechiladze on Unsplash

EXPANSION

the record number of Fortune 500 companies that have made their home in New York, in the state’s top-tier educational institutions – and in the state’s ongoing investment in the talent of tomorrow. Unlock your business success in the Empire State and take a look at some of the reasons why businesses are starting, growing and thriving in New York.

New York State is actively invested in workforce development efforts and programs designed to train workers for high-quality, in-demand jobs. New York State's Office of Strategic Workforce Development, will prepare New Yorkers with the skills to meet the current and future needs of businesses and growing industries, generate new opportunities for New Yorkers and encourage regional economic growth.

New York’s unique industry-university partnerships, including NYSTAR programs and tax-free zones for businesses, also provide opportunities for businesses to benefit from university R&D resources and for students to get hands-on experience in businesses that are launching and growing here.

New York State agribusiness, supporting leading companies, is fueled by farms, rich natural resources and innovative agricultural startups. Investment in biotech research and development, life science companies and talent, is building this world-class New York State industry. New York State, a leader in clean tech and renewable energy resources, is growing a green economy—aiming for 100% clean power by 2040. Breweries, wineries, distilleries and cideries are booming in New York State with support that has fueled craft beverage industry growth. New York is a leader in the digital game development industry, home to globally recognized companies, top academic programs and talent. New York, with a vast transportation network and strategic access to East Coast markets, is a key distribution hub for major companies.

New York is a global tech and talent capital, home to leading commercial and investment banks, financial services, fintech firms and insurance companies. With a highly educated workforce, world class R&D assets, advanced infrastructure, and globally competitive incentives, New York State is well positioned to play a leading role in America’s semiconductor manufacturing resurgence. New York State’s thriving tech community and top STEM talent puts the state at the forefront of software development and digital media. New York State is the nation’s largest producer of equipment for the transit industry and a hub for unmanned aerial system development.

For more information on all the opportunities in the State of New York, please contact Empire State Development at 212-803-3100 or 518-292-5100 or visit their website at www. esd.ny.gov

NEW YORK: Saratoga County — Open for Business

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Famous for horse racing, Saratoga County, NY offers diverse economic investment opportunities in commercial, industrial, manufacturing, life sciences, agriculture, equine, tourism, and recreational sectors. The county is a three-hour drive to Manhattan, Boston, and Montreal. The populations of these cities represent more than $1. 7 trillion in disposable income and 43% of the U.S. Marketplace!

Saratoga County is home to GlobalFoundries and its 21st century advanced manufacturing site. The semiconductor manufacturer is poised to build a new plant at its Malta location while it expands the capabilities of its existing fab. The company's investment since it broke ground in 2009 is reported to be among the largest and most successful publicprivate economic development partnerships in New York State history. To date, the investment totals $15 billion and has resulted in roughly 3,000 full-time jobs. In February, GlobalFoundries received $1.5 billion in federal investment from the CHIPS & Science Act and $600 million from New York's Green CHIPS program to support expansion, which is expected to result in 1,000 new jobs.

The appeal of Saratoga County is both financial and cultural. The county has the fifth-lowest property tax in the state and is one of only three counties in New York with a 3% sales tax. The county houses the Saratoga Racecourse, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Saratoga National Historical Park, where the turning point battles of the American Revolution took place. Recreational activities abound in the lakes, streams, and waterways that form two of the area's borders-the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. The county's northern towns are nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Just beyond the border of the county is the six million-acre Adirondack Park, a unique blend of private land and protected wilderness.

Saratoga County's highly educated workforce enjoys aboveaverage incomes. The poverty rate is less than half the statewide

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average. The county infrastructure supports an attractive place for remote workers and most residents commute less than 10 miles to work. For more than 45 years, the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) has been the catalyst and guide for the county's economic success.

In 2023 alone, SEDC brought in more than $270 million in new investment, which resulted in more than 600 new full-time job openings. Success in Saratoga County is made possible by the partnerships between federal, state, and county governments, IDA's as well as individuals in the communities, working in private businesses, and professionals dedicated to economic development.

"SEDC's focus remains making Saratoga County a great place to live, work, invest in and raise a family," said SEDC President Greg Connors.

"Our success speaks for itself, and we welcome the opportunity to guide, support and assist anyone interested in making Saratoga County their next capital investment."

Visit www.saratogaedc.com for more information

NEW YORK: Why Choose Chautauqua County?

A business operating in Chautauqua County, NY is in an enviable position. Far enough removed from major eastern cities to avoid overcrowding and its attendant problems, the county is centrally located in the western end of New York State bordering Pennsylvania and Lake Erie – offering access to markets in the Midwest, Northeast, and Canada. Population centers including Erie, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Cleveland, and Akron can all be reached within three hours or less. In addition, 21 of the top 50 U.S. metro regions are within ten hours shipping time – including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, and Detroit.

Chautauqua County is crossed by two major interstates (I-90 and I-86) along with a network of state and federal highways including State Routes 5, 60, 394, and 430; and US Routes 20 and 62. Railroads cross through the southern and northeastern portion of the county. General aviation airports are located in both the North and South County and are frequently used by a variety of businesses and private charter services. Chautauqua County also possesses abundant development sites and legacy infrastructure from the mid-20th century when the county served a larger population.

It’s also worth noting that Chautauqua County lies within the Great Lakes and Northeast regions, with nearby Buffalo being designated a Climate Refuge. These climate refuges are areas touted by researchers, public officials, and city planners as natural refuges from extreme climate conditions that result in severe weather and water shortage. Needless to say, climate change and extreme weather are factors more and more businesses are considering when deciding where to locate and/or expand, with Chautauqua County being among the prime climate refuge regions of the United States.

Beyond a strategic geographic location and key transportation corridors, Chautauqua County also offers groundbreaking economic development incentives, inexpensive hydro-power, a low cost of living, and an incredible quality of life, all of which play a key role in attracting and retaining new and established businesses of all sizes. The County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) along with the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and Chautauqua County Capital Resource

Corporation (CRC) all fit under the “Choose CHQ” umbrella and can assist businesses looking to relocate or expand in Chautauqua County. Not only do our agencies provide PILOT programs and low interest loan assistance, they can also provide technical assistance, site location recommendations, and consultation on other business development resources available at the local, state, and federal levels.

For people seeking employment opportunities, the county boasts a low unemployment rate with living wage jobs available for every skill level. Affordable housing and a low cost of living are also two major selling points for those who choose to live in Chautauqua County. While manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture are the county’s primary industries, there are also opportunities in healthcare, assisted living, and education, and a growing number

of people are moving to the area and working remotely or starting their own enterprises. Chautauqua County also has several workforce development and training programs to ensure companies who operate here have access to qualified and experienced workers.

To help highlight all the advantages and benefits of living and working in Chautauqua County, the CCIDA and CREDC recently launched the Live CHQ initiative. LiveCHQ is intended to help individuals, professionals, businesses, families, and others to learn all about our county, or countless attractions, and the various communities that help make it a wonderful place to live, work, conduct business, and recreate!

The choice is simple: Choose CHQ and then Live CHQ.

For more information, visit ChooseCHQ.com X

CHQ OSE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITY

how the CCIDA and its affiliate agencies can

Situated in one of America’s most economically prosperous regions and offering unmatched global access, New Jersey is the ideal location for companies looking to expand their reach. To complement its prime location, the state offers businesses highly trained talent, a top-ranked education system, a supportive ecosystem of research institutions, and welcoming communities for employees to live and raise their families. ......................................................................................

Choose Global Connection

New Jersey’s strategic location gives companies access to one of the most affluent consumer markets in the world. It’s at the center of the Northeast Corridor — the Boston-New York City-Washington, D.C. train line — and home of The Port of New York and New Jersey, the busiest maritime seaport on the East Coast. New Jersey businesses boast access to one-third of the U.S. population and one-third of its economy in a single day’s drive. The state’s unparalleled infrastructure ensures people and goods get where they need to be — fast. Getting to Manhattan is quick and easy, thanks to NJ Transit, PATH, Amtrak, and the NY Waterway Ferry. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is also part of the nation’s busiest airport system (EWR-JFK-LGA). EWR makes it easy to access the world, with an average of 262 direct international flights to 76 global destinations daily.

Choose Education

When it comes to education, New Jersey is unrivaled. U.S. News and World Report ranks Princeton University as the best in the nation and New Jersey as the #2 state for pre-K through 12th-grade education. New Jersey outranks the national average of degree holders, with the second-highest concentration of college-educated residents in the country. New Jersey is also ranked #3 nationally when it comes to STEM degrees and has the highest concentration of scientists and engineers in the country. It’s no wonder global companies, such as Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Prudential Financial choose to locate their world headquarters in New Jersey.

Choose Diversity

A melting pot of identities and ideas, New Jersey celebrates diversity as one of its core strengths. According to WalletHub, New Jersey is the fourth most

diverse state in the nation, with 45% of the population identifying as people of color. New Jersey ranked third in WalletHub’s Economic Impact of Immigration report, a testament to the highly valued contributions made by their foreignborn citizens. The same list ranked New Jersey first for immigrant workforce and percentage of jobs created by immigrant-owned businesses.

Choose Quality of Life

There is no better state to call home. With endless possibilities to live, work, and play, New Jersey is ranked the #2 best state to live in the U.S. and the best state to raise a child. Their geographic diversity makes planting roots easy for city lovers, country folk, and everyone in between. No one is ever far from mountains, beaches, and bustling downtowns.

New Jersey is an entertainment destination with museums, performing arts centers, concert venues, golf courses, and professional football, hockey, and soccer stadiums. FIFA has chosen New Jersey and New York City as a Host City for the 2026 World CupTM, with games to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Living in New Jersey means being immersed in an environment of welcoming communities that uphold fundamental values. They don’t just talk about opportunity, prosperity, and liberty; they lead with them, with some of the strongest laws in the country on women’s reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights, and paid family leave. Home to some of the safest communities in the U.S., New Jersey is a place for everyone.

Choose Innovation

New Jersey is a hub for booming industries, including life sciences, technology, clean energy, healthcare, and film and digital media. Eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world have a presence in New Jersey, including AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Novartis. Life sciences companies thrive with access to world-class research universities, medical schools, and some of the top-ranking hospitals in the U.S.

New Jersey has committed to reaching 100% clean energy by 2035. The state is a leader in the offshore wind industry in the United States because of their geological position, clean energy policies, and the existence of the New Jersey Wind Port, the first purpose-built offshore wind port in the United States. New Jersey is also the state with the eighth-largest amount of solar capacity installed in the United States, despite being the fourth-smallest state by land area.

New Jersey’s film industry is also rapidly advancing. Supported by the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the state’s robust 35% film and digital media tax credit attracts the world’s most accredited film and television studios.

Lionsgate Newark Studios will be the first purpose-built studio in New Jersey specifically constructed for TV and film production, and Netflix is bringing its East Coast operations to Fort Monmouth in New Jersey

Choose Diversity

A melting pot of identities and ideas, New Jersey celebrates diversity as one of its core strengths. According to WalletHub, New Jersey is the fourth most diverse state in the nation, with 45% of the population identifying as people of color. New Jersey ranked third in WalletHub’s Economic Impact of Immigration report, a testament to the highly valued contributions made by their foreignborn citizens. The same list ranked New Jersey first for immigrant workforce and percentage of jobs created by immigrant-owned businesses.

Choose Quality of Life

There is no better state to call home. Its geographic diversity makes planting roots easy for city lovers, country folk, and everyone in between. In New Jersey, no one is ever far from mountains, beaches, and bustling downtowns.

NEW JERSEY HAS SPACE FOR BIG IDEAS.

Explore the dynamic world of life sciences in New Jersey. Our State is committed to fueling innovation and is home to top-notch facilities like the Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center and ample, ready-to-use lab spaces. With the highest concentration of scientists and engineers in the nation and attractive economic incentives, New Jersey is where groundbreaking discoveries happen. Join us in shaping the future of life sciences.

New Jersey is a thriving entertainment destination with world-class performing arts centers, concert venues, and golf courses. Its sports stadiums are home to five major league sports teams — the New Jersey Devils; New York Giants and Jets; and the New York Red Bulls and NJ/NY Gotham FC. FIFA even chose MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals and seven other games.

Living in New Jersey means being immersed in an environment of welcoming communities that uphold fundamental values. New Jersey doesn’t just talk about opportunity, prosperity, and liberty; it leads with them, with some of the strongest laws in the country on women’s reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights, and paid family leave. Home to some of the safest communities in the United States, New Jersey is a place for everyone.

Choose New Jersey

Choose New Jersey is a privately funded 501(c)(3) business attraction organization with a mission to inspire businesses, leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to make New Jersey their home. Its offices in New Jersey, Europe, India, Israel, and Asia Pacific market New Jersey globally as the ideal place to grow a business in the United States. By harnessing the power of business, labor, academia, and government leaders, Choose New Jersey enables growth across all sectors of the state’s economy. Discover growth opportunities and access Choose New Jersey’s confidential and complimentary services by visiting choosenj.com.

NEW JERSEY: Set Your Sights On Vineland

With a low cost of doing business and a focused economic development strategy, the City of Vineland, New Jersey has built a strong, diverse economy which continues to grow. The city is conveniently located along New Jersey Route 55, providing a quick and direct connection to the New Jersey Turnpike, and Interstates 95 and 295. These arteries link the city with major markets along the east coast and beyond. In fact, nearly 40% of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive.

Competitive rail service to destinations across the United States and Canada is also available from the city. Access to national freight carriers including CSX and Norfolk Southern is provided by the Winchester & Western short-line railroad.

Freight and passenger domestic and international air service is a short drive at the Philadelphia International Airport or the Atlantic City Airport. Additionally, the Millville Municipal Airport operates a Foreign Trade Zone, and features both a 6,100-foot runway and a 5,100-foot runway with the capacity to land a range of business and freight aircraft.

“Selecting the right location is a key component of any strategic business model,” said Mayor Anthony Fanucci. “Companies must look for the right

blend of incentives, workforce, municipal infrastructure, and business climate to be successful. In addition, our municipal electric and water utilities provide among the lowest rates in the state. Vineland offers these advantages, and much more.”

“Business development is a collaborative effort,” said Vineland Economic Development Director Sandy Forosisky. “The Department of Economic Development offers what we like to call ‘Business Concierge Service’ which is designed to make expansion and relocation projects easier as we help guide developers smoothly through the permitting process. Vineland’s many advantages are attracting new capital investment in industries like scientific glass and plastics, food processing, and third-party logistics.”

For example, Comar, a premier supplier of specialty packaging solutions and custom molded medical devices and assemblies, recently opened a new $20 million,159,000 square-foot plant in Vineland. "This investment builds on our existing facilities around the country, and represents another exciting milestone for our organization,” said Comar CEO Mike Ruggieri. “The new South Jersey location provides a best-in-class GMP compliant work environment for our employees and allows us to better serve our customers in the medical, pharmaceutical, and consumer wellness markets.”

City officials are currently working with representatives from imported meat distributor Maestri d'Italia Inc on a new two-phased 138,000 square-foot facility which will become a hub for their United States distribution. Construction on phase one is currently underway. According to Company Representative Stefano Tedesco, “The facility will accept cured meats imported from sources in Italy, Spain, France, and Germany to be sliced, repackaged, and distributed nationwide.”

“Maestri d'Italia Inc, will be a perfect complement to our existing food processing operations,” Mayor Fanucci said. “The business philosophy of building strong, long-lasting relationships is the model we like to follow. They are an extraordinary company, with a customer-centered corporate philosophy that we are proud to welcome to our community."

Work is also underway for a new two-phase 336,000 square-foot high-bay freezer and cooler facility which will house a worldwide logistics and supply management company. According to Project developer J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc., Vineland’s strong economic base development, tax abatement programs, a broad mix of industries, and location to major markets were all factors in choosing the site.

“When companies are making commitments and investments of this kind, it shows they have a real interest in our community. We are excited to be a partner and to do all we can to help create an environment for long-term success,” Fanucci concluded.

For more information, please contact City of Vineland Economic Development Director Sandy Forosisky at (856) 794-4100, or by e-mail at sforosisky@vinelandcity.org. X

J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc. has begun phase one construction on their new cold storage facility at 1615 West Garden Road in Vineland, New Jersey. Courtesy: City of Vineland

Phase one of a new Maestri d’italia Inc. production facility in Vineland, New Jersey, is currently under construction.

• Easy Interstate, Rail, Port, And Air Access • Over 40 Million Cubic Feet Of Cold Storage Capacity • More Than A Dozen 3PL Providers

For more information, please contact Sandy Forosisky, Director of Economic Development, at 856-794-4100, or by e-mail at sforosisky@vinelandcity.org. The Vineland Economic Development Department is committed to helping your business grow and succeed in today’s competitive environment. Here you will find a pro-active, business-friendly government, and a city staff prepared to assist you at every stage of the process.

Pure Opportunity MICHIGAN:

Michigan Legislature strengthens support of ‘Make It in Michigan’ economic development strategy in FY25 budget

The $82.5 billion bipartisan budget continues the state’s focus on People, Places and Projects to ensure everyone can “Make It in Michigan”

The Michigan Legislature passed a balanced and bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2025 that further strengthens the state’s “Make It in Michigan” economic development strategy supporting People, Places and Projects.

The FY25 budget totals $82.5 billion, including a general fund total of $15 billion and a school aid budget total of $19 billion. Among the key investments include support for economic development initiatives for project attraction, placemaking and talent growth, all of which are key to the “Make It in Michigan” strategy, as well as investments to elevate the state’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

“I am grateful to Governor Whitmer, the State Budget Office team and the Michigan Legislature for their collaboration and hard work to pass a budget that reflects and honors our commitment to the ‘Make It in Michigan’ economic development strategy’s focus on People, Places and Projects,” said Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. “Whether it’s cultivating a culture that embraces talent, revitalizing our communities or attracting investment, we must continue to work together as Team Michigan to ensure everyone can truly ‘Make It in Michigan.”

"It will take all of us linking arms and leaning in with sharp elbows to reverse Michigan's population trends. Today, our state took a huge step towards that,” said Michigan’s Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe. “I’m incredibly heartened and grateful to see some high priority items receive critical funding next year. We know that in order to retain current residents and attract young talent, we need great places, great opportunities and welcoming communities. Funding for these programs and initiatives will ensure we continue to build momentum statewide. Let's grow, Michigan.”

INVESTING IN PEOPLE, PLACES AND PROJECTS

Some highlights of the FY25 budget include:

• $500 million for the Strategic Outreach and Reserve (SOAR) Fund to continue attracting and retaining transformational investments stemming from federal policy encouraging domestic development in clean energy, semiconductors, and mobility, among other industries

• $60 million to establish an Innovation Fund to invest in scalable startups and help launch hundreds of new Michigan-based companies, creating thousands of jobs

• $50 million in continued funding for the Revitalization and Placemaking program, including support for a new program to implement transformational public space development projects that

will increase the population by creating high-density, high-amenity, walkable, vibrant neighborhoods and business ownership opportunities for locals

• $10 million for Minority-Owned Business grants to continue the work of the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Support Grant program

• $15 million to the Pure Michigan campaign, on top of the $15 million in existing General Fund money for the program, to further attract visitors to the Great Lakes State, with the ability to receive up to $10 million in additional local and private revenue

To enhance support the state’s talent and workforce initiatives, investments in higher education and workforce development include:

• $45.5 million for Talent and Growth to support Michigan’s current and future workforce needs and population growth, including specialized economic assistance to businesses locating or expanding in Michigan to meet their talent and workforce needs, developing customized talent solutions to fill identified talent gaps and grow Michigan’s population

• $30 million investment to increase funding for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, the state’s flagship scholarship program, providing a pathway to community college, tuition guaranteed

• $52 million to continue Michigan Reconnect, providing a tuition-free pathway to adult learners 25 and older

• $20 million increase in the Tuition Incentive Program, which provides tuition support to lower income students in Michigan’s community colleges, public universities and private universities

• $14.5 million for the North American Indian Tuition Waiver, to provide tuition-free education to eligible Native Americans at Michigan public universities and community colleges

ABOUT MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter. Seize your opportunity at MICHIGANBUSINESS.ORG X

SUPERIOR-SIZE YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN.

MICHIGAN

®

PURE OPPORTUNITY

Only Michigan has a supply chain that includes four Great Lakes with an extensive network of marine highways and 33 deep-water ports. It’s how the world’s top manufacturing, engineering and mobility businesses get the upper hand in global logistics. Seize your opportunity at MICHIGANBUSINESS.ORG

LAKE

NEWS INDUSTRY

Taber Extrusions expands in Russellville, Arkansas

RUSSELLVILLE, AR — Taber Extrusions is expanding its facility in Russellville, Arkansas, introducing the largest direct extrusion press in North America. The company is investing over $60 million in the expansion and expects to create 70 new jobs.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined company executives and state economic development officials for the announcement of the expansion at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow. The announcement was made at the Forum Main Stage at the USA Partnership Pavilion.

“We are excited for this expansion as it provides the capability and capacity needed in the large shape extrusion market, said Chuck Stout, President of Taber Extrusions. “This investment highlights our commitment to continue to serve our national defense, aerospace, and large industrial market partners.”

The state-of-the-art 10,000 UST Front Load, Direct press features cutting-edge machinery featuring a 16-inch (406mm) container and can handle profiles up to 600mm wide. It is designed to meet the rigorous demands of the aerospace industry and is expected to go live in 2026.

“Announcements like this don’t happen by accident,” said Governor Sanders. “It took pro-growth policies in Little Rock, a pro-business mentality in Russellville, and a proactive presence at events like the Farnborough Airshow to secure Taber’s investment. I’m grateful to this great Arkansas company for their continued commitment to the Natural State.”

Taber Extrusions has been in business in the Russellville area for five decades. The company pioneered a process for extruding rectangular billet which enables the company to extrude solid profiles up to 31 inches wide or hollows up to 29 inches.

“It’s an honor to join Taber Extrusions at the Farnborough International Airshow to announce its latest expansion in Russellville Arkansas,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “Taber Extrusions has operated in Arkansas since 1976, and we look forward to many more years of business success for them. Congratulations to the City of Russellville on this economic development win, which creates 70 new jobs in the River Valley region.”

“As someone who calls Russellville home, I am proud that Taber Extrusions has chosen our vibrant community for their expansion,” said

Governor Cooper Announces Japanese Healthcare Company to Build First North American Manufacturing Center of Excellence

PITT COUNTY, NC— Nipro Medical Corporation, a leader in the global healthcare and medical device industry, has selected Pitt County for its first North American manufacturing center of excellence, creating 232 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced. The company will invest more than $397.8 million to build a new manufacturing campus and U.S. headquarters in Greenville.

“I’m excited to welcome another advanced manufacturing company to eastern North Carolina,” said Governor Cooper. “Not only will Nipro join a Greenville community of health care leaders, it will grow eastern North Carolina’s life sciences prowess with the help of the skilled, dedicated and diverse workforce they need to succeed.”

Founded in Japan, Nipro stands as a Tier 1 manufacturer renowned for its high-quality medical devices and healthcare solutions. The new facility in Pitt County marks Nipro’s first venture into producing

Dr. Megan Selman, president and CEO of the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce. “This decision speaks volumes about the strength of our local economy and the high quality of life in Russellville. Our strategic location and dynamic business environment make it the ideal place for companies to grow and succeed.”

“Taber Extrusions has been a cornerstone of Russellville for as long as I can remember,” said Russellville Mayor Fred Teague. “The presence of the Taber brand in our community exemplifies how local efforts can have a global impact. Our residents create products that touch lives around the world, and I am thrilled to witness the Taber brand’s local expansion. I look forward to collaborating with everyone involved in this exciting development. I am confident that this expansion will bring new job opportunities, benefiting both Russellville and many families in our area.”

“Taber Extrusions has been a steadfast partner, employer, and manufacturer in our community for half a century,” said Pope County Judge Ben Cross. “As one of the bedrock fabricators of some of the world’s most premier aluminum products, this investment in our county will ensure good quality jobs and local growth in this sector, keeping “Made in America” at the forefront of their commitment to excellence. I applaud Taber Extrusions, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and the Russellville Regional Alliance for Economic Development, on their combined efforts to see this day come to fruition.”

advanced medical devices directly in the U.S. market and highlights the company’s commitment to innovation, growth, and environmental sustainability. The North Carolina facility is set to produce state-of-the-art medical devices that support patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and other renal health issues, reflecting Nipro’s commitment to enhancing the quality of patient care through innovative medical technologies. The new campus in Greenville will host a medical training center for healthcare providers, customer service center, and increase the company’s global capacity to continue expanding its footprint and offering high-end medical devices in a 550,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility for the North American market.

“We are thrilled to start manufacturing our cutting-edge medical devices in the U.S., which will support local healthcare professionals and patients with a stable supply chain and reduced transportation costs,” said Tsuyoshi Yamazaki, Senior Managing Director of Global Business at Nipro. “Our close proximity to customers will allow us to better respond to their needs and provide them with timely and effective solutions.

EFC Announces $210 Million Investment in Semiconductor Industry in McGregor, Texas

MCGREGOR, TX EFC Gases & Advanced Materials is thrilled to unveil plans for a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in McGregor, Texas, following the recent acquisition of 195 acres of land from the City of McGregor. This landmark development underscores their dedication to innovation, sustainability, and growth within the semiconductor industry.

“As an integral part of the semiconductor supply chain, we at EFC Gases & Advanced Materials are excited to collaborate with the City of McGregor and deeply value their support during the early stages of this project,” stated Pavel A. Perlov, President and CEO of EFC. “The new facility will play a crucial role in onshoring essential materials for semiconductor fabs, aligning seamlessly with Texas’ thriving semiconductor industry.”

The McGregor City Council has approved a resolution to transfer the acreage to EFC Gases & Advanced Materials, with Mayor Jim Lilley authorizing the sale and execution of all necessary closing documents.

Situated within the McGregor Industrial Park, which boasts significant industrial growth and houses prominent companies like SpaceX, Messer, and Knauf Insulation, the new EFC facility will benefit from a supportive and dynamic environment. The park’s evolution from military use to a center of innovation and industry reflects McGregor’s dedication to economic development and environmental stewardship. The EFC facility is expected to create at least 120 jobs, adding to the region’s economic vitality.

EFC’s decision to invest in Texas aligns with the state’s robust semiconductor industry and favorable business climate. Since the enactment of the Chips and Science Act in 2020, over 83 new U.S. semiconductor ecosystem

Aviation Company AURA AERO Inc. Announces Decision to Locate 500,000 Square-Foot Manufacturing and Assembly Plant in Florida

LONDON —During Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez’s international mission to the Farnborough Air Show, aviation company AURA AERO Inc. announces the opening of its first US facility within Embry-Riddle and the decision to locate a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly plant in Florida. AURA AERO is a French designer and manufacturer of aircraft headquartered in Toulouse, France. This decision follows the company’s move last year to create a partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the University’s Research Park in Daytona Beach, which is now open. The new manufacturing facility is estimated to create 1,030 jobs with an average wage of $73,695 and has a projected capital investment of $172.5 million.

“Today’s announcement is the result of our administration’s strategic investments towards the growing aerospace and aviation industry in Florida,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “I am thrilled that AURA AERO has decided to expand their presence in Florida. We applaud their commitment to bringing additional high-wage job opportunities for Floridians and their dedication to the aerospace industry in our state.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida continues to elevate its status as a leader in research and development, and manufacturing. Our aligned and targeted investments in workforce readiness, site readiness, housing readiness, and financial readiness create a network of connected successes that establishes confidence in investors, communities, businesses, and families to ultimately call Florida home,”

projects valued at $447 billion have been announced, with more than $88 billion earmarked for Texas, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). This impressive growth underscores the critical demand for the high-quality materials and gases that EFC is positioned to provide.

EFC, headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, serves both the semiconductor and aerospace industries with plants in Hatfield and Cherryville, Pennsylvania. The new McGregor site represents a $210 million expansion in domestic production capabilities. It will feature chemical synthesis operations for electronic gases and deposition precursors, specialty gas transfill facilities, a central laboratory, a logistics hub, and an administration building. The City of McGregor will support the project with infrastructure improvements, including extending water and wastewater lines and assisting in the construction of an industrial rail spur to enhance operational efficiency.

“The collaborative efforts of the City of McGregor, McLennan County, the State of Texas, and various regional economic development organizations present exceptional partnership opportunities,” remarked Tommy Arndt, Executive VP of Operations at EFC. “The support from McGregor, McLennan County, and the State of Texas has been tremendous, and we look forward to further exploring these potential partnerships.”

EFC is eager to strengthen its ties with the McGregor community and other stakeholders as the project advances. “The unified efforts of local government, industry, and community leaders have been pivotal in transforming McGregor into a flourishing industrial center,” said Tommy Arndt. “We are committed to working closely with the community to ensure our presence is mutually beneficial.”

said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “The key to the success of this effort was the work of the Lieutenant Governor and Embry-Riddle who first began working with AURA AERO at the Paris Air Show last July, and we are grateful to see the company selecting Florida.”

SelectFlorida’s delegation at the Farnborough Air Show totals more than 150 attendees, including representatives from 19 Florida companies, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and 12 local economic development partners. Florida’s leadership present at the air show includes Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly, Florida Department of Transportation Jared Perdue, and Space Florida President and CEO Rob Long.

“We are thrilled to unveil AURA AERO’s expansion in the USA with the development of our industrial footprint in Florida,” said AURA AERO CEO Jérémy Caussade. “Supported by the State of Florida, Select Florida, and our partner Embry-Riddle, we have the perfect ecosystem to bring a new generation of aircraft to our American customers.”

“Under the Governor’s leadership, the business climate that has been created is the perfect platform for us to recruit international business leaders to the United States. These companies have other choices and are continuously being recruited by many different locations,” said Mori Hosseini, Chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Directors. “Florida’s continuing wins are a clear result of ongoing efforts by the Governor, as well as his amazing team and our legislators, to create and sustain a favorable business climate.”

ALABAMA

ARIZONA

Cullman Economic Development Agency

Dale Greer

P.O. Box 1009

Cullman, AL 35056

256-739-1891

daleg@cullmaneda.org www.cullmaneda.org

Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority

David Hooks

Executive Director 1 Commerce Square Gadsden, AL 35901 256-543-9423

davidhooks@gadsdenida.org www.gadsdenida.org

Elmore County Economic Development

Cary Cox

P.O. Box 117 Wetumka , AL 36092 334-514-5843 cary.cox@elmoreeda.com www.elmoreeda.com

Northwest Alabama EDA

Tom Wisemiller 4020 U.S. Highway 43 Guin, AL 35563 205-468-3213 twisemiller@northwestalabameda.org www.northwestalabamaeda.org

Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority

Justice Smyth

Executive Director P.O. Box 2667

Tuscaloosa, AL 35403 205-349-1414

info@tcoeda.com www.tcoeda.com

Arizona Regional Economic Develoment

Mignonne Hollis, Executive Director

750 E. Bartow Drive Suite 16 Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 520-458-6948

hollism@aredf.org www.aredf.org

City of Flagstaff Economic Development

John Saltonstall, AZED Pro Business Retention & Expansion Manager

Economic Vitality Division

City of Flagstaff

211 W. Aspen Avenue Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Office 928-213-2966

Cell 928-606-9430

jsaltonstall@flagstaffaz.gov www.flagstaffaz.gov

Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth

Patti King, Executive Mgr. 17235 N. 75th Avenue Suite D-145 Glendale, AZ 85308

520-836-8686 pking@pinalalliance.org www.pinalalliance.org

ARKANSAS

Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development

James Lee Sillman

Executive Director 625 Adams Aveune Camden, AR 71701

870-836-2210

870-836-8899 (f) director@teamcamden.com www.teamcamden.com

Clarksville Economic Development

Steve Houserman 205 Walnut Street, Clarksville, AR 72830

479-754-6486

shouserman@clarksvillear.gov www.clarksvillear.gov

East Arkansas Crossroads Coalition

Alicia Woolman

1790 N. Falls Boulevard, Suite 2 Wynne, AR 72396

870-238-5300 crossroads@crossroadscoalition.org www.crossroadscoalition.org

Salt River Project (SRP)

Karla Moran P.O. Box 52025 Phoenix, AZ 85072-2025

602-236-2396

Karla.moran@srpnet.com www.powertogrowphx.com

City of Surprise

Mike Hoover

16000 N Civic Center Plaza Surprise, AZ 85374

623-222-3328

Mike.hoover@surpriseaz.gov www.surpriseaz.gov

Mississippi County Economic Development

Clif Chitwood 4701 Memorial Drive

Blytheville, AR 72315

870-532-6084

clif@cottontosteel.com www.cottontosteel.com

City of Siloam Springs

Kristifier Paxton

Community Development Director P.O. Box 80

Siloam Springs , AR 72761

479-238-0930

kpaxton@siloamsprings.com whysiloam.com

CALIFORNIA

City of Eastvale

Gina Gibson-Williams

Economic Development Manager 12363 Limonite Ave. Suite 910 Eastvale, CA 91752

951-703-4425

ggibson-williams@eastvaleca.gov www.eastvaleca.gov

City of Moreno Valley Economic Development

Mike Lee

Economic Development Director 14177 Frederick Street Moreno Valley, CA 92553 951-413-3460

mike@moval.org www.morenovalleybusiness.com

City of Ontario

Economic Development

Jennifer McLain Hiramoto Economic Development Director 303 East B Street Ontario, CA 91764

909-395-2295

JHiramoto@ontarioca.gov www.ontariothinksbusiness.com

Greater Irvine Chamber

Pepper Russell 36 Executive Park Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92614

949-502-4129

prussell@irvinechamber.com www.irvinechamber.com

COLORADO

City of Canon City

Rick Harrmann

128 Main Street Canon City, CO 81212

719-276-5279

rlharrmann@canoncity.org www.canoncity.org

City of Fountain Economic Development Commission

Kimberly A. Bailey Economic Development/ Urban Renewal Director

116 S. Main Street Fountain, CO 80817

719-322-2056 kbailey@fountaincolorado.org www.fountaincolorado.org

FLORIDA

Enterprise Florida, Inc.

800 North Magnolia Avenue Suite 1100 Orlando, FL 32803

407-956-5600 www.enterpriseflorida.com

City of Titusville

Grand Junction Economic Partnership

Robin Brown, Executive Director 122 N. 6th Street Grand Junction, CO 81501 970--245-4332 robin@gjep.org www.gjep.org

CONNECTICUT

Town of Berlin

Chris Edge Director 240 Kensington Road Berlin, CT 06037

860-828-7005 cedge@town.berlin.ct.us www.town.berlin.ct.us

DELAWARE

Kent Economic Partnership

Linda Parkowski Executive Director 555 Bay Road Dover, DE 19901

302-678-3057 info@ccede.com www.choosecentraldelaware.com

Wilmington Economic Development

Sean J. Park

800 N. French St., 3rd Floor Wilmington, DE 19801

302-576-2128

sjpark@wilmingtonde.gov www.wilmingtonde.gov

Nicholas Gow 555 South Washington Avenue Titusville, FL 32796-3584

321-567-3774

economicdevelopment@titusville.com www.YEStitusvilleFL.com

Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation

J.P. DuBuque

President and CEO

100 2nd Ave N Ste 130 St. Petersburg, FL 33701

727-388-2906

jpdubuque@stpeteedc.com StPeteEDC.com/BurgBiz

Haines City Economic Development Council, Inc.

Cyndi Jantomaso, MEDP President/CEO Post Office Box 3845 Haines City, FL 33845-3845 863-422-2525

cyndi@hainescityedc.com www.hainescityedc.com

Hernando County Office of Economic Development

Valerie M. Pianta, MEDP, Economic Development Director 15800 Flight Path Drive Brooksville, FL 34604

352--540-6400

vpianta@hernandocounty.us www.hernandobusiness.com

Holmes County Development Commission

Joe Rone, Executive Director 106 E Byrd Avenue Bonifay, FL 32425 850-547-6154

jrone@holmesedc.com www.holmesedc.com

Indian River Chamber of Commerce

Helene Caseltine Economic Development Director 1216 21st Street Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-567-3491

helenec@indianrivered.com www.indianrivered.com

Lake County, Economic Development

Kathleen Dial, Director 315 W. Main Street Tavares, FL 32778 352-742-3925

Kathleen.dial@lakecountyfl.gov www.lakecountyfl.gov

Osceola County

David Rodriguez, Economic Development Manager 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 4400 Kissimmee, FL 34741 407-742-0620 407-742-4202 (f) david.rodriguez@osceola.org www.chooseosceola.com www.osceola.org

Pasco Economic Development Council

Bill Cronin, President & CEO 16506 Pointe Village Drive, Suite 101 Lutz, FL 33558

813-926-0827 813-926-0829 (f) bcronin@pascoedc.com pascoedc.com

Pinellas County Economic Development

Dr. Cynthia Johnson, EDFP Director 13805 58th Street North, Suite 1-200 Clearwater, FL 33760 727-464-7332

cyjohnson@pinellascounty.org www.pced.org

Santa Rosa County EDO

Shannon Ogletree, , Executive Director 6491 Caroline Street, Suite 4 Milton, FL 32570-4592 850-623-0174

Shannon@sant arosa.fl.gov www.santarosaedo.com

City of St. Cloud

Antranette Forbes, Economic Development Direcrector 1300 9th Street St. Cloud, FL 34769 (407)957-7234 antranette.forbes@stcloud.org www.stcloud.org

Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality

Keith Bowers, Director 315 S. Calhoun Street, Suite 110 Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-219-1080 kbowers@oevforbusiness.org www.oevforbusiness.org

GEORGIA

City of College Park

3667 Main Street College Park, GA 30337

404-305-2052 404-305-2057 (f) www.collegeparkga.com/

City of East Point

Maceo Rogers CEcD

2757 East Point Street

East Point, GA 30344

404-270-7057

jmrogers@eastpointcity.org www.eastpointcity.org

Forward Forsyth

Alex Warner

P.O. Box 1799

Cumming GA 30028

770-887-6461 770-842-1170

awarner@forwardforsyth.org www.forwardforsyth.org

Liberty County Development Authority

Ronald Tolley, CEO 425 W. Oglethorpe Highway Hinesville, GA 31313

912-977-4147

Ron.tolley@comegrow.global www.comegrow.global

Putnam Development Authority

Matt Poyner

Econmical Devleopment Director 117 Putnam Drive, Eaton, GA 31024

706-816-8099

mpoyner@putnamforward.dev www.putnamforward.dev .......................................................................

Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority

Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director P.O. Box 5185 Valdosta, GA 31603-1963 229-259-9972

aschruijer@buildlowndes.com www.buildlowndes.com

ILLINOIS

Champaign County Economic Development Corporation

Carly McCrory-McKay

Executive Director

1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 100 Champaign, IL 61820

217-359-6261

carly@champaigncountyedc.org www.champaigncountyedc.org

City of Highland Economic Development

Mallord Hubbard 1115 Broadway, P.O. Box 218 Highland, IL 62249-0218

618-654-9891

618-654-4768 (f) mhubbard@highlandil.gov www.highlandil.gov

CityofLitchfieldEcnomic Development

BreannVazquez 120E.RyderStreet Litchfield,IL62056 217-324-8151

cityadmin@cityoflitchfieldil.com www.litchfieldil-development.com

Village of Arlington Heights Business & Economic Development

Michael Mertes, Business Development Manager 33 S. Arlington Heights Arlington Heights, IL 60005

847-368-5220 mmertes@vah.com www.vah.com/business

INDIANA

Adams County EDC

Colton Bickel

313 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 237 Decatur, IN 46733

260-724-2588

cbickel@adamscountyedc.com www.adamscountyedc.com

Carroll County EDC

City of Marshall

Nora Swalls

Economic Development Director

201 S. Michigan Ave Marshall, IL 62441 217-826-2034

nswalls@marshall-il.com www.marshall-il.com

City of Vandalia

Latisha Paslay

431 W. Gallatin St. Vandalia, IL 62471

618-283-1152 618-335-9510 (Mobile) vandaliaed@vandaliaillinois.com www.vandaliaillinois.com

Intersect Illinois

Dan Seals, CEO

Senior Vice President Business Development

230 W. Monroe St. Chicago, IL 60606

312-667-6013

dan.seals@intersectillinois.org www.intersectillinois.org

Jake Adams, Exec Director P.O. Box 83 Delphi, IN 46923

765-564-2060

jadams@carrollcountyedc.com www.carrollcountyedc.com

Miami County Economic Development Auth. Jim Tidd 1525 W. Hoosier Boulevard Peru, IN 46970 765-689-0159 jtidd@miamicountyeda.com www.miamicountyeda.com

KANSAS

Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation

Joann Knight, Executive Director 101 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. Dodge City, KS 67801 620-227-9501 620-227-2957 (f) jknight@dodgedev.org www.dodgedev.org

GoTopeka

MollyHowey,CEcDPresident 719SKansasAve.Suite100

Topeka,KS66603

785.231.4707

molly.howey@gotopeka.com www.gotopeka.com

Russell County Eco Devo & CVB

Mike Parsons, Director 331 E. Witchita, Russell, KS 67665

785-483-4000 rced2@russellks.net www.russellcountyks.org

Salina Economic Development Organization

D. Mitch Robinson, CEcD 120 West Ash Street Salina, KS 67401 785-404-3131 mrobinson@salinaedo.org www.salinaedo.org

Shawnee Economic Development

Ann Smith-Tate, President CEO 15100 W. 67th Street Suite 202 Shawnee, KS 66217-9344 913-631-6545

asmithtate@shawneekschamber.com www.shawnee-edc.com

Wyandotte Economic Development Council

Greg Kindle President

727 Minnesota Avenue Kansas City, KS 66101 913-371-3198 gkindle@wyedc.org www.wyedc.org

KENTUCKY

City of Pikeville

Jill Fraley Dotson, Executive Economic Development Director 773 Hambley Boulevard Pikeville, KY 41501

606-437-5128

info@whypikeville.com www.whypikeville.com

Be NKY

Kimberly Rossetti

VP of Economic Development

300 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 332 Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017

888-874-3365

krossetti@Be-NKY.com www.Be-NKY.com

South Western Kentucky EDC

Carter Hendricks, Executive Director 2800 Fort Campbell Blvd. Hopkinsville, KY 42240

270-885-1499

chendricks@southwesternky.com www.southwesternky.com

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Economic Development

Anya G. Hudnall

1201 N. Third Street, Suite 7-210 Baton Rouge, LA 70802

225-342-5396

Anya.hudnal@la.gov www.la.gov

SWLA Economic Development ALLIANCE

George Swift 4310 Ryan Street Lake Charles LA 70605

337-433-3632

gswift@allianceswla.org www.allianceswla.org

St. Mary Parish of Economic Development

Evan Boudreaux, Director

500 Main Street, 5th Floor Courthouse Franklin, LA 70538

337-828-4100 ecodev@stmaryparishla.gov www.stmaryparishdevelopmant.com

MAINE

Bangor Community & Economic Development

Anne Krieg

262 Harlow Street

Bangor, ME 04401

207-992-4280

anne.krieg@bangormaine.gov www.bangormaine.gov

Town of Richmond Community, Economic, & Business Development

Darryl Sterling Director 26 Gardiner Street Richmond, ME 04357-0159

207-737-4305 x 331 207-737-4306 (f) director@richmondmaine.com www.richmondmaine.com

MARYLAND

Calvert County Economic Development

Julie Oberg, Director

205 Main Street Prince Frederick, MD 20678 410-535-4583

julie.oberg@calvertcountymd.gov www.choosecalvert.com

Carroll County Economic Development

Paige Sunderland Director

225 N. Center Street, Ste. 101 Westminster, MD 21157 410-386-2070

psunderland@carrollbiz.org www.carrollbiz.org

Cecil County Economic Development

Bill Sorenson, Director

200 Chesapeake Blvd., Ste 2700 Elkton, MD 21921

410-996-8465 wsorenson@cecilcountymd.gov www.cecilbusiness.org

Dorchester County Economic Development

Susan Banks, Director 104 Tech Park Drive Cambridge, MD 21613 410-228-0155

sbanks@choosedorchester.org www.choosedorchester.org

Kent County Department of Economic & Tourism Development

Jamie L. Williams, CEcD, Director 400 High Street, 3rd Floor Chestertown MD 21620 410-810-2168 jlwilliams@kentgov.org www.kentcounty.com/business

Montgomery County Economic Development

Laurie Babb 1801 Rockville Pike, Ste. 320 Rockville, MD 20852 240-641-6704

laurie@thinkmoco.com www.thinkmoco.com

Talbot County Economic Development

Cassandra M. Vanhooser, Director 11 S. Harrison Street Easton, MD 21601 410-770-8000

Cvanhooser@talbgov.org www.talbgov.org

MICHIGAN

Michigan Economic Development Corporation 300 N. Washington Sq. Lansing, Michigan 48913 888-522-0103 www.michiganbusiness.org

Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County

Dan Casey, CEO 100 McMorran Boulevard 4th Floor, Suite B Port Huron, Michigan 48060 810-982.9511 www.edascc.com stclairhotjobs.com

The Right Place, Inc

Andria Romkema

125 Ottawa Avenue, Suite 450 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 616-771-0563 romkemaa@rightplace.org www.Rightplace.org

MINNESOTA

City of Lakeville Community & Economic Development

David Olson, Director 20195 Holyoke Avenue Lakeville, MN 55044 952-985-4421 dolson@lakevillemn.gov www.lakevillemn.gov

MISSISSIPPI

Greenwood Leflore Carroll EDF

Thomas Gregory P.O. Box 26 Greenwood, MS 38930 662-453-5321 Thomas@greenwoodedf.com www.greenwoodedf.com

Hinds County EDA P.O. Box 248 Jackson, MS 39205-0248 601-353-6056 www.selecthinds.com

MISSOURI

Sikeston Regional Chamber & Economic Development Corp.

Marcie Lawson

128 N. New Madrid Street Sikeston, MO 63801 573-471-2498

marcie.lawson@sikeston.net www.sikeston.net

NEVADA

EDC of Lea County

Jennifer Grassham, CEO

Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority

Sheldon Mudd, Executive Director 1500 College Pkwy McMullen Hall #103 Elko, NV 89801

775-738-2100

775-738-7978(f) smudd@nnrda.com www.nnrda.com

NEW JERSEY

Choose New Jersey

Bill Noonan, Chief Business Development Officer 11-43 Raymond Plaza W, Suite 1420 Newark, NJ 07102 609-297-2200 wnoonan@choosenj.com www.choosenj.com

Gloucester County Department of Economic Development

Tom Bianco, Director 1480 Tanyard Rd., Sewell, NJ 08080 856-384-6930 tbianco@co.gloucester.nj.us www.gloucestercountynj.gov

New Jersey EDA

Pat J. Rose 36 West State Street Trenton, NJ 08625 609-858-6705 prose@njeda.com www.njeda.com

NEW MEXICO

Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance

Danielle Casey, CEcD President 201 Third Street NW, #1900 Albuquerque, NM 87102 505-705-3785 dcasey@abq.org www.abq.org

200 E. Broadway Street Hobbs, NM 88240

573-397-2039 jennifer@edclc.org www.edclc.org

Roswell-Chaves County EDC

Michael Espiritu 220 North Main Roswell, NM 88201 575-622-1975 mespiritu@chavescounty.net www.chavescounty.net

NEW YORK

Allegany County Industrial Development Agency

Craig Clark, Executive Director CrossRoads Center 6087 State Route 19N, Suite 100 Belmont, NY 14813

585-268-7472 800-893-9484 clarkcr@alfredstate.edu www.acida.org

Mohawk Valley Edge

Nick Bruno 584 Phoenix Drive Rome, NY 13441-4105 315-338-0393 nbruno@mvedge.org www.mvedge.org

SaratogaEDC

ToriJ.E.Riley,VP 517Broadway#203 SaratogaSprings,NY 12866 518-587-0945 toririley@saratogaedc.com www.saratogaedc.com

NORTH CAROLINA

Harnett County Economic Development

Stephen Barrington, Director

200 Alexander Dr. or PO Box 1270 Lillington, NC 27546

910-814-6891

919-814-8298 (f) sbarrington@harnett.org www.harnettedc.org

Piedmont Triad Airport Authority

Stephanie Freeman 1000A Ted Johnson Parkway Greensboro, NC 27409

336-665-5602 freemans@gsoair.org www.landatpti.com

Stanly County Economic Development Commission

Candice Boyd Lowder, Director 1000 North First Street, Suite 11 Albemarle, NC 28001

704-986-3682

704-986-3685 (f) clowder@stanlyedc.com www.stanlyedc.com

NORTH DAKOTA

Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC

Nathan Schneider, CEcD-Vice President 1640 Burnt Boat Dr., Bismark, ND 58503 701-223-5660 nschneider@bmcedc.com www.bismarckmandanedc.com

Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation

Keith Lund, Pres/CEO 120 N 4th St., Grand Forks, ND 58203 701-746-2722 keithl@grandforks.org www.grandforks.org

OKLAHOMA

Bartlesville Development Authority

Jared Patton, Vice President 201 SW Keeler, Bartlesville, OK 74003 918-337-8086 918-337-0216 (f) jpatton@bdaok.org www.bdaok.org

Ponca City Development Authority

David Myers, Executive Director 102 S. Fifth Street, Suite 3 Ponca City, OK 74601 580-765-7070 580-765-7070 (f) dmyers@goponca.com www.goponca.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Erie County Redevelopment Authority

Tina M. Mengine 1314 Griswold Plaza Erie, PA 16501 814-480-0337 x 101 Tmengine@ecrda.net www.ecrda.net

Horsham Township Economic Development

Larry Burns 1025 Horsham Road Horsham, PA 19044 215-643-3131 x 234 lburns@horsham.org www.horsham.org

Penn’s Northeastt

John L. Augustine III 1151 Oak Street Pittston, PA 18640 570-883-0504 jaugustine@pennsnortheast.com www.pennsnortheast.com

RHODE ISLAND Quonset Development Corporation

Steven J. King, Managing Director 95 Cripe Street North Kingstown, RI 2852 401-295-0044 sking@quonset.com www.quonset.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston Regional Development Alliance

Megan Fink 4401 Belle Oaks Drive, Suite 420 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-760-3351 mfink@crda.org www.crda.org

Lexington County Economic Development

Sarah J. Johnson

Department Director 212 South Lake Drive Lexington, SC 29072 803-785-6818

sjjohnson@lex-co.com www.LexingtonCountyUSA.com

South Carolina I-77 Alliance

Christopher Finn

3200 Commerce Drive, Suite D Richburg, SC 29729

803-789-3467

chris.finn@i77alliance.com www.i77alliance.com

SouthernCarolina Regional Alliance

Kay Maxwell 1750 Jackson Street, Suite 100 Barnwell, SC 29812

803-541-0023

kmaxwell@southerncarolina.org www.southerncarolina.org

TENNESSEE

Blount Partnership

Bryan Daniels CEcD, CCE, IOM President and CEO

201 S. Washington Street St. Maryville, TN 37804

865-983-2247

865-984-1386

bdaniels@blountpartnership.com www.blountchamber.com

Bristol Tennessee Essential Services

April Eads

Business Development Manager 2470 Volunteer Parkway Bristol, TN 37620

423-793-5532

NETWORKS

– Sullivan Partnership

Clay Walker PO Box 747, Blountville, TN 37617

423-279-7681

cwalker@networkstn.com www.networkstn.com

TEXAS

Big Spring Economic Development Corporation

Mark Willis 215 W. 3rd Street

Big Spring, TX 79720

432-264-6032

markwillis@bigspringtx.com www.bigspringtx.com

Bowie Economic Development Corporation

Janis Crawley

101 E. Pecan, Bowie, TX 76230

940-872-4193

940-531-8201(c)

BEDC@BowieTexasEDC.com www.BowieTexasEDC.com

City Development Corp of El Campo

Carolyn Gibson, Executive Director

707 Fahrenthold, P.O. Box 706 El Campo, TX 77437

979-543-6727

979-320-7727 cell cgibson@elcampoeco.org www.elcampoeco.org

City of Fort Worth

Robert Sturns, Director 1150 S. Freeway Fort Worth, TX 76104 817-392-2663

Robert.Sturns@fortworthtexas.gov

City of Leander

Randall Malik Economic Development Director 201 N Brushy Leander, TX 78641

512-528-2855

rmalik@leandertx.gov www.leanderbusiness.com

Cameron Industrial Foundation

Ginger Watkins, Executive Director

102 E. First Street, Suite A Cameron, TX 76520

423-793-5545 (f) aeads@btes.net www.btes.net/index.php/economic-development City of Lebanon

Sarah Haston

Economic Development Director

200 North Castle Heights Ave. Lebanon, TN 37087

615-443-2839 EXT. 2120

Sarah.Haston@lebanontn.org www.lebanontn.org

254-697-4970 254-482-1119 (c) gwatkins@cameronindustrialfoundation.com www.cameronindustrialfoundation. com

Conroe Economic Development Council

Danielle Scheiner, Executive Director 300 W Davis St, Ste 510 Conroe, TX 77301 USA 936-522-3529 scheiner@conroeedc.org www.conroeedc.org

DeSoto Economic Development

Matt Carlson, CEO 211 E. Pleasant Run Road DeSoto, TX 75115 Ph: 972-230-9611

mcarlson@desototexas.gov www.dedc.org

Cedar Hill Economic Development Corporation

Henry Florsheim

285 Uptown Boulevard, Bldg. 100

Cedar Hill, TX 75104

972-291-5132

henry.florsheim@cedarhilltx.com www.cedarhilledc.com

Jacksboro Economic Development Corporation

Brenda Tarpley, Executive Director

302 S. Main Street

Jacksboro, TX 76458 940-567-3151

btarpley@jacksboroedc.com www.jacksboroedc.com

Laredo Economic Development

Gene Lindgren, President & CEO

302 S. Main Street

Laredo, TX 78044

956-722-0563 glindgren@laredoedc.org www.laredoedc.org

LCRA

Karen Dickson Economic Development Manager 3700 Lake Austin Blvd. Austin, TX 78703 512-578-3291 karen.dickson@lcra.org www.lcra.org/economic-development/ pages/default.aspx

Marble Falls EDC

Christian Fletcher 801 Fourth Street

Marble Falls, TX 78654 830-798-7079

cfletcher@marblefallseconomy.com www.marblefallseconomy.com

McKinney Economic Development Corporation

Peter Tokar III, President/CEO 7300 SH 121 SB, Ste 200 McKinney, TX 75070

972-547-7687

ptokar@mckinneyedc.com www.uniquemckinney.com

Hamilton Economic Development Corp.

Kayla Schraub 108 North Bell Street Hamilton, TX 76531 254-386-5954 edc@hamiltontx.com www.hamiltontx.com

Mineola Economic Development Corp

Mercy Rushing, Executive Director

300 Greenville Highway Mineola, TX 75773

903-569-6183

903-245-8505

mrushing@mineola.com www.mineola.com

Mount Pleasant EDC

Nathan Tafoya, Executive Director

1604 N. Jefferson Ave.

Mount Pleasant, TX 75455

903-572-6602

nathan@mpedc.org www.mpedc.org

New Braunfels EDC

Michele Boggs

Marketing/Research Director

390 S. Seguin Avenue

New Braunfels, TX 78130

830-608-2811

michele@innewbraunfels.com www.newbraunfelsedc.com

TexAmericas Center

Eric Voyles, Executive Vice President Chief Economic Development Officer

107 Chapel Lane

New Boston, TX USA 75570

Po3-223-9841 (0) 903-306-8923 Cell Eric.Voyles@TexAmericasCenter.com www.TexAmericasCenter.com

Whitesboro Economic Development Corp.

Lynda Anderson, Director P.O. Box 340 or 111 W. Main Whitesboro, TX 76273

930-564-3311

landerson@whitesborotexas.com www.whitesborotexas.com

UTAH

Odessa Economic Development Corporation

Tom Manskey

700 N. Grant Ave. Odessa, TX 79761 432-333-7880

tom@odessaecodev.com www.odessatx.com

Palestine Economic Development Corp.

Christophe Trahan, Director 100 Willow Creek Parkway, Suite A Palestine, TX 75801 903-731-8412

edcdirector@palestine-tx.org www.palestinetexas.net

Pflugerville Community Development

Amy Madison 3801 Helios Way Suite 130 Pflugerville, TX 78660 512-990-3725

amym@pfdevelopment.com www.pfdevelopment.com

Plainview Economic Development Corporation

Kristi Aday, Executive Director 1906 West 5th Plainview, TX 79072 806-293-8536

kaday@plainviewtx.org www.plainviewedc.org

Eagle Mountain Economic Development

Evan Berrett, Economic Development Director

1650 E. Stagecoach Run Eagle Mountain, UT 84005

801-789-6645

eberrett@emcity.org www.eaglemountaincity.com

VIRGINA

Arlington Economic Development

Ryan Touhill, AED Director 1100 N Glebe Rd Suite 1500 Arlington, VA 22201

703-228-0808

703-228-0805 (f) rtouhill@arlingtonva.us www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com

Bedford County Office of Economic Development

Pam Bailey, Director of Economic Development Bedford County 122 East Main Street, Suite 202 Bedford, Virginia 24523

540-587-5670

pbailey@bedfordcountyva.gov www.bedfordeconomicdevelopment.com

WASHINGTON

City of Lakewood Economic Development

Becky Newton, Manager 6000 Main Street SW Lakewood, WA 98499

877-421-9126

bnewton@cityoflakewood.us www.buildyourbetterhere.com

Try-City Development Council

Karl Dye, President & CEO 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd #A Kennewich, WA 99336 509-735-1000

kdye@tridec.org www.tridec.org

WEST VIRGINIA

Mingo County Redevelopment Authority

Leasha Johnson, Executive Director 1657 East Fourth Avenue Williamson, WV 25661 304-235-0042 304-235--0043 (f) ljohnson@developmingo.com www.developmingo.com

WISCONSIN

City of Franklin Economic Development

John Regetz, Director 9229 W. Loomis Road Franklin, WI 53132 414-427-7566

jregetz@franklinwi.gov www.franklinwi.gov

Madison Region Economic Partnership

Kathy Collins, VP Economic Development 8517 Excelsior Drive, Suite 107 Madison, WI 53717 608-571-0407

kcollins@madisonregion.org www.madisonregion.org

New North, Inc

Barb LaMue, President & CEO 2740 W. Mason Street Green Bay, WI 54303 920-676-1960 barb.lamue@thenewnorth.com www.thenewnorth.com

Portage County Business Council, Inc. PCB

Michael Witte, Executive Director 5501 Vern Holmes Drive Stevens Point, WI 54482 715-344-1940 715-344-1940 (f) michaelw@portagecountybiz.com www.portagecountybiz.com

WYOMING

Advance Casper, Wyoming

Justin Farley, CEO

139 W. 2nd St., #1D Casper, WY 82601 307-577-7011 justin@advancecasper.com www.advancecasper.com

Cheyenne LEADS

Betsey Hale, Chief Executive Officer One Depot Square 121 W. 15th St. Suite 304 Cheyenne, WY 82001 307-638-6000

betseyh@cheyenneleads.org cheyenneleads.org

The Laramie Chamber Business Alliance

Josh Boudreau, VP Economic Development 528 South Adams Street Laramie, WY 82070 307-745-7339

jboudreau@laramie.org www.laramie.org

CANADA

ALBERTA

Calgary Economic Development

500 Centre Street S, 32nd Floor

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 1A6

403-221-7831

info@calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com www.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com

Town of Vegreville

Jamieson Brown

4829-50 Street

P.O. Box 640

Vegreville, Alberta T9C 1R7 587-790-0919 jbrown@vegreville.com www.choosevegreville.com

MANITOBA

City of Brandon

Gerald Cathcart

NEW BRUNSWICK

Ignite Fredericton

Paula Lehr

40 Crowther Lane, Ste. 100 Fredericton, NB E3C 0J1

506-282-0624

paula.lehr@ignitefredericton.com www.ignitefredericton.com

Imagine Chaleur

Shirley de Silva

702 Principale Street, Ste. 2 Petit-Rocher, NB E8j 1V1 506-542-2688

shirley.desilva@csrchaleurrsc.ca www.csrchaleurrsc.ca

Expansion Dieppe

Louis Godbout

333 Acadia Avenue

Dieppe, NB E1A 1G9 506-877-7850 louis.godbout@dieppe.ca www.expansiondieppe.ca

ONTARIO

Elgin County

Director Main Floor, 410 9th Street Brandon, Manitoba, Canada R7A 6A2 204-729-2131

g.cathcart@brandon.ca www.economicdevelomentbrandon.com

Carolyn Krahn, Manager Economic Development And Tourism 450 Sunset Drive St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada N5R 5V1 519-631-1460 ext. 133 ckrahn@elgin.ca www.progressivebynature.com

City of Guelph

Christine Chapman 1 Carden Street

Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 3A1 519--822-1260 ext. 2823

Christine.chapman@guelph.ca www.guelph.ca/business

City of Kawartha Lakes Economic Development

Lindsey Schoenmakers 180 Kent Street West

Lindsay, Ontario, Canada K9V 2Y6

705-324-9411

lschoenmakers@kawarthalakes.ca www.kawarthalakes.ca

Middlesex County

Cara A. Finn, BBA, M. Ad.Ed. Director of Economic Development 399 Ridout St. North London, ON N6A 2P1 519-434-7321 cfinn@middlesex.ca www.investinmiddlesex.ca

City of Mississauga Economic Development

Chistina Kakaflikas, Ec. D. Director of Economic Development Office

Mississauga City Hall

300 City Centre Drive, 3rd Floor Mississauga, ON L5B 3C1 Canada

800-456-2181

905-896-5931

christina.kakaflikas@mississauga.ca www.TheFuturelsUnlimited.ca

Town of Aurora Economic Development

Lisa Hausz

100 John West Way, Box 1000 Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 6J1 905-727-1375

lhausz@aurora.ca www.aurora.ca

Vaughan Economic and Cultural Development

Raphael Costa Vaughan City Hall, Level 200 2141 Major Mackenzie Drive Vaughan, Ontario, Canada L6A 1T1 905-832-8526 ext. 8891 raphael.costa@vaughan.ca www.vaughan.ca/Business