Building a Strong Future

BY GOVERNOR JOHN CARNEY

THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT in our country is very different from when I took office six years ago. In my 30 years of public service, it’s always been the case that we did not have enough jobs for the people looking for work, and it’s just the opposite today. We currently have more job openings than people looking for work. Our ability to compete is going to depend on our ability to attract and produce a quality, trained workforce.

We’re also coming out of a global pandemic that tested all of us. The business community has shown resilience, innovation, and creativity throughout the past two and a half years.

So yes, we’re in a very different position than we were in 2016. Maybe even a much better position in some regards. But it presents new challenges for our small businesses, larger corporations, entrepreneurs, and site selectors contemplating putting down roots in the First State.

Despite all the challenges of the last two years, working together, we’ve made real progress.

Just recently, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP). By just about any measure, the DPP has met and exceeded our expectations. Because of our efforts, and the efforts of many others locally, WuXi STA Pharmaceuticals has decided to build a $500 mil lion, state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Middletown. This facility will bring with it approximately 500 good jobs to this growing region and complement the manufacturing of biopharmaceutical work being done by NIIMBL on the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus.

Because of the workforce challenges many businesses in Delaware are facing, our partners in higher education play a big role in developing our workforce talent and innovative business ideas, especially in science and technology.

Small businesses continue to be the backbone of Delaware’s economy. Ninety-eight percent of Delaware businesses have fewer than 100 employees. Small businesses employ 55 percent of Delaware’s workforce and account for more than $11 billion in wages each year. The Division of Small Business provides financial assistance—in the form of grants, loans, and other resources—to our state’s small businesses, including the EDGE Grants program. Through EDGE Grants, small businesses are provided much needed capital assistance that they may not have access to otherwise. The goal is to give them that “edge” in the market. Since EDGE launched in 2019, $3.75 million has been awarded to 60 Delaware small businesses in industries ranging from wearable medical devices to farming to restaurants.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in the future of our state with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—championed by our federal delegation—is a historic commitment to improving roads, bridges, transit, water and wastewater systems, broadband, energy, and other infrastructure areas. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide $2 billion in funding across Delaware over the next five years. And $700 million is already flowing through State projects. Most of the funding will benefit transportation, enabling projects to be completed ahead of schedule to keep driving our economy.

These investments will completely change Delawareans’ way of life. Last year, we launched a series of transportation projects, both highway and transit, that will “redefine Route 9”—the corridor south of Wilmington. Over 25 percent of the population in the Route 9 corridor doesn’t have a car. This investment will better serve the community by making the area more pedestrian-friendly.

We are also making infrastructure investments thoughtfully—with sustainability, equity, and climate resiliency in mind. Those investments include significant upgrades to our electric vehicle infrastructure. And we’ve established targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Delaware Climate Action Plan. We need to embrace this transition in a way that continues to make Delaware more competitive.

I look forward to working with all of you to continue building a strong future for our state.