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AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL

Chatham County, located in the center of North Carolina within the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions; offers robust business opportunities, including 1,350 acres at the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing site (CAM), where Wolfspeed is located, and 360 shovel-ready acres at Triangle Innovation Point (TIP) West, adjacent to VinFast. Apex Gateway Park is currently under development with +/- 1,042,100 square feet of Industrial space, including

2 new shell buildings available by early 2025. Pittsboro’s Chatham Park will provide over 20 million square feet of commercial space and 22,000 residential units, including Disney's Asteria community, while Mosaic at Chatham Park will be a premier entertainment and lifestyle destination.

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8,643 JOBS

Using the 3.4x multiplier effect, more than 8,500 jobs have been created from 2,542 direct industrial jobs. $1.72B Since 2014, there has been $1,721,547,678 in industrial

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Lee & Sumter, SC

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

Access to more than 16,000 miles of navigable water and nearly half of the

Access to more than 16,000 miles of navigable water and nearly half of the continental

Access to more than 16,000 miles of navigable water and nearly half of the continental U.S. Shortest distance between Mid-America and the Gulf of Mexico

Shortest distance between Mid-America and the Gulf of Mexico

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SPRING 2025

FEATURES

33

Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame

The second installment of SB&D’s look at those who have taken the South to incredible heights over the last 70 years

52

Ten+ Markets That Are Winning The Economic Development Game

10

SouthBound

14 DEPARTMENTS

The editor’s column

Around the South

Top stories from the last quarter relative to business and economic development

22

Relocations & Expansions

All of the significant new starts, expansions and relocations announced in the South in the last quarter

30

Southern Auto Corridor

News from the South’s auto industry

56

Ten Top Deals

The ten largest employment deals announced in the last quarter

On the Cover

Left Block: Phil Trenary; Jane Fryer; Beth Doughty; Jack Ellenberg; Susan Fleetwood; Big Jim Folsom

Right Block: Sandy Smith; Fred Gassaway; Cathy Chambers; Jim Newsome; Matt Kisber; Dale Carroll

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SOUTHBOUND

By Michael Randle, EDITOR

Celebrating 15 years of solid data on reshoring to the South and Mexico

This administration’s efforts to tariff countries on imports is an effort, I assume, at attracting more reshored jobs and investments back to the U.S. In just six months, that effort has been choppy at best, but with some notable success in capturing large, agreed-upon deals, mostly foreign projects, directly from the presidential level.

In the South, we love our FDI as the region is without doubt the region of choice for foreign direct investment in North America.

But, few know the history of the words “reshoring” and “nearshoring,” like, when did it start and who started publishing that data?

Real data on reshored investments and jobs is relatively easy to come by today, whether the source is SB&D, Site Selection, the Boston Consulting Group (“Made in America, Again”), the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the Reshoring Initiative and its founder, Harry Moser. Harry began tracking the trend in 2010. His data can be accessed at reshorenow.org

All were sources that started researching and writing about reshoring, first in 2010, then 2011, and we have been writing about it ever since because it is a source of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S. and Mexico.

Hardly anyone noticed the aforementioned sources above, which, collectively, are the true sources and the inventors and creators of the words “reshoring” and “nearshoring” (Mexico).

This is when I discovered reshoring was real after a couple of years reading and writing about it

A major project was announced on September 21, 2011. Tokyo-based Bridgestone (North American headquarters is in Nashville) announced the construction of a new 1.5 millionsquare-foot off-road radial tire plant near its existing facilities in Aiken (Graniteville, S.C.). The expansion also included an additional 474,000 square feet of its original plant there. With

an investment of $1.2 billion, it was the largest investment made at the time in South Carolina history. Nikki Haley was the governor then.

Just another Southern deal, right? No, not hardly.

On March 11, 2011, while I was covering the project, someone told me — it was either officials of Bridgestone or the South Carolina Department of Commerce — that, “We can manufacture the tires cheaper in Aiken for ‘U.S. consumption’ than almost anywhere in China.” Me: “Show me the facts.”

Note the phrase “U.S. consumption,” which I had never heard until 15 years ago. So, that alone made up the need for new words or phrases on the effects of reshoring such as “make it where you sell it,” which added one more reason why reshoring is a real thing. Because “make it where you sell it” shortens supply chains and eliminates shipping costs. Simply put, reshoring is a result of importing less and producing more.

Bridgestone did an about-face and quickly retracted the “we can make the tires cheaper in Aiken than in China” comment from digital and print sources. But we still have it somewhere.

After publishing the statement in 2011 in our media properties, I was inundated with interviews and our first story on reshoring made the WSJ, NYT, CNBC, AP, BBC and China Today (English), or the worldwide media itself. I am sure that is when Bridgestone disowned the quote because I used their Aiken project as the “poster child of early reshoring.”

An even a more interesting story regarding Bridgestone and reshoring in general: On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit Northeast Japan. That resulted in the worst nuclear accident in world history at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. (The second-worst nuclear accident worldwide was The Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.)

An estimated 20,000 people died in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, shocking the Japanese people.

CONTINUED

Southern Business & Development (ISSN 1067-8751) is a registered trademark TM. Founded in 1992 and published quarterly by MCR Publishing, Inc. Affiliated Websites include www.SouthernBusiness.com and www.SB-D.com. Office address: 8086 Westchester Place, Montgomery, AL 36117. To subscribe, email stacy@ sb-d.com. Annual subscription: $25. Single edition delivery by three-day mail: $10. Information contained in SB&D and on its websites is gathered from reliable sources, however, the accuracy of this information is not guaranteed. All rights reserved. Permission must be granted by SB&D for reprint rights, in whole or in part. Copyright 1992-2025. Southern Business & Development TM 1997. Southern Auto Corridor and Southern Automotive Corridor TM 2003.

U.S. Reshoring & FDI Job Announcements

So was the Japanese disaster six months prior to Bridgestone’s announcement in South Carolina a factor in the manufacturer’s decision to put a whole new plant in Aiken instead of China? Furthermore, was the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami the biggest factor in shorter supply chains or, in short, reshoring?

That is for you to decide. I have spoken with many logistical experts who also happen to be economists, like Mark Vitner and Dr. Walter Kemmsies, who are also regulars at our SEDR@ Rosemary event in December. They found my theory “interesting.” Another member of SEDR and another logistics expert is former SC Ports CEO, Jim Newsome.

Not once did anyone point to any one thing other than the U.S. becoming more competitive with China as the true cause of reshoring. My intuition tells me that the 2011 disaster had a lot to do with reshoring (and I have written this many times) because at events my manufacturing CEO friends, like John Correnti at the time, were saying, “Now, tell me: Why are we making things halfway around the world

2024 Reshoring & FDI by U.S. Region

Source: Reshoring Initiative

for consumers here in the U.S.?” Good point.

Again, the fact that the U.S., specifically the South, has become so competitive with one particular country (China), is what is behind reshoring. Mexico and the South will always be your best locations in terms of overall costs and more labor availability than any other one place in North America. The evolutions of reshoring are more real now than ever.

Reshoring Initiatives Annual Report

Harry Moser and the Reshoring Initiative’s annual report came out in the spring. After 15 years, Moser seems to now be one of the more accurate sources of reshoring news and data because that is all he does and has been doing it for 15 years to date.

So, while we cannot publish the Reshoring Initiative’s annual report, here are some highlights:

As you can see, the South commands a near monopoly on reshored and FDI jobs every single year, capturing 60 percent of every dollar invested and job

created last year alone. And that was not even the South’s best year in capturing reshored jobs. President Biden’s incentives saw a spike in reshored and FDI jobs in 2022, the best year in 15, according to the Reshoring Initiative. Biden’s incentives are expiring.

Reshoring Initiative’s Executive Summary on Reshoring in 2024

“In 2024, U.S. manufacturing reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) remained strong, driven by companies seeking to shorten supply chains, reduce exposure to geopolitical risks, and avoid costs associated with impending tariffs.

“In early 2025, global supply chains are grappling with uncertainty. Data from the Reshoring Initiative offers timely insight into how companies are responding to the changing environment.

“President Trump’s objective of ‘reindustrialization’ is synonymous with reshoring and FDI. All three processes are essentially import substitution — importing less and producing more.”

– Harry Moser J

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Around SOUTH

Why are there so many HQ relocation announcements right now?

We have seen a rash of headquarter relocations since January here in the South, and it seems they are just starting out. There’s already been a lot of them so far this year, some of which are written about in this issue.

What does that mean? It means many companies have shelved their aggressive expansions in the last three or four years as a result of an unsettled economy, so they do the next best thing — save money by relocating their headquarters to the South. Toyota (Texas), Tesla (Texas), Volkswagen (Virginia), Nissan (Tennessee), Mercedes-Benz and Porsche (both Atlanta, Ga.) are all automakers who have placed their headquarters in the Southern Automotive Corridor, for example. It gives them something to do when expansion plans are intentionally put aside.

We have covered every U.S. recession since 1981, and this headquarters run is no different than any other recession. . .except that we are currently not officially in recession.

Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by Visual Capitalist on a new list of metros that have added the most corporate headquarters from 2018 to 2024.

DFW captured 100 headquarters from 2019-2024, according to the report. Austin ranked second with 81 new headquarters during that period. It should be noted that the San Francisco Bay area lost the most headquarters with 156. Los Angeles lost 106 HQs.

Who’s capturing the most HQ relocations?

Dallas-Fort Worth MSA l 100 headquarters captured Austin MSA l 81 headquarters captured Nashville l 35 headquarters captured Phoenix l 31 headquarters captured Houston l 31 headquarters captured

Source: Visual Capitalist

The Towers at Williams Square near Lake Carolyn in Irving, Texas, home to Caterpillar's office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, became the company's global headquarters in 2022. The company had been based in Illinois for nearly a century.

REGIONAL

U.S. birth rates hover near historical lows

The U.S. birthrate remains stubbornly low. Only 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in calendar year 2024 (3.1 million deaths) with a rate of 54.6 births per 1,000 women in their child-bearing years.

Teen and early-20s births hit record lows, while births among women in their 30s rose. Increases were seen mostly among Asian and Hispanic women.

Regarding the workforce, in addition to the deaths in 2024, retirees who have aged out of the workforce, the disabled, mentally ill, family or child caretakers, etc., must be factored in.

So counting those, the U.S. is actually losing work-

force numbers each year, and to date, we have not seen much information on how many employed illegal immigrants have been deported.

Right now, Miami is hotter than any Texas town as a tech hub There are all kinds of tech hubs in Texas and we are not just talking about mega-markets like DFW, Austin and Houston. We are talking about places like Taylor, Georgetown, Plano, Sugarland and Katy, Texas.

But that rate of growth in tech company attraction can’t compete with South Florida. According to Venture Capital firm SignalFire, San Francisco and New York remain the top locations for tech companies and tech talent.

Two warm markets are making a run to the top — Miami and San Diego. Miami's low taxes, cultural amenities and warm climate continue to attract entrepreneurs and startups, the report said. That has helped fuel a 12 percent increase in jobs related to artificial intelligence.

ALABAMA

A new airport opens in the South on Alabama’s Gulf of Mexico beaches

The South’s most recent airport opening was the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 23, 2010. That airport is on the Gulf Coast west of Panama City and has grown dramatically in the vacation department, making the 30A highway one of the most affluent locations on the Gulf. Prior to the Panama City airport, the Fort Myers airport

opened in 1983.

Now, it looks like Gulf Shores is getting in on the action. Commercial flights have officially landed at the Gulf Shores International Airport. . .Allegiant Airlines Flight 1403 from Knoxville celebrated with a water cannon welcome in May.

The Mobile Regional Airport is actually located across the bay from Mobile in West Mobile, making it a trek to the beaches in Baldwin County.

ARKANSAS

Arkansas announces new 875-acre industrial megasite

Entergy, the Little Rock Regional Chamber and the Port of Little Rock have announced a “shovel ready” 875-acre industrial megasite in the southeastern portion of the port. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. said, “The Little Rock Port Megasite provides access to road, rail, river and runway — intersecting in the heart of the state’s Capital City.”

FLORIDA

Central Florida’s massive manufacturing growth since 2014 is impressive We have heard all the stories about “manufacturing in the U.S. leaving in droves to China.” That was so 1990s, a millennium ago. The South has surpassed the 1 million-job mark in reshored jobs (from various sources including the Reshoring Initiative) since the word “reshoring” was first uttered in economics in 2010.

Current data shows a manufacturing magical show happening in the South. And

Commercial flights have officially landed at the Gulf Shores International Airport on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

The Little Rock Port Megasite is a planned 1000-acreplus site located within one of the fastest growing industrial parks in the southeastern United States.

While Central Florida has always been a huge aerospace industry magnet, much of that was supporting launches at Cape Canaveral. Now, Central Florida is building the rockets and so much more.

Around SOUTH

GE Appliances will invest $490 million at its Appliance Park manufacturing campus in Louisville, Ky., to create an advanced assembly line for clothes washers.

GROWING POWER

Central Florida has been well represented for a long time in capturing deals from the manufacturing sector. Yup, Mickey Mouse now has a side gig as a welder.

The steamroller of EV and battery deals in 2022 and 2023 in the region was the largest manufacturing deal surge since 2015. But Central Florida was essentially absent from the massive EV and battery charge of 20212023 that was incentivized by the previous Congress and the Executive Branch.

The manufacturing sector in Central Florida is now booming, even with a lack of EV participation to the degree of other Southern states. The growth in manufactur-

ing has been substantial, with $17 billion invested in Central Florida, a 93 percent increase from 2015.

While Central Florida has always been a huge aerospace industry magnet (true for the entire state), much of that was supporting launches at Cape Canaveral. For decades, Cape Canaveral and Brevard County mostly served and supported the launch industry, but not so much the aerospace manufacturing industry.

Now, Central Florida is building the rockets and so much more in aerospace manufacturing because of the unbelievable success of private rocket and capsule manufacturers and operators

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like SpaceX, Blue Origin and others, many of which are just starting up.

Outside of Hillsborough and Orange Counties, Polk County is especially well-positioned between Orlando and Tampa for a cross section of manufacturers. And in Orange County, there is a huge Lockheed Martin presence, much of it in manufacturing.

In addition to aerospace, Central Florida also has a large manufacturing base in defense, boat manufacturing and medical device technology.

Billion dollar investment made in Northwest Florida

Williams International announced in late spring it is

locating a $1 billion, 1 million-square-foot facility in Okaloosa County, Fla. It is the largest investment by value in Florida Panhandle history. The aviation and aerospace manufacturer conducted a long site search before choosing Okaloosa County (Fort Walton) and the Shoal River Industrial Park.

From Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office: “Numerous state, regional, and local partners worked together to facilitate this major economic development success story for Northwest Florida.”

In 2022, Governor DeSantis awarded $3.2 million through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to expand manufacturing in

Okaloosa County. FloridaCommerce partnered with several state and local organizations including CareerSource Florida, Florida’s Great Northwest, Space Florida, Okaloosa County and Triumph Gulf Coast on this major economic development win for Florida.

GEORGIA

Now that Hyundai’s Metaplant has opened, a short report on Georgia’s economy

After decades of “Atlanta IS Georgia,” the wealth that aggressive economic development creates has spread statewide, especially its rural areas, small markets and middle markets.

The average GDP growth

rate was over five percent from 2005 through 2023. Having rebounded from COVID, Georgia was probably the first state out of the recovery box with a growth rate of 10.4 percent in 2021, 10.2 percent in 2022 and 7.5 percent in 2023.

Georgia’s GDP is expected to remain strong, well above national growth in the five to seven percent range sans recession. And by the end of the year, Hyundai’s MetaPlant’s production in Savannah should be a nice addition.

KENTUCKY

Slower growth over the first two quarters of 2025? Don’t tell Kentucky

As of June, Kentucky’s la-

Around SOUTH

H&M Company has confirmed plans for an industrial park in Jackson, Tenn., to attract BlueOval City suppliers. The Ross I-40 industrial park sits roughly 40 minutes from Ford Motor’s BlueOval City in Stanton, Tenn. Shown here is a recent aerial photo of BlueOval City.

bor market has shown momentum, with over 20,000 jobs created in the first six months of the year. Last year’s first two quarters created about 9,000 jobs. The unemployment rate in May was 5.0 percent.

Kentucky tourism generated $14.3 billion in calendar year 2024

Last year was a record year for tourism in Kentucky. As the center of the world’s bourbon, horse breeding and racing industries, there is a lot to see in the Bluegrass State. Over 80 million travelers visited Kentucky in 2024.

GE Appliances’ big deal in Louisville

Near deadline, GE Appliances announced it will invest $490 million and add 800 jobs at its global corporate headquarters in Louisville.

LOUISIANA

Reuters calls Louisiana economy “a revival”

Since Gov. Jeff Landry has been in office, Louisiana has

largest source of reshored and FDI jobs in the U.S., while South Korea, China and Germany led among individual countries.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina has record year in tourism North Carolina’s tourism industry topped all previous years in 2024 with $36.7 billion in visitor spending. The Tar Heel State ranks fifth in domestic visitors with 40 million. Visitors spend $100 million daily on average, boosting tax revenues.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma celebrates best month ever!

captured over $61 billion in investments. The signs that Louisiana is headed in the right direction are unmistakable. Meta is building a $10 billion AI data center in Richland Parish; Hyundai Steel Company is building a $5.8 billion steel mill in Ascension Parish; and Louisiana is poised to lead the world in liquid natural gas (LNG) production, with Woodside Energy’s $17.5 billion LNG investment in Calcasieu Parish and Venture Global’s $18 billion LNG expansion in Plaquemines Parish.

MISSISSIPPI

According to the Reshoring Initiative, Mississippi is near the top in reshored and FDI jobs

In 2025 and the first quarter of this year, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas captured more reshored jobs among states in the U.S., according to the Reshoring Initiative. Asia remains the

U.S. operations, creating 1,000 new jobs. The facility will be located on more than 350 acres at the Tulsa Port of Inola, a 2,200-acre industrial park with access to rail, barge transportation and global waterways. Once complete, the facility will be the largest of its kind in the U.S., producing billets, sheet ingots, high-purity aluminum and foundry alloys.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Lots of folks moving to South Carolina

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce celebrated the most successful month of economic development in state history, based on publicly announced job growth. From April 24 to May 15, companies expanding or launching operations in Oklahoma announced plans to create 2,907 jobs.

“This is what happens when you cut red tape, keep taxes low, and put America-first values to work,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “Oklahoma is winning because we’re doing things the right way — trusting businesses, protecting freedom, and getting government out of the way. Companies are flocking here because they know Oklahoma has their back.”

The almost 3,000 jobs were announced in just a 21-day period.

One of the projects included a $4 billion aluminum smelting plant by Emirates Global Aluminum, which chose Oklahoma as the site for its

The Palmetto State’s labor force is growing rapidly, as the state’s recent population growth has primarily been driven by domestic migration. From 2023 to 2024, the South was the only U.S. region in the country to record net gains in domestic migration, meaning more people relocated to the South than the number that moved away to another part of the country.

Were it not for such high rates of migration, South Carolina’s population would have stagnated. From 2023 to 2024, South Carolina netted over 68,000 domestic migrants, according to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

TENNESSEE

H&M Company plans an industrial park in Jackson, Tenn., to attract BlueOval City suppliers Jackson, Tenn.-based H&M Company has confirmed plans for the 338-acre Ross Industrial Park in the West Tennessee city. The H&M layout for building options range from 200,000 to 1 million square feet. Named

the Ross I-40 West Tennessee Industrial Park, H&M is positioning itself to capture suppliers to the large Ford BlueOval EV and battery plant that is north of Memphis. In the last 10 years, H&M has completed over 55 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space for clients including Asics, Nike, Baxter, Milwaukee Tool, Adidas and Procter and Gamble to name a few. Founded in 1957, H&M is a national engineering and construction firm headquartered in Jackson.

TEXAS

Boomtown Austin, Texas’ population growth slows dramatically In Austin — home to the University of Texas, the Texas Capital and Elon Musk — population growth has waned recently. In fact, population stagnation and a slowdown in job generation are occurring right now in the Heart of Texas.

That's according to Lauren Middleton-Pratt, director of the city’s planning department, who cited both issues in a recent memo about causes of people leaving the city.

Austin grew by just 0.4 percent (slowest growth of all Texas cities) during the 12-month period ending in July 2024, adding 4,000 residents to bring its total population to roughly 994,000, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau released in the spring quarter. Also, the region added 22,700 jobs in 2024. The Texas MSA created almost 42,000 in 2023.

One of the southernmost

Our story is best told through the success of our members. Since 1988, South Carolina Power Team has been championing great stories through industry recruitment and by offering highly reliable power through South Carolina’s electric cooperatives. As an essential economic development partner, we continue to commit resources and incentives to help businesses thrive in South Carolina, and we play an essential role in the creation of job and career opportunities for those we serve.

$1B investment

Establishing operations in York County Served by York Electric Cooperative

$33M investment 176 new jobs

Expanding operations in Pickens County

Served by Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative

locations in the South is SpaceX’s future world complex (of course, with Florida’s Space Coast) in Boca Chica, Texas.

Brownsville, Texas, specifically Boca Chica, Texas, has been transformed econom-

$15M investment 53 new jobs

Establishing operations in Lee County

Served by Black River Electric Cooperative

ically since Elon Musk and SpaceX built the “Starbase” there. That’s where the largest rocket in the world is partially assembled and launched, right there near Brownsville and Matamoras, Mexico.

Brownsville has a deep-wa-

$29M ivestment

200 new jobs

Establishing operations in Claredon County

Served by Santee Electric Cooperative

ter port, but the future is all about SpaceX in the Eastern Rio Grande Valley. That alone is preparing Brownsville economic development officials to bring more land product online in the region. Recently, officials broke

Powered by South Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives.

Around SOUTH

In an effort to assist laid-off Federal workers, Gov. Glenn Youngkin rolled out Virginiahasjobs.com in February to help people access and apply for open jobs in Virginia.

ground on a 730-acre industrial park, indicating Brownsville is positioning itself for more industrial and manufacturing activity tied to SpaceX.

Report: Austin is the No. 1 innovation hub in the South

A new report by CommercialCafe, ranks Austin as the top innovation hub in the South, just days after a different study indicated the city's startup and big tech sectors are slowing down. The latest report was produced by CommercialCafe, an online marketplace for commercial real estate, owned by California-based real estate software company Yardi Systems Inc.

Austin came in at No. 1 in the ranking (followed by Ra-

leigh, N.C., and Irving, near Dallas) because of its strong performances across employment, business and innovation indexes, according to the report.

U.S. News & World Report names El Paso as the No. 2 “Best Big City to Live in the U.S.”

El Paso is one of the top big cities to live in, according to a report by U.S News and World Report. El Paso beat Texas metros such as Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Houston for the best in the U.S. in 2025 and 2026.

The ranking earned by El Paso, according to the media property, was based on its lower-than-average cost of living, warm weather, average commute time, income

The South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center is the Southeast’s only business park dedicated to serving the robust needs of the automotive and aerospace industries. As Global Home of the Lockheed Martin F-16 and home to South Carolina’s world-class automotive proving ground, the International Transportation Innovation Center, there’s good reason why it’s all systems go at SCTAC.

and rent. The details: El Paso has an average commute time of 21 minutes, a median home value of $175,800, a median household income of $57,754, and a median monthly rent of $883, meaning its cost of living is lower than the national average.

VIRGINIA

Can’t find workers?

Want to know the hottest place for available labor in the country right now, including the South? Not talking about rural regions, y’all, like Eastern Kentucky where so many talented but laid-off coal miners were available 10 to 15 years ago. Lots of manufacturers went after that labor when it became available in Eastern Kentucky. At its peak, there

were 12,000 laid-off miners in the rugged region.

Something similar has occurred in Virginia as thousands of federal workers there and in D.C. have been ditched so far this year. And we are not talking about your typical labor force here, as it is highly educated (even overeducated) white collar, and plentiful right now.

One in eight Virginians are tied to the federal government, and we would guess it is quadruple that number or more for Northern Virginia. Reports indicate that Virginia has around 145,000 federal workers. The Commonwealth is expected to lose 32,000 jobs, according to the publication Virginia Business. J

El Paso is one of the top big cities to live in, according to a report by U.S News and World Report. The Texas city ranked second on the media property's "Best Big City to Live in the U.S."

Relocations EXPANSIONS&

TVA considering new $5 billion hydropower project in Northeast Alabama

The Tennessee Valley Authority is looking to invest $5 billion for a hydropower project near Pisgah in Northeast Alabama. The “pumped storage hydropower” facility would bolster the utility during times of strain on its electrical grid.

Alabama

Firms launch $33 million project to build aviation facility at Alabama’s Pryor Field

Aleut Real Estate celebrated the official groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art hangar facility at Pryor Field Regional Airport in Limestone County, Ala. The company is investing $32.7 million in the project. The hangar, which will focus on maintenance, repair and overhaul operations for commercial and military aircraft, is expected to create 50 jobs within three years.

Atlantic Aviation begins work at Birmingham airport

A new $40 million project from Atlantic Aviation is underway at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM). Plans include a new executive FBO, two hangars and shop space.

Work begins on $80 million job training center in Jasper

The Heman Drummond Center of Innovation, an $80 million job training center, has begun construction on a campus in Jasper, northwest of Birmingham. It is expected to open in the fall of 2026. With more than 200,000 square feet, the center will be able to serve about 2,100 high school students, offering training in cyber IT, robotics, healthcare, automotive and construction capabilities.

Arkansas

Port of Little Rock captures $1 billion data center

Little Rock Chamber of Commerce CEO Jay Chesshir told board members that details remained to be worked out before the identity of the 400-acre purchaser could be revealed, adding he expected that to happen in 60 to 90 days as of this writing on June 3, 2025.

The Little Rock city government’s website posted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) showing that the 400 acres are for a new 300,000-square-foot data center in an agreement with Willowbend Capital LLC. Willowbend is evaluating the Port of Little Rock site according to the MOU.

Green Bay Packaging invests more than $1 billion in Morrilton, Ark.

The manufacturer of sustainable packaging is expanding its Kraft paper mill in Morrilton with an investment of $1 billion, which is the largest in Central Arkansas history.

Weyerhaeuser breaks ground on plant in South Arkansas

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, has broken ground on its new TimberStrand® facility near Monticello and Warren, Ark. The company is investing an estimated $500 million in the facility, which is expected to create 200 high-quality jobs in the region once fully operational.

Florida

Billion-dollar investment in Northwest Florida

Williams International announced in late spring it is locating a $1 billion, 1 million-square-foot facility in Okaloosa County, Fla. It is the largest investment by value in Florida Panhandle history.

The aviation and aerospace manufacturer conducted a long site search before choosing Okaloosa County, Fort Walton and the Shoal River Industrial Park

From Gov. Ron DeSantis’

office: “Numerous state, regional, and local partners worked together to facilitate this major economic development success story for Northwest Florida. In 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $3.2 million through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to expand manufacturing in Okaloosa County. FloridaCommerce partnered with several state and local organizations including CareerSource Florida, Florida’s Great Northwest, Space Florida, Okaloosa County and Triumph Gulf Coast on this major economic development win for Florida.”

Aerospace manufacturer to land in Northwest Florida

Oxford Technologies will establish operations in Bay County, Fla. The company makes abrasion strips for the Black Hawk rotor blades, and is an important part of Sikorsky aircraft. The $7.5 million investment will create 40 new jobs

Georgia

Another data center being built in the Atlanta metro

A portion of old Fort Gillem property in Clayton County, Ga., will soon be prepped for a $2 billion data center.

Digital Fort Gillem plans to create a 1.9 million-squarefoot data center on about 97 acres. The campus will be linked to Digital Realty's existing Atlanta infrastructure. Digital Realty is based in Texas and has  over 300 data centers around the world.

California-based Prologis behind $17 billion data center south of Atlanta Officials with Prologis, a California-based real estate investment trust, confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the San Francisco-based company plans to acquire a roughly 831acre project site in Coweta

Google plans $10 billion campus in Memphis metro Google plans to construct a 580-acre campus in West Memphis, Ark., just a Mississippi River bridge away from downtown Memphis. The $10 billion campus would have five “large-scale” data centers, office buildings, parking areas, internal roadways, a utility substation, stormwater management facilities and other site work.

County, Ga. If completed, it would be the largest data center in the Atlanta MSA Tech unicorn OneTrust opens new HQ in Atlanta OneTrust, which specializes in artificial intelligence and data privacy, has moved its headquarters to the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail, which is also home to BlackRock, McKinsey & Co. and Mailchimp. The new headquarters will house nearly 500 workers.

Kentucky

Foxconn plans Louisville facility Electronics giant Foxconn is

GE Appliances invests $60 million in Georgia plant

GE Appliances announced the completion of a $180 million investment at its subsidiary Roper Corp.’s cooking products plant in Walker County. The investment at the LaFayette plant adds $60 million to the amount that was previously announced, according to a press release. The extra money was put toward increased automation through two new assembly lines, autonomous mobile robots and additional equipment.

Roper, formerly the Newark Stove Company, was an American stove manufacturer that was founded in 1883, in Newark, Ohio. The company was once the largest stove producer in the world.

Relocations EXPANSIONS&

JetZero to bring thousands of jobs to Greensboro, N.C.

Another huge aviation win has been captured by one of the hottest places for the industry in the American South — Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) in Greensboro.

Honda Aircraft and Boom Supersonic have made some serious “Secret Squirrel” investments at PTI. And now, the “Big Kahuna” of aerospace deals so far this year is setting up shop at there.

According to sources, JetZero is the largest jobs commitment in North Carolina history with 14,500 announced jobs and an investment of $4.7 billion.

The California-based company has been conducting a nationwide search for a location to manufacture its fuel-efficient aircraft, and company leaders called PTI Airport the “right place” for that facility. JetZero has partnered with United, Delta and Alaska Airlines. The company hopes to have planes in service by 2030.

The factory, slated to break ground in 2026, will produce JetZero’s Z4 airplane, designed to transform commercial aviation by increasing fuel efficiency by 50 percent. The company says cutting the need for fuel reduces harmful emissions. The Z4 will feature a special “all-wing” design and seat up to 250 passengers.

investing $174 million in a manufacturing facility in Jefferson County, Ky. The deal will create 180 jobs.

Aerospace manufacturer creating jobs in rural Kentucky

Aerospace Composites Solutions, a designer and manufacturer of products that boost aircraft performance, is investing almost $17 million in a plant in Morgantown. The deal will add 72 jobs.

L2 Aviation opening operation in Northern Kentucky

L2 Aviation is investing in its facilities at the Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Boone County. L2 Aviation is a comprehensive avionics design, consulting, manufacturing and engineering company, and will invest $12.2 million and hire 250 in the deal.

Packaging manufacturer to build new facility in Lebanon, Ky.

Morris Packaging is building a $61 million flexible packaging center in Lebanon. The deal will create 276 full-time jobs.

Louisiana

Big deal on the bayou Woodside Energy Group announced its $17.5 billion final investment decision for the foundation of its new liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and export facility in Calcasieu Parish, named Louisiana LNG, that is expected to produce up to 16.5 million metric tons (Mtpa) of LNG per year.

The announcement takes its place in both state and na-

tional history as being the first greenfield LNG project to reach final investment decision under President Trump’s second administration and the largest single foreign direct investment and greenfield project in Louisiana history.

Skywest to establish MRO facility at the Shreveport Regional Airport

SkyWest Airlines, the nation’s largest regional airline carrier, has selected Shreveport Regional Airport as its newest maintenance base and facility to help support its fleet of nearly 500 regional aircraft. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 150 direct jobs and 375 new indirect jobs, bringing a potential of 525 new jobs to the Northwest Region.

Mississippi

Big Mississippi deal at deadline

Howard Industries, a transformer manufacturer and distributor, announced in late June an expansion of its facilities in Jones, Simpson and Clarke Counties. Howard will invest $237 million and add 450 jobs in the deal.

Data center cooling equipment manufacturer, Modine, to create 450 jobs in Grenada County Thermal management company Modine is upgrading one of its existing facilities in Grenada County to manufacture data center cooling equipment. The project will represent a corporate investment of more than $38 million by the end of 2028, and will create more than 450 jobs.

North Carolina

Cleveland County welcomes PPG PPG, an American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials, is investing $380 million in Shelby, a city of about 22,000 located about 50 miles west of Charlotte. According to the Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership, PPG is buying a 108,500-square-foot industrial building from the county.

Canadian manufacturer selects Charlotte Canada-based AVL Manufacturing has chosen Char-

lotte for its entrance into the U.S. market. The business has created AVL USA Inc., and will invest $56 million for a new manufacturing facility in Charlotte. The project will create more than 325 jobs. The new facility will build enclosures for industrial power generators. AVL’s products supply backup power to large data centers, among other uses.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Space Port announces historic partnership with Dawn Aerospace to bring Spaceflight to Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Space Industry Development Author-

ity recently announced a groundbreaking partnership with Dawn Aerospace that will bring the company’s revolutionary Aurora spaceplane to the Oklahoma Air and Space Port. The agreement will establish Oklahoma as a premier U.S. launch site for micro-gravity research and suborbital spaceflight, with operations beginning in 2027.

Firehawk Aerospace investing $22 million in Lawton, Okla.

Firehawk Aerospace, a defense technology leader, is investing $22 million in a facility in Lawton. Job totals have not been reported.

Amazon to invest $10 billion in North Carolina for AI infrastructure

Governor Josh Stein announced that Amazon Web Services has announced it is planning to invest $10 billion to launch a new high-tech cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation campus just east of Charlotte in Richmond County, creating at least 500 new high-paying jobs.

The new data centers located within the campus will include computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing capabilities and generative AI technologies.

Oklahoma selected for historic $4 billion investment from Emirates Global Aluminum

Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Commerce announced in the spring that Emirates Global Aluminum has chosen the state for a massive $4 billion plant. The project will create 1,000 jobs. Shown here, engineers walk through Emirates Global Aluminum’s Al Taweelah smelter in the United Arab Emirates.

Relocations EXPANSIONS&

Rural rules! Big deal in rural South Carolina Homanit, a manufacturer of wood materials, has selected Clarendon County to establish the company’s U.S. manufacturing operation. The $250 million investment, representing Clarendon County’s largest announcement in two decades, will create 300 new jobs.

Headquartered in Germany, Homanit is a leading European manufacturer of medium- and high-density wood fiberboards for furniture, automotive, door and coating industries. The company currently operates production facilities in Germany, Lithuania and Poland.

South Carolina

Forty-million-dollar investment in South Carolina

Tennessee

AIRSYS Cooling Technologies (AIRSYS), a global cooling solution provider, announced in the spring quarter it is establishing a new global headquarters with an expansion in Spartanburg County. The company’s $40 million investment will create 215 new jobs.

Tissue manufacturer picks Barnwell, S.C.

Barnwell Tissue Solutions, a tissue manufacturer, announced in the spring it is establishing operations in Barnwell County. The company’s $12 million investment will create 50 new jobs.

Elon Musk and xAI brought the world’s biggest supercomputer to Memphis

A year ago, in an abandoned factory in southwest Memphis over by the “FedEx airport,” Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI moved into the facility to set up the supercomputer, Colossus. Musk claimed Colossus is the most powerful AI training system in the world. Its purpose is to train xAI's language model, Grok, and support the social media service X. An official with xAI reportedly said, “This is just the beginning.”

Howmet Aerospace to expand in Morristown Howmet Aerospace, a pro-

vider of aircraft components, is expanding its plant in Northeast Tennessee. The project will create 217 additional jobs.

South Korean manufacturer expands ops in Memphis

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development

Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter and Hyosung HICO officials announced the company will expand operations at its U.S. manufacturing headquarters in Memphis. Hyosung HICO will invest $51 million and create 123 new jobs in Shelby County as part of its plans to expand operations at its transformer manufacturing facility.

Metals manufacturer to invest $22 million in Northeast Tennessee Summertown Metals will invest $22.6 million and create 170 jobs in Morristown-Hamblen, Tenn.

Texas

Five-hundred-milliondollar expansion kicks off on Encore Wire campus in McKinney Kentucky-based Prysmian North America, which last year bought Encore, has begun work on a new 650,000-square-foot medium voltage cable facility at the site. The building is expected to open in 2027, and will add 120 jobs, according to a June 19th announcement by the company.

KBR plans a major aerospace facility in Houston

Houston-based KBR is planning a deal to anchor NASA’s Exploration Park. The new facility is currently being developed and will be built on 207 acres. KBR said it is trying to meet demand for “advanced human-centric systems,” such as tailored food, nutrition and packaging for NASA.

Another data center. . . this one in West Texas

An Austin-based data center investment company is part of a strategic partnership funding development of a $15 billion AI data center in the Texas Panhandle. The project is in the Lancium Clean Campus in Abilene, according to a previous announcement. There are currently about 3,000 workers on the site and that will rise once construction begins.

NextDecade signs first deal in Rio Grande LNG expansion

Houston-based NextDecade has signed the first deal for the company’s LNG plant expansion in Brownsville, home to SpaceX. Rio Grande LNG is selling 2 million tons per year of LNG to Japan-based Jera Company for

20 years from Train 5, which is reaching a final investment decision.

Richardson, Texas is preparing for AT&T and its 1,000-job expansion

AT&T is headquartered in downtown Dallas. Nearby Richardson has secured a 1,000-job deal from “the phone company,” AT&T. The deal features a lease at the Lakeside Boulevard Tower in Richardson. AT&T has leased 186,000 square feet of space in the expansion.

SpaceX supplier to invest $100 million in Brownsville

Finnish company picks Arlington Salcomp, a maker of power supplies for devices, has committed to establishing its U.S. headquarters in Arlington with plans to create 660 new positions. . .156 of those at an average salary of $122,000.

Virginia

At deadline, significant job deal in Fairfax

An IT services integrator, 22nd Century Technologies, is investing $1 million to expand its headquarters in Fairfax County. The project will create 880 jobs.

A major supplier to SpaceX’s launch complex in the Rio Grande Valley is investing $100 million. Linde, an Ireland-based industrial gas company, will hire 90 in the deal.

Global tech firm to invest $687 million in Fort Worth

Wistron Corporation, an electronics manufacturer based in Taiwan, is considering building two support facilities for supercomputer manufacturing in far North Fort Worth, near Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. If completed, the project will create nearly 900 jobs.

Acoustical Sheetmetal Company wraps up good deal in Virginia

The company, a manufacturer of highly engineered steel and aluminum enclosures for the power generation industry, will invest $45.8 million to expand its operations by building an additional 250,000-square-foot building and adding significant machinery to complement the operation in the City of Virginia Beach. The project will create 350 jobs.

Hitchi Energy expands footprint in Southwest Virginia

Hitchi Energy, an electric grid infrastructure maker, is investing $22 million and hiring 120 to expand in Bland, Va. J

Amazon locates its fourth Virginia robotics fulfillment center to Goochland County Amazon is building its fourth Virginia robotics fulfillment center, RIC6, in Goochland County, creating more than 1,000 jobs. RIC6 will be a 3.1 million-square-foot facility with a 650,000-square-foot footprint on a 107-acre parcel. The facility will house 1,000 workers.

LEGO Group to build major warehouse in Prince George County, Va.

The LEGO Group is investing $366 million to build a new 2 million-square-foot warehouse in Prince George County. The facility will house 305 workers.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport

Where Economic Growth Takes Off

Located in the heart of South Carolina, the Midlands region boasts the right people, places and partners for sustained economic growth and prosperity. The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) is an essential partner in the region’s success.

CAE is more than a travel hub; it’s a cornerstone of opportunity and regional development. As a committed community partner, CAE is deeply invested in enhancing the local economy and supporting businesses. From move-in ready industrial sites to land development and leasing options surrounding the airport, CAE’s economic impact extends far beyond its footprint.

Strategic Collaborations for Community Development

A key example of CAE’s strategic collaboration with the business community is 803 Industrial Park. Situated at the end of the CAE runway

and adjacent to vital rail lines and three major interstates, this multimodal hub offers unparalleled connectivity. With close proximity to UPS regional air and ground hubs and FedEx Freight, the park is powered by CAE and brought to life through a collaboration between Magnus Development Partners, Mashburn Construction and Colliers. It boasts nearly 1 million square feet of strategically located, versatile space designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of tenants, making it an ideal location for businesses looking to expand or relocate.

Projects such as the Airport Expressway Extension, alongside the new traffic signal at the CAE Enterprise Park entrance, exemplify the airport’s commitment to infrastructure improvements to support business growth. These enhancements, made possible through partnerships with Lexington County

and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), provide a safer and more efficient entry point, significantly raising the value of available parcels for sale or lease. Businesses can thrive in an environment where logistics are seamless and accessibility is a priority.

Boosting Regional Economic Potential CAE is partnering with the South Carolina Department of Commerce and Lexington County to create multiple Certified Sites for aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue generation. This initiative fosters regional economic development, positioning CAE as a critical economic driver and making the Midlands an even more enticing location for businesses.

Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) 127 at CAE provides businesses with a strategic advantage by allowing them to defer customs duties, reduce oper-

ating costs, and enhance supply chain efficiency, all within the Midlands. With oversight from CAE, FTZ 127 covers a centrally located region and offers a streamlined process for businesses to obtain FTZ designation, spurring job creation and investment. Additionally, companies engaged in production or manufacturing within the zone can benefit from deferred or reduced taxes, further amplifying their competitive edge.

CAE has launched multiple taxiway improvement projects, engaging local vendors and suppliers to secure federal grant money and infuse funds into the community. By using a phased approach, CAE minimizes disruption to commercial operations, ensuring a smooth experience for passengers while meeting FAA standards. These projects, funded by federal grants, airport investments and passenger facility charges, significantly boost

the local economy by reinvesting millions back into the Midlands region each year.

Record-Breaking Passenger Growth and Enhanced Experience

Reflecting South Carolina’s population growth, CAE has seen a remarkable increase in passenger traffic. In 2023, the airport welcomed 1,234,487 passengers, marking a 16 percent rise over 2022’s passenger totals and nearing its highest passenger numbers in over a decade. Expanded nonstop flight routes, such as American Airlines’ seasonal service from CAE to Miami International Airport, meet this growing demand, advancing the region’s connectivity and appeal.

To enhance convenience for travelers, CAE has added new functionality to its website, allowing passengers to book flights directly from FlyCAE.com. Additionally, a multi-year airport master

plan outlines growth and development for the next 20 years, incorporating community input to ensure regional needs are met.

Spurs Up, Wheels Up

As the Official Airport of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks®, CAE proudly supports athletics fans and alumni with seamless travel in and out of Columbia, just a short 20-minute drive from campus. This connection to the state’s flagship university — the largest in South Carolina — underscores the airport’s role in fostering community and economic ties.

Smart Sustainability

CAE’s commitment to sustainability also sets it apart as a forward-thinking and responsible partner. By installing solar panels to provide additional covered parking while providing electricity to the terminal and new EV charging stations, the airport

will support clean energy efforts without straining the local grid. Area businesses can be confident that they are part of a community that values and implements sustainable practices.

Join Us on the Journey

At Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the mission goes beyond facilitating travel; it is about propelling economic growth and community development. Businesses are invited to join CAE on this journey to new heights, ensuring a prosperous future for South Carolina. Discover more about the opportunities that await at FlyCAE.com.

To learn more about the Midlands region, and why it is truly the heart of South Carolina, check out the Central SC Alliance at CentralSC.org. Central South Carolina is where businesses thrive, and the future takes flight.

SouthernAutoCorridor

In Savannah, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America's (HMGMA) Grand Opening included a grand announcement. Hyundai Motor Company President and CEO José Muñoz shared the automaker will also increase production from 300,000 to 500,000 units a year on the site.

Pictured here, Euisun Chung, Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, signs off on a vehicle as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp looks on.

Alabama

Another milestone at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant

In the spring quarter, Alabama officials celebrated Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama’s 20 years of automotive production in Montgomery. Today, the plant houses over 4,000 workers and has built 6.2 million vehicles in 20 years.

In Gov. Kay Ivey's proclamation notes she said that HMMA’s 20th anniversary represents a “moment to not only honor its remarkable accomplishments, but also the teamwork, innovation and partnerships that have defined its legacy.”

HMMA President and CEO Mark Rader praised the per-

formance of the company’s state and local partners. “On behalf of our 4,200 team members, HMMA is honored and deeply grateful to Governor Ivey for her formal commendation to HMMA for its 20th anniversary and its contributions to Alabama’s economy, workforce and future over the past two decades,” Rader said.

Georgia

Hyundai Motor Group’s massive $12.6 billion plant in Savannah is up and running The South Korean conglomerate’s nearly $13 billion EV plant celebrated its official grand opening in the spring. Before and after we had some news from Hyundai in that it is increasing total annual units from 300,000 to

500,000. That will add 14,000 jobs to the new plant in Bryan County, Ga., by 2028.

Looking at a U.S. map, Hyundai’s two Southern Automotive Corridor plants and its sister automaker brand Kia’s plant are almost situated in a straight line from Montgomery, Ala., to West Point, Ga., to Savannah, Ga.

Editor’s note: Someone needs to let Hyundai officials know their North American headquarters is still in Fountain Valley, Calif. Why? All the other Korean, Japanese and German automaker’s headquarters are in the South.

German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is boosting its headquarters in the Atlanta metro

Mercedes-Benz is adding 500 workers to its Sandy Springs, Ga., North American headquarters. Mercedes relocated its headquarters to metro Atlanta in 2018. The German automaker, known as “1MB” in Fulton County, is establishing a multi-million-dollar Research & Development center near its Atlanta area headquarters, which currently houses 800 workers.

Kentucky

Nissan partners with Ford to make EV batteries in Kentucky

Nissan is partnering with Ford to utilize part of Ford’s BlueOval SK battery plant in Glendale, Ky., for its future electric vehicle production in Canton, Miss. This collaboration allows Nissan to address

financial pressures and mitigate tariffs on imported parts by sourcing batteries within the U.S. The partnership also helps Ford maximize the output of its Kentucky facility, which was initially planned for smaller-scale production.

The Japanese automaker operates two very large assembly plants in the Southern Automotive Corridor — one in Tennessee, including a powertrain plant in Winchester, and another large assembly plant in Mississippi. With possible tariff troubles, Nissan is doing what some others are. . .cutting exports to the U.S. by expanding here. It hasn’t been a large number of deals, as most of the automotive world in North America has hunkered down with very few new or expanded deals so far this year.

Nissan is cutting costs globally, though it might shift the Sentra model production to its plant in Canton, Miss., where it has offered buyouts to workers as part of its cost-cutting measures. The Japanese automaker is also closing seven assembly plants worldwide, but both Southern plants seem safe from closure for now.

Commercial Specialty Truck Holdings to expand in Cynthiana, Ky., with $7.5 million investment, creating 50 jobs

Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted new momentum within the state’s manufacturing sector as Commercial Specialty Truck Holdings (CSTH), a privately held manufacturer of refuse and concrete mixer truck bodies, announced plans to expand operations at the company’s headquarters in Cynthiana.

Mississippi

Mitsubishi is in talks with Nissan about joint production in the U.S. In late May, Nissan confirmed discussions with fellow Japanese automaker Mitsubishi, which wants to use the Nissan plant in Canton, Miss. to build its cars in the U.S. Or, it could use the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tenn., which is close to Nissan’s transmission factory in Winchester, Tenn.

The potential automotive manufacturing partnership is the first post-tariff deal in the Southern Automotive Corridor. Expect a few more.

The partnership, if made as of this June 12th writing, would

boost Mitsubishi’s capacity of Southern-made automotive models and batteries. Nissan made a deal to produce batteries at Ford-SK On’s plant in Glendale, Ky. That plant is built, but has been delayed. We believe all of these projects are a result of President Trump’s tariffs. We call them that, since Congress has not approved a single bill regarding the tariffs as of yet.

North Carolina

Headquarters of Daimler division picks Charlotte over the Triad, York County, S.C. Daimler, which operates several truck and auto plants in the South, selected Charlotte as the new headquarters of its financial division. The deal will create 276 jobs that pay about $140,000 a year on average. Daimler is taking 60,000 square feet of space in Ballantyne, investing $7.8 million.

Tennessee

Automotive parts supplier relocates HQ from New York City to Memphis Premium Guard (PGI) has relocated its headquarters from New York to Memphis. The company is a major automotive parts manufacturer with $500 million in annual revenue last year. The company employs 300 locally in Memphis prior to the relocation. PGI is one of the largest automotive filter manufacturers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Texas

Tesla model drives itself from Gigafactory in Austin to

buyer 30 miles away At deadline, a Tesla Model Y successfully completed the first fully autonomous delivery from a factory to a customer’s home. The vehicle navigated from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin to a nearby customer’s residence, making the 30-minute journey without any human input or remote intervention, according to Engadget. This milestone, achieved on June 27, 2025, included navigating through the factory’s parking lot, city streets and a highway, according to Tesla. Elon Musk hailed it as a first-of-its-kind achievement.

Tesla taking more space in and around Austin Tesla is at it again, gobbling up more and more office and industrial space in the Austin MSA. Tesla occupies more than 11 million square feet in the Austin metro, according to the Austin Business Journal’s list of the largest manufacturers. That is primarily at its gigafactory in eastern Travis County, Texas, but also includes buildings in Kyle, Taylor and  Hutto. This latest expansion was an acquisition of 300,000 square feet.

Virginia

Startup EV maker Rivian plans new Northern Virginia sales center

Rivian, which has put off its giant assembly plant for now east of Atlanta, plans a new sales center in NOVA despite some financial challenges. The electric truck maker out of California is setting up shop in Loudon, Va. J

Although talks between Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi about a potential merger have ended, Mitsubishi's plan to build cars at Nissan's Mississippi plant is still viable.

By Michael Randle

Volume 2

Editor’s note: Michael Randle has visited about 92 percent of the following people elected in Volume 2 of the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame” at their place of business. The results are partly defined by these individuals and their role in turning projects and their overall effect on economic and community development in their territories in the region. The involvement and capture of larger projects were given special emphasis, along with each individual’s involvement in volunteering in a variety of causes, as well as the length of their careers, even their personalities were taken into account by SB&D. Enjoy!

Shown here, on one of their travels in 2014, SB&D’s Shelly Jacobs and Michael Randle with landowner Tim Booras walk the site in Chatham County, N.C., that would later be chosen by Wolfspeed.

Pictured above: Peter Arnoti; Gov. Haley Barbour; Gov. Mike Beebe and Ginger Beebe; Chris Berrymman

Dave Adkisson

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Red River Economic Development

Steve Ammons

Birmingham Business Alliance; Mayor of Vestavia Hills (Jefferson County, Ala.)

Jim Anderson

Northeast Tennessee Valley RIDA

Peter Arnoti

Greenwood County, S.C. EDA: Colleton County, S.C. Economic Alliance

The first time I met Peter Arnoti was about 1990 or 1991. He was basking in the glow of landing Fujifilm in one of the largest projects in South Carolina back then. It was a huge capture for Greenwood, S.C., and Greenwood County. Still is.

So, we are in downtown Greenwood at lunch and Peter was very excited to show me something “very important.”

Back then, the main rail line in Greenwood split Main Street and several road crossings and made it difficult for the traffic when trains ran through downtown. I have heard the rail into downtown Greenwood has been dug up. I haven’t been there since, and need to visit again.

So, Peter and I are walking along the rail line and he says, “Michael, come over here and tell me what you see.”

There was a Christian college across the rail line on Main Street with a large sign on top of the college building that read, “Jesus Saves.”

So, Arnoti takes my arm and says, “Let’s walk over here.” We walk about 20 feet (not sure south or north), and Arnoti grabs my shoulders with both hands and says again, “Now what do you see there?”

So, I looked again at the sign that read “Jesus Saves” on top of the Christian college. The street behind Main Street had another sign on top of another

building a city block away.

There, where I was standing in 1990 or 1991, the two signs were perfectly aligned to read seamlessly, “Jesus Saves at Greenwood State Bank.”

Haley Barbour

Governor of Mississippi; Butler Snow

Gov. Barbour has been a supporter of SB&D for decades and we got to know each other around the time Nissan announced in Madison County in the early 2000s. What Gov. Barbour did post-Katrina was worthy of the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame” all by itself.

He always kept me on my toes because Gov. Barbour would never let me forget about an error that I made years ago in citing data, so he always ended the conversation with something like, “Randle, you have been wrong before, remember?” I could never get him off that one mistake I made in about 2006. He just wouldn’t forget about it. Great man, though.

Greg Barker

Economic Development Partnership of Alabama; Alabama Power

Slater Barr

Dyersburg/Dyer County, Tenn. Chamber of Commerce; Carroll Tomorrow (Ga.); East Mississippi Business Development Corporation

Gov. Mike Beebe and Ginger Beebe

Governor and former First Lady of Arkansas

Phillis Belcher

Greene County, Ala. Industrial Development Authority

Chris Berryman

H&M Company (Tennessee); Tennessee Valley Authority

This guy is for real. Great addition to SEDR, which was Roger Cook’s idea. Chris has filled in for Roger since he retired earlier this year. (Roger and

his family have purchased a house on Northwest Florida’s Highway 30A.)

Chris is very knowledgeable on the practice. Knows things most don’t and he shares his experiences at our SEDR gig in Rosemary each winter. Filling Roger Cook’s shoes at H&M in Jackson, Tenn., will be difficult, but Berryman is way ahead.

David Berzina

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce; Chisholm Flats; JLL Commercial Development

Jeff Bischoff

Gray Construction (Kentucky)

An outstanding company and Jeff has been a leader for decades right there in downtown Lexington.

Sena Black

Enterprise Florida

I thought Sena was brilliant. Scary smart! She was the glue at Enterprise Florida, which is now defunct. (I liked the old Florida DOC with Roger Miller and Steve Mayberry, and from what I have heard, Roger and Mayberry are still in Tallahassee.)

Sena and I got to know each other during Gov. Jeb Bush’s two terms. She helped me get a meeting with Jeb. And during one of those terms, they captured a huge biotech deal from California-based Scripps Research that they thought would generate 50,000 jobs in Central and South Florida.

In a speech in about 2004 at the Tampa Bay Partnership’s annual conference, I said to the audience, “There aren’t 50,000 people needing a job in Florida right now. And while the Florida population seems to always grow, child births in the U.S. are dropping and fast.”

The project did go to Palm Beach County, but Scripps Florida to this day employs about 500 people there, not 50,000.

Jim Anderson

Northeast Tennessee Valley RIDA

Big Jim Anderson was a trip. I first met him around 1994 when I flew into the Tri-Cities International Airport in Blountville, Tenn. My flight was late, so Jim was in a hurry for a number of windshield tours of markets in Northeast Tennessee. Of course the Bristol Motor Speedway is in Jim’s coverage area.

I had already made eight appointments for two days and Jim said, “I have cancelled all or your appointments because I am going with you to each stop.”

Jim’s car in that airport’s lot was the typical government-issued, tiny silver hubcaps, white sedan (you know the one, has a spotlight as a mirror, a bunch of sheriff badge stickers, free pocket protectors and a state government issued tag).

It was a big car. . .maybe a Lincoln Town Car or a Mercury Marquis. All I knew was Jim Anderson was so big, he could “wear a Town Car.” (He played tackle for East Tennessee State in Johnson City.) But that was no standard Town Car because we went from Blountville to Johnson City in mere minutes doing 95. Jim topped 100 going back to Kingsport, all the while, six inches of steering wheel was imbedded in his stomach. And I am the passenger. And we are running three-figuresfast.

So, I asked Big Jim why his state-issued, bland white luxury sedan ran like a bat out of hell. He said, “I got Joe Gibbs to replace the engine with one of his. It’s faster than the car I used to run moonshine with.” I responded, “Does the state know you are driving one of their cars with a Joe Gibbs NASCAR engine in it?”

Jim then revved the engine and said, “They will never know. This is the fourth Joe Gibbs/NASCAR-outfitted Tennessee state car I have driven.”

On one of my visits, Jim took me up to his farm in Northeast Tennessee and he brought out the bourbon. We were walking with his cows and Big Jim said to me, “Well, it is not the Ponderosa, Michael. But with every glass of bourbon, the cows and the acres get bigger and bigger.”

C. Britton Bonner

Adams & Reese

Adams & Reese is a law firm that really knows economic development, and Britton is doing an excellent job in the race among law firms to excel at the practice of bird-dogging deals, something law firms started to do — hiring economic developers — to work projects. The hiring of our friend, Laura DiBella, the last CEO of Enterprise Florida, by Adams & Reese was a great choice.

Tim Booras

Chatham County, N.C.

Shelly Jo “The Elf” Jacobs and I met with Tim Booras, the owner of a major beverage company in Chatham County in about 2014. He also owned a bunch of land there with a partner, D.H. Griffin, who is also in this Hall of Fame. We had yet to hear about the new Chatham/Siler City Megasite until “The Elf” discovered it because she lives in Chatham County.

Back then most megasites were chasing the automotive assembly industry, you know, the “Big Kahuna?” I found out the Chatham/Siler City megasite was rail-served, however, there was no double-stack-rail at that time (there is now) for vehicle shipments from Siler City to the Port of Wilmington, where they were then exported. Both BMW and Mercedes plants in the Southern Automotive Corridor export most of their Southern-made models to wealthy clients in the Middle East, China and Europe.

But North Carolina does not have a strong history of automotive assembly. Sure, automotive suppliers have been a big deal in the Tar Heel State for five decades, and Toyota’s battery plant in nearby Randolph County will be operational this year.

I rushed up to Chatham County because I believed we were invited to the PGA or U.S. Open. Michael Smith is now the talented deal maker in Chatham County. It’s where he landed

Wolfspeed’s latest chip plant and has been highly successful running economic development for a very hot North Carolina county, Chatham, which is in the Research Triangle.

And like Shelly Jo Jacobs has done with several megasites we have walked over the years, she sprinkled fairy dust on the site, lit some sage to wave around the entrance and 10 years later, they landed Wolfspeed, a project that will transform Chatham.

After the “christening” of the Siler City Megasite with her hippie potions, she said to Tim Booras, “This site will have a user within 10 years.” It was almost 10 years later that the first user of the site invested in Chatham County.

Phil Bredeson Governor of Tennessee

I really liked working with Gov. Bredesen and Matt Kisber, Tennessee’s commissioner of economic development back then. Kisber started working on the Volkswagen project in Bredesen’s first term, but the deal, announced in 2008, went into the governor’s second term.

Kisber wanted out because he needed to make more money than what a state job paid in the first decade of this century. So, they went into the second term and landed VW. And Kisber, through his close relationship with Gov. Bredesen, got his dream job. He is the Chairman of Silicon Ranch, a large solar farm development company and a very successful one.

Randy Brewer

Lawrenceburg County, Tenn. Commissioner; Lawrence Chamber

Kingsley Brock

Gibson County Chamber; Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development

I am one of the few people in the South (other than those in Gibson County) that knows that the Gibson County Courthouse in Trenton, Tenn., is

Pictured above: Britton Bonner; Shelly Jacobs, Tim Booras and Michaek Randle; Phil Bredeson; Randy Brewer

painted red and orange. Brock was one of the better Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development recruiters and he was no “yes man.” Great guy!

Jody Bryson

South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (SCTAC); International Transportation Innovation Center (ITIC), Greenville, S.C.

Jody is an outstanding practitioner in aerospace and automotive in the Upstate. He is a great contributor to SEDR, our invitation-only black-ops meeting in the winter each year at the Pearl Hotel in Rosemary Beach.

Ron Bunch

Bowling Green, Ky. Area Chamber of Commerce; Business Development Board of Martin County, Fla.; City of Danville, Va.; Abbeville County, S.C. Development Board

Ron and his strategies may seem different, but this practitioner has been successful everywhere he has been. I met Ron first in Danville, then again in Bowling Green in 2014.

He runs an outstanding department, and we can always count on deals coming from Bowling Green and Simpson County, just to Bowling Green’s south, which seems to land some overflow deals from BG, site of the only Corvette assembly plant in the world.

Katie Burdorf

WDG Consulting

Katie is one of the economic developers I have not met featured in this HOF, but she was strongly recommended.

Didi Caldwell

Global Location Strategies; Fluor Corporation

I’ve watched Didi’s work for a long time. Her site consultant business has taken off. Great read about Didi that was published by Bloomberg in October of last year, calling her “The Factory Whisperer.” Didi is rolling!

Greg Canfield

Alabama Department of Commerce; Burr & Forman

I first met Greg at Starbucks in Mountain Brook Village, Ala., shortly after he became Alabama’s Commerce Secretary (a position now held by Ellen McNair). He just wanted to have coffee and the only thing that was on his mind was this question: “How is Alabama doing?” Canfield is a great addition to Burr Forman.

Tony Campbell

Kentucky Touchstone Energy/EKPC

Billy Joe Camp

Alabama Development Office

Billy Joe Camp and Anthony Topazi were just two of many who claimed responsibility for capturing MercedesBenz in 1993. Everybody has claimed they helped bring in Mercedes. In fact, so many, like me, have lied about it so many times that after 32 years people just believe all of us now.

Dale Carroll

North Carolina Department of Commerce; Sanford Holshouser Economic Development Consulting; Progress Energy/ CP&L; AdvantageWest Economic Development Group (N.C.)

Whoa, this man was great wherever he worked and I followed him as much as I could. We went all the way back to Carolina Power & Light in the late 1980s. CP&L then became Progress Energy if I remember correctly, and then either Duke or FPL bought them.

James Carville

Political consultant (New Orleans)

Man, what theater over the decades James and his wife Mary Matalin have brought to the screens. I visited them at their home in the Garden District of New Orleans on one of Michael Hecht’s (CEO, Greater News Orleans, Inc.) red carpet deals.

James Carville and Mary Matalin had

Pictured above: Jody Bryson; Ron Bunch; Didi Caldwell; Dale Carroll

this gig they started 25 or 30 years ago, where she was the staunch conservative and Carville the liberal. They played that out perfectly on news channels.

Cathy Chambers

Florida Power & Light; JAXUSA

Cathy Chambers’ gig at FPL has been outstanding. The power company is one of the most creative in the South in recruiting industry. . .just expertly run. Lynn Pitts, who was also named in our HOF along with Cathy Chambers, are two of the reasons why.

The first time I met Cathy was about 1995. She was with JAX USA and Jacksonville was about to land the NFL Jaguars. We were publishing a Florida state supplement at the time.

Cathy asked, “Why is someone with your experience selling advertising for Southern Business?” Puzzled, I responded, simply, “I own it. I created it and if the bills aren’t paid, I pay them personally. So, yes, I am proudly selling advertising for my business.”

Mitch Chandler

Arkansas Economic Development Commission; Little Rock, Ark. Chamber of Commerce

Rest in peace, Mitch. A true one-of-akind. All who knew him loved him. I certainly do now, still, about a year after his death. Mitch Chandler worked for Jay Chessir at the Little Rock Regional Chamber and also worked for Mike Huckabee when he was governor of Arkansas.

Peggy Chapman

Development Authority of Bulloch County, Ga.; Georgia Southern University

Tim Chason

The Chason Group; CartersvilleBartow County Chamber of Commerce

Dennis Chastain GEMC, Atlanta, Ga.

James Chavez

SC Power Team; Clarksville-

Montgomery County EDC

One of the best jobs in the entire South is the CEO of SC Power Team. James is a strong practitioner who followed legends Fred Gassaway and Ralph Thomas (in the HOF) at SC Power Team.

Jay Chesshir

Little Rock Regional Chamber

Highly successful and motivated, and he had to be.

Katie S. Chiasson CLECO Power (La.)

I haven’t met Katie, but I have heard a lot about her and CLECO’s success in Central Louisiana. Looks like CLECO may be for sale and Katie just retired.

Ted Clem

Alabama Department of Commerce; Pike County, Ala. EDC; Bay County, Fla. EDA; Albany-Dougherty, Ga. EDC

Shoot, I have always liked Ted. He is in a good place in Troy, Ala., where Marsha Gaylard worked and did well for a long time.

Jim Coleman

East Kentucky Power; WinchesterClark County IDA

Bill Cork

Mississippi Development Authority; Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission; The Aerospace Alliance; TexAmericas Center EDO (Bowie County, Texas)

Last year, I finally met Bill Cork, head of MDA, one of the South’s best state agencies. . .we were at the Mississippi Economic Council annual meeting headed up by Scott Waller in Jackson.

By the time I walked up to give my presentation, I was told I had 20 minutes left to speak. So, I began with my standard, “You might be a Southern Economic Developer if. . .” jokes.

You might be a Southern economic developer if your four-year-old daughter tells her kindergarten classmates that you make your living by driving

Pictured above: Cathy Chambers.; Mitch Chandler; James Chavez; Jay Chesshir

around in the woods with the mayor and one other man.

You might be a Southern economic developer if you have ever cut your grass and found a car.

You might be a Southern economic developer if walking your industrial site requires rubber boots.

So, I had 15 minutes left. I asked, “Do you want me to show you the data or keep telling jokes? All in the audience said, “Keep telling the jokes,” so I finished up with:

You might be a Southern economic developer if you have ever taken a sling blade to freshen up the entrance to your industrial park.

You might be a Southern economic developer if, when you throw a beer can out your truck window, your wife shoots it!

You might be a Southern economic developer if you own a home with wheels on it and six cars without.

You might be a Southern economic developer if you have been on television more than twice describing the sound of a tornado.

You might be a Southern economic developer if you have lost two double-wides — one in a tornado and one in a divorce.

You might be a Southern economic developer if your brother-in-law is your uncle.

You might be a Southern economic developer if your dad walks you to school because y’all are in the same grade.

After that last one, my speech was completed in said 20 minutes. No data. Sometimes, you just go with the flow.

John Correnti

Nucor; Big River Steel; Severstal Columbus

Glenn Cornell NationsBank; Bank of America

Glenn of NationsBank back in the day,

along with Mike Lott and Billy Payne (Masters), essentially organized all the sponsors of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Kit Cramer

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce

Lots of positive testimonials I have read about Kit. But I never got the chance to meet her.

Bill Crane

CSI Crane; Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Georgia Trend

Vann Cunningham

TVA; Lockwood Greene; BNSF

Brenda Daniels

ElectriCities (North Carolina)

Brenda Daniels was a bulldog economic developer with ElectriCities of N.C. She was incredibly consistent.

Laura DiBella

Adams & Reese; Enterprise Florida

Probably a little premature because of her younger age among most HOFers, but this lady is already a leader as we got to know her at SEDR@RosemaryBeach this past January. This younger one has “all-star” written all over her.

Dennis Donovan WDG Consulting

We never really got to know Dennis and we sure had chances to. Dennis has been at it as long as I have, or close to 50 years, maybe longer.

Beth Doughty

Beth Doughty LLC; Roanoke Regional Partnership

Beth was the first person I met through a windshield tour of the Roanoke region that combined true community development through all of the outdoor amenities that the Blue Ridge Mountains offer. I think she launched that outdoors theme in about 1997? That was way before anyone else thought of it. That strategy has really worked for the Roanoke region and has drawn so many to relocate to the “Star City of the South.”

Pictured above: Katie Chiasson; Brenda Daniels; Laura DiBella; Beth Doughty

Kit Dunlap

Greater Hall County, Ga. Chamber

Phillip Dunlap

City of Auburn IDB (Ala.)

Jimmy Durham

DeKalb County, Ala. EDA

I met Jimmy in 1993. He showed me all the homes of the members of the band Alabama back in their heyday. They all lived in DeKalb.

Jimmy recently retired after 30 years with the DeKalb County EDA. His memorable career saw Fort Payne and DeKalb County recover from the shock implosion of the area’s sock industry, which abruptly threw over 7,500 people out of work in 2010 (population 70,000). Almost overnight, the county’s jobless rate surged to 16 percent amid fears it would climb much higher. Today, DeKalb County’s economy is humming.

Mike Eades

GeoDecisions; Lexington, S.C. Economic Development; Ascension, La. EDC; IDA of Halifax, Va.; Florence County, S.C. EDP; MEAG Power (Ga.)

I think I visited Eades in every place he worked except for Ascension Parish, La., and he did an outstanding job everywhere he went. All the Southern boys and girls in economic development loved Mike and his wife Charlie Mae, who recently passed away. They were huge in SEDC and they attended one or two SEDRs before he retired.

When Eades was with MEAG Power in Atlanta, his office was perched high on a hill above the I-285 Beltway. I found the office to be incredibly loud, as the roar from Interstate 285 below and its millions of daily cars are like a demolition derby. The roar of the cars not only distracted me, it was deafening, like a NASCAR race. So, I asked Mike, “How do you stand working in this office with this roar coming from the Beltway below?” Eades answer was, “What roar? I guess I am used to it.”

Deepal Eliatamby Alliance Consulting Engineers

Deepal’s company recently celebrated 20 years with 2,500-plus projects in nine states and over $45 billion in capital investment and 36,000 jobs. Deepal’s personal numbers — $60 billion and 45,000 jobs for his 35 years in the business. As Deepal said, “Not bad for a guy who came on a Greyhound bus to Columbia in August 1984, huh?”

Besides his work, Deepal has two other passions — bourbon and South Carolina football (he has a nice condo right across the street from the stadium). I can tell you this, Deepal would walk to our SEDR@RosemaryBeach gig each winter. Attends almost every year. Smart dude and very likable.

Jack Ellenberg Maxis Advisors; South Carolina Ports Authority; South Carolina Department of Commerce

Jack brought Boeing to North Charleston. Enough said.

Mike Evans

Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tenn. Area EDC

Dr. Glen Fenter

Marion, Ark. Schools; Mid-South Community College

If you don’t know Dr. Fenter, you should. He is the foremost expert on workforce training education and a tireless supporter of public education in Arkansas and really, much of the region. His workforce development model was cited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor as the best model in the U.S.

Tom Ferguson

Greene County, Tenn. Partnership

Here is a secret no one knows but me and the aforementioned Jim Anderson in this HOF. Maybe Alan Bridwell up there knows this story.

During our racing (see “Jim Anderson” in this HOF) through the moun-

Pictured above: Mike Eades; Deepal Eliatamby; Jack Ellenberg; Dr. Glen Fenter

tains of Northeast Tennessee more than 30 years ago, Jim always said “When I get a prospect visit, I take them first to Greene County and Tom Ferguson. But don’t tell anyone.” I haven’t until now. I am telling you because Big Jim, one of my all-time favorites, passed away a while back.

Susan Fleetwood North Carolina Department of Commerce

Susan has had a remarkable long-time career with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. We go way back, almost to the Watts Carr, Alvah Ward and Jim Fain eras at NC Commerce.

Jim Folsom, Jr./Big Jim Folsom Governors of Alabama

Mercedes was captured by Jim Folsom Jr. during his term. That fact is enough for me to get “Junior” in this club.

But I have a story about his dad, Big Jim Folsom, who I never met because he ended his terms as Alabama’s governor shortly after I was born. But through my travels, I sure did hear the stories about “Big Jim Folsom.”

In the early 1950s, the Interstate system was being launched, I think by President Eisenhower’s administration. So federal DOT asked Big Jim where he wanted to run Interstate 10 in South Alabama. Big Jim asked someone, “How did they vote for me down in South Alabama?”

The answer was, “They didn’t.” So, Big Jim told the Feds, “Then run Interstate 10 through the Florida Panhandle.” Classic story. So, Dothan? Blame it on Big Jim.

Danny Fore

Northern Kentucky Tri-Ed Fore was successful wherever he went. He was way underrated as a practitioner after a career in the military. He is now retired and living in Lynchburg, Va., one of the states he practiced in along with South Carolina, North Carolina and Northern Kentucky, which is also a much-underrated organization.

Marion “Butch” Fox

Jeff Davis Parish; Louisiana Economic Development

We lost Butch during the Pandemic. She represented part of George Swift’s Southwest Louisiana Alliance territory in Jeff Davis Parish.

George retired at the first of this year after one of the greatest 20-year runs in the South’s economic history. He was “billion-dollar George” before billion-dollar deals were cool. George: “There are so many billion-plus deals here in Southwest Louisiana, that we don’t have the time to send out a press release unless it is $2 billion or more.” Think LNG! SWLA was the birthplace of it.

So, getting back to Butch Fox. I have met all kinds of Cajuns, but Butch took the cake. She was talking about names like Hébert, Guidry, Landry, LeBlanc, Broussard, Boudreaux, Fontenot, Ardoin, Arnaud and Bergeron as com mon Cajun last names over a bowl of gumbo.

Then she said that offshoring is still hap pening with her workforce. “The Brous sards and Boudreauxs, we can’t keep them working here in Louisiana oil and rice country at $60 a barrel. So, Cajuns are all over running the oil business in places like Saudi Arabia. We need more Broussards here for our drilling.”

George Franklin Sr. Franklin Farms, Landowner, Richland Parish, La.

This might be the greatest success story in the South’s economic development history. I certainly would vote for it as the No. 1 story in economic development history, not just in the South. This story is way beyond that.

George Franklin, Sr., was a 14-year-old runaway orphan from Alabama. He took a freight train from Alabama and jumped off in Richland Parish, La., in the northeast quarter of the state.

Still a teen, George Sr. began his life in Holly Ridge, La. He worked at a local hotel for room and board before

Pictured above: Susan Fleetwood; Big Jim Folsom; Marion “Butch” Fox; George Franklin, Sr.

working as a land agent for a local lumber mill. Instead of wages, Franklin Sr. wanted to be paid in land, which was so undervalued in Northeast Louisiana way back then. Eventually, George acquired enough land to become one of the South’s largest rice farmers.

I met George and his sons several times. On one visit, I visited the family “big house,” which seemed like the farm’s headquarters. The megasite was the flattest land I have ever seen. There were a few silos of rice near the family HQ, and a couple of trucks loading rice.

Now, George’s farm was so flat, you could drive all over it in any direction for miles. He said something really funny to me. While the rice silos and trucks made up maybe one percent of the farm, he told me, “Michael, don’t hit the silos or those trucks with your SUV as you leave.” Really? I could drive in both directions for miles to get around them. I got the joke.

I was there for a reason — to see the “finest, flattest, new megasite in the South.” I would say that was in about 2004? It could have been later.

The megasite was named “Franklin Farms,” and one of the most expensive data centers being built today is about to build there. The Franklins and LED wanted an automotive plant, but a $10 billion data center was good enough.

I visited George Franklin, Sr., and his sons, Tana Trichel (Northeast Louisiana economic developer), Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Michael Olivier, who were there because the state of Louisiana had just bought the Franklin Farms megasite.

The Franklin megasite had come in second so many times for an auto plant that LED had to pivot. Louisiana, the Franklins, Gov. Blanco and Tana did just that, with a huge push from LED.

The last time I saw George Franklin and his sons, I had to run to Jackson to meet with Haley Barbour. Three days later, George Franklin was killed as he flipped his ATV on a levee while working his farm. He was in his 80s.

Joyce Inge French

Southside Planning District Commission, Va.; SEDC

Jane Fryer

Meriwether County Industrial Development Authority; LaGrange, Ga. Chamber of Commerce

This story about Jane Fryer is a classic. I won’t identify who told me about Kia landing in West Point, Ga., four months before its official announcement. The reason? When I identified him in December 2005 as the source, he never spoke to me again.

You see, the dude’s county ended up in second place for Kia’s only U.S. assembly plant. Those second-place folks will talk to me and have for more than 40 years. I mean, they have nothing to lose after being crossed off the list. So, sometimes, I know projects before they are announced.

Anyway, I get a call from this famous practitioner in Mississippi and he tells me Kia is building its new U.S. plant (and the only one in the U.S.) in West Georgia, just across the line from Alabama. He specifically said, “West Point, Ga.”

So, who was the economic developer for LaGrange, Ga., at the time? It was none other than my friend Jane Fryer. I picked up the phone and called Jane three days before Christmas in 2005:“Jane, have you heard any news from Kia about locating in your county?” Jane: “No I haven’t.”

Me: “Well, the deal is already done and your county has won it, so you are about to know. It’s a cow field in West Point directly on I-85 and the Kia site searcher who found it was driving from the Atlanta airport to Hyundai’s sister plant in Montgomery.”

Me: “You ready?” Jane: “Ready for what?” Me: “Jane, a large Korean automaker is about announce a huge deal in West Point — Troup County. They will need 2,000 workers, and suppliers will locate from Montgomery to LaGrange and beyond.”

Jane: “You are joking, right?” And the

Pictured above: Jane Fryer; Fred Gassaway; Jason Giulietti; Gregg Gothreaux

rest is history.

It was a true scoop for us in that we identified the automaker, the site, the place, four months before Kia officially announced in March of 2006. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the Kia deal in March of 2006. We published the deal in an “exclusive” in December 2005 ,and gave updates over the months.

And another thing about Korean automakers. . .

I was close to Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama during his two terms. He told me, “I am not sure we need another South Korean plant in Alabama.” So, the next best thing would be Kia just across the line in Mississippi or Georgia. That way we can be part of the workforce. The point man for Riley and other Alabama governors in recruiting industry to the state was one of the handful of “Godfathers of Economic Development in the South,” Neal Wade.

About that time, I am hearing what tough customers the South Koreans were — Hyundai in Montgomery and Kia in West Point — in negotiations on incentives. These were private conversations, but like an idiot, I had to make a statement about what I was hearing.

We used to own the website, SouthernAutoCorridor.com. On that site in the mid-2000s, I repeated the quip, “You tell the Korean prospect that you have left nothing on the incentives table, and the prospect says, ‘What about the table?’ ” I know, a smart-ass comment, but it cracked me up. Soon after, SouthernAutoCorridor.com was hacked, causing $30,000 in equipment damage to our webmaster. The hack destroyed our firewall in three places and we didn’t get it up and running for a month.

My webmaster said, “We put in our standard complaint with the FBI. Their report said they followed the hack from Seoul, South Korea, to the Korean embassy in Washington, D.C., to us and you.”

My response: “Wait, wait, wait! That is wonderful! They are reading my work in South Korea? Are you kidding me?”

Rick Games

Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation

For more than 50 years, Rick Games has been quietly shaping the future of Elizabethtown, Ky. — first as a public servant, then as a driving force behind the region’s economic growth.

Rick began his career in 1973 with the Elizabethtown Fire Department, where he served for nearly three decades, including 11 years as Fire Chief. His commitment to service didn’t stop when he retired from firefighting, it simply evolved.

In 2001, he stepped into a new role as President and COO of the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation (EHCIF). Over the next two decades, Rick’s leadership helped bring new opportunities to the region. His most notable achievement was the long-term vision and effort behind the Glendale Megasite. . .work that paid off in 2021 when BlueOval SK chose the site for a state-of-the-art electric vehicle battery plant. The project became the largest economic development investment in Kentucky’s history.

“Rick’s leadership helped change the course of our community,” said Matt Hess, Chairman of the EHCIF Board. “He’s never looked for the spotlight, he has just always focused on what’s best for the people who live and work here.”

In 2024, Rick stepped back into the role of Vice President, with Andy Games now leading the organization. But Rick’s steady presence and deep commitment remain, continuing to guide the region forward.

The Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame celebrates individuals whose work leaves a lasting mark. Rick Games is a shining example and proof that meaningful change takes time, belief and a willingness to serve.

His story is one of quiet determination and enduring impact. In Elizabethtown, Rick’s legacy will be defined not only by what’s been built, but by all that’s now possible because of his service.

Shown above: Rick Games and Michael Randle

Rick Games

Elizabethtown-Hardin County

Industrial Foundation

Edwin Gardner

Entergy Mississippi; PowerSouth (Ala.); Birmingham Business Alliance

Fred Gassaway SC Power Team

I met Fred and Ralph Thomas way back when they were running the Palmetto Economic Development Corporation, now, SC Power Team. Both are retired and James Chavez has picked up the mantle. James also made our Hall of Fame.

My first appointment with Fred and Ralph went kind of like this in 1991: Fred Gassaway: “Mike, see that ridge across the river there? In 1864, there were 2,000 well-armed Union soldiers camped out on that ridge before they ransacked Columbia, S.C., with cannons two days later.” And then he went on and on and on about the raid, describing it in every detail. It was truly fascinating.

Marsha Gaylard

Pike County, Ala. EDC

Randy George

Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce

Randy George is a true professional and Southern Economic Development Roundtable (SEDR) supporter. The Montgomery MSA did some great community development during his long career there, and his territory in Central Alabama has been one of the best performing mid-markets over the last 15 years in the South.

Jason Giulietti

Central South Carolina Alliance; Greater San Marcos, Texas Partnership Jason has been successful everywhere he has been in some really competitive locations and we think he has found a long-time home with the Central South Carolina Alliance. And that agency needed a good change.

Darryl Gosnell

Hampton Roads, Va. EDA; Gainesville, Fla. Area Chamber

Gregg Gothreaux Lafayette, La. EDA

Gregg was a true leader in Lafayette. Mandi Mitchell and long-time employee, Stacey Zuwacki, have successfully taken over for Gregg. Look for some really good things in Acadiana soon. Gregg’s work will always be remembered in Cajun Country.

Gina Greathouse

Commerce Lexington Inc.; Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

Gina Greathouse and CEO Bob Quick have formed a long-running partnership in one of the most beautiful and affluent areas of the South — Lexington, Ky. They both have been outstanding for many years in the Bluegrass State. Commerce Lexington is just a solid, consistent economic development agency.

Dale Greer Cullman, Ala. EDA

D.H. Griffin

Landowner, Chatham County, N.C.

John Gutshaw

WDG Consulting

George Harben

Prince William County, Va., Department of Economic Development; Greater Paducah, Ky. EDC; South Carolina Department of Commerce; Virginia Economic Development Partnership; Fort Worth, Texas Chamber of Commerce

Tom Harned

Logan Economic Alliance (Ky.); Virginia Economic Development Associaton

Garrett Hart

Chesterfield, Va. Economic Development

Larry Hays

Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

Pictured above: Michael Hecht; Joe Max Higgins; Kim Huston and Michael Randle; Robert Ingram

I met Larry in Frankfort for the first time about 15 years ago. I walked in and he had one of my magazines in his hand and asked, “Why wasn’t the Glendale megasite (Hardin County, Ky.) on your top 25 megasites in the South? It is the best one!” So, we put it in the next list of megasites and shortly after, Ford gobbled up the entire site.

Michael Hecht

Greater New Orleans, Inc.; Louisiana Economic Development; New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration

Michael Hecht is an outstanding modern economic developer in New Orleans. Look up his work post-Katrina.

Bob Helton

Dry Branch Consulting (Kentucky); Morehead-Rowan County, Ky. EDC; RJ Corman Railroad Group

Kathleen Hess

Winston-Salem Business Inc.

Kathleen and Bob Leak, Jr. did great things at Winston-Salem Business, Inc. for almost 30 years. Bob made Vol. 1 of the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame, as did his father.

Donny Hicks

Gaston County, N.C. EDC

Quietly, Donny has been with Gaston County for almost as long as I have been with SB&D. A quiet leader.

Joe Max Higgins

Golden Triangle Development Link; Paragould, Ark. Chamber

Everyone knows Joe Max. His success is unprecedented in the Golden Triangle of Mississippi, anchored by the city of Columbus.

During the Kia deal in the mid-2000s, Joe Max used Federal Go Zone money (Katrina) and state incentives to come up with a $900 million incentive package for the Korean automaker. Back then, that was the highest potential incentive package in the South’s history. I called and asked Joe how he had come

John Hull

Roanoke Regional Partnership, Va.

John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, has been named to the Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame, honoring a career spanning more than two decades in economic development and a legacy of regional collaboration, strategic vision and measurable impact.

Hull joined the Roanoke Regional Partnership in 2010 and stepped into the role of executive director in 2021. Under his leadership, the organization has reached new heights. His first strategic plan fundraising campaign as executive director surpassed its goal by nearly half a million dollars. Just over halfway through the five-year campaign, the initiative has already exceeded its investment target and is 89 percent of the way toward its employment goal — milestones that reflect Hull’s thoughtful and results-driven approach.

Central to these achievements is the record-setting Wells Fargo expansion, the largest in the region’s history, as well as 25 other business openings and expansions during his brief tenure as executive director. But Hull’s impact goes beyond business attraction. He champions a holistic model of economic development — one that recognizes the power of talent attraction and placemaking alongside traditional business investment.

“You can’t grow a region with business investment alone,” Hull said. “You need people who want to live here, and places that make them want to stay. Talent, place and investment all work in tandem. When you align them, the results speak for themselves.”

A Certified Economic Research Professional (CERP), Hull is also executive director of the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority. His background includes extensive experience in organizational leadership, regional collaboration, site development and economic research. Recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers and Southern Business & Development’s Under 50 to Watch, Hull brings deep expertise and a steady hand to one of Virginia’s most dynamic regions.

Hull attributes much of the Roanoke Region’s success to its spirit of partnership. “This region is strong because our governments and business leaders understand the value of working together,” he said. “When everyone rows in the same direction, we move faster and we go further.”

up with a $900 million incentive package when Katrina didn’t even touch Columbus? And why spend it all in one place? Joe’s response was, so far, one of my favorite economic development quotes of all time: “No sense in taking powder home, boys! Let’s shoot it!”

Joe Hines

Timmons Group

Rodney Hitch

Kentucky Touchstone Energy/EKPC

Horace Horn

PowerSouth Energy (Ala., Fla.)

David Hudgins

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (Va.)

John Hull

Roanoke Regional Partnership, Va.

There is a bright future for John in the Roanoke region, taking over for a legend in Beth Doughty

Fred Humes

Aiken-Edgefield; Western South Carolina; Humes & Associates

Fred was a trailblazer, ex-military guy, whose territory included the top-secret Savannah River Site where all kinds of “Secret Squirrel” military stuff happens every day. He also should be recognized for the hydrogen center he started in Aiken. Will Williams took over for Fred years ago and there has been no slowdown.

Kim Huston

Bardstown-Nelson County, Ky.

Economic Development

A nomination well deserved. Bardstown, under Kim’s leadership, was named “Best Small Town in America” numerous times from multiple media sources. Nelson County is “bourbon central,” too. I loved meeting Kim in historic Bardstown. She sure did love Peyton Manning.

Woody Hydrick

Economic Development Partnership of Alabama; Fluor Daniels; Cushman & Wakefield; Global Location Strategies; Prattville, Ala. Chamber of Commerce

Daryl Ingram

ECG, Ga.; MEAG Power

Robert Ingram

Baldwin County, Ala. EDA; Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll EDF

Robert was huge in SEDC and set the table at the megasite he helped create in Baldwin County, Ala.

Hal Johnson

NAI Earle Furman; Upstate SC Alliance; Orangeburg, S.C. Development Commission

Will Johnson

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

Oppie Jordan

Carolinas Gateway Partnership

Dr. Vicki Karolewics

Wallace State Community College, Hanceville, Ala.

Matt Kisber

Silicon Ranch; Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development

Landed Volkswagen in Chattanooga, and stayed on for a second tour working for Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Vic Lafont

South Louisiana Economic Council

Mandy Lambert

Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development; Mandy Lambert Consulting

Mandy was the glue of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development during more than one administration.

Gary A. Lanier

Columbus County, N.C.; North Carolina EDA

Jennifer Lantz

Wilson Economic Development Council, N.C.

Matt Largen

Willliamson, Inc. (Tennessee)

Matt has one of the top 10 jobs in the South, and is a true professional. Nashville is “headquarters central” and Matt

Pictured above: Hal Johnson; Dr. Vicki Karolewics; Mandy Lambert; Matt Largen

has captured many, including Nissan’s headquarters from California.

Alex Leath

Bradley Arant; Balch & Bingham

Michael Lehmkuhler

Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Dara Longgrear Tuscaloosa County, Ala. EDA

David Luckie Griffin-Spalding Development Authority

Walt Maddox

Mayor of Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mary Matalin

Political consultant

No way Mary Joe is a “staunch conservative,” but she certainly plays one on TV.

Steve Mayberry

Florida Department of Commerce

Scott Millar

Catawba Development Corporation

Calvin Miller

Talladega County EDA

Roger Miller

Florida Department of Commerce; Enterprise Florida

Jeremy Nails Morgan County, Ala. EDA

Jim Newsome

South Carolina Ports; Hapag-Lloyd (America); JimNewsome3 LLC

I first met Jim Newsome in South Carolina about 10 years go at the SCEDA (South Carolina Economic Developer’s Association) annual meeting where we were both speaking. I fully expected his presentation to consist of a long list of port jargon like TEUs and port capacity statistics. Boy, was I wrong. While Jim is not an economist, you could have fooled me as he surrounds himself with great economists from all over.

Jim has that rare gift of being able to ex-

Will Johnson Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

As the leader of the Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Economic Development practice group, Will has played a key role in facilitating over $10 billion in capital investment from both domestic and international companies, helping communities across the state attract new business, create jobs and grow their tax base.

Known for his practical mindset and collaborative style, Will is a go-to legal advisor for clients navigating incentive structures and large-scale development projects. “What sets Will apart is his ability to find creative solutions that work for all parties involved in complex economic development projects,” said Nick Nicholson, HSB’s managing director. “His collaborative approach, devotion to client service and deep understanding of incentives have established him as a trusted resource for economic development professionals throughout South Carolina.”

Will’s practice spans the full spectrum of economic development tools and strategies, including fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements, special source revenue credit arrangements, job development and job tax credits, and state and local grant programs. He regularly advises both private companies and local governments, providing guidance on how to effectively negotiate, implement and administer incentive packages that create long-term value for all stakeholders.

In addition to his client work, Will is an active participant in the state’s economic development community. He frequently speaks to business groups, local leaders and industry organizations about economic incentive trends and how South Carolina can remain competitive in attracting high-impact investment. His insight, accessibility and clear communication style make him not only a trusted legal advisor but also a valued thought partner to public and private entities alike.

Will’s work reflects a deep understanding that economic development is not just about closing deals. . .it’s about building sustainable growth, fostering meaningful partnerships and strengthening communities for the long term.

plain with humor the massive world of logistics, as he was the CEO of both SC Ports and Hapag-Lloyd (America). Not only does he speak with authority on logistics as it pertains to the South and the world, but also the economy in general.

Since then, we have been lucky enough to have Jim speak at our events, and he never fails to deliver. No wonder he was named to the Maritime Hall of Fame as well as our list here.

Jim retired from SC Ports a few years ago, but has formed his own consulting firm. He has been a blessing to SEDR, along with his wife, Kathy.

Barbie Peek Port of Huntsville

Raul Peralta

ECS Southeast

Matthew Phillips

CNN

I wanted to give some credit to journalists who are really in tune with economic development. Matthew Phillips, assistant editor at CNN, is just that. He has interviewed me many times and his work is top-shelf. He has no biases at all, which is close to impossible today.

Liz Povar

Virginia Economic Development Partnership; RiverLink Group

Luther “Butch” Roberts Jr. Port of Huntsville

Tucson Roberts

Tucson/Atlantic Consulting; Covington County, Ala. EDA; Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce

Allyson Rothrock Harvest Foundation, Martinsville, Va.

What Martinsville and Henry County, Va., started years ago with the Harvest Foundation, every single economic development organization in the South needs to implement.

David Rumbarger

Community Development Foundation (Tupelo, Miss.)

You can’t spell Hall of Fame without Rumbarger in it. We even went to the same high school in Birmingham, Ala. Did anyone know that Rum was an Auburn cheerleader? He took the Tupelo job to heights not seen after taking over for the legendary Harry Martin at the Community Development Foundation. Harry was my first pick for the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame.”

William “Skip” Scaggs

North Mississippi IDA; Mississippi Development Authority

Jim Searcy

Economic Development Association of Alabama

Phil Segraves

Mayor of Guin, Ala.

Fred Smith FedEx

Michael Smith

Chatham County Economic Development Corporation; North Carolina Department of Commerce

Michael Smith could have earned his HOF entry simply for some massive projects, like Woflfspeed, that he has captured just in the last three years or so. Chatham County, N.C., is one of the hottest counties in all the South. Michael is a solid veteran in this business and is one of the best recruiters the South has currently.

Sandy Smith

Mayor of Monroeville, Ala.; Monroeville Chamber of Commerce

Sandy Smith is Monroeville, site of To Kill a Mockingbird

John Smolak

Sanford Holshouser Economic Development Consulting; AEP

Smolak brought in Richard Florida to SEDC one year over 30 years ago to speak. I have been a fan ever since.

Pictured above: Alex Leath; Roger Miller; Jim Newsome; Barbie Peek

Matt Kisber

Silicon Ranch; Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development

Matt Kisber has built a distinguished career at the intersection of public service, business leadership and renewable energy innovation. A native of Jackson, Tenn., Matt’s early exposure to commerce came through his family’s department store, Kisber’s, where he began working at age 12. He later earned a political science degree from Vanderbilt University, laying the groundwork for a career that would span state government and the private sector. When not in class, he worked as a photojournalist for his hometown paper, The Jackson Sun

After graduating from college, Matt ran for the Tennessee State House and was elected as Tennessee’s youngest state representative, serving ten terms and chairing the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. His legislative legacy includes pioneering tax credits for job creation, reforming workers’ compensation, and championing training grants for high-skill industries — initiatives that positioned Tennessee as a competitive destination for business investment.

In 2003, Governor Phil Bredesen appointed Matt as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. During his tenure, which spanned both terms of the Bredesen administration, he co-led initiatives that recruited marquee headquarters like Nissan and manufacturing facilities like Volkswagen to Tennessee, giving him a front-row seat to the intersection of energy development and job creation.

Leading a key initiative in the Bredesen administration, the governor asked Matt, with his colleague Reagan Farr (the state’s Commissioner of Revenue) to develop a clean energy strategy for Tennessee, focused not just on solar but on recruiting key parts of the entire renewable value chain to the state (including biofuels, polysilicon manufacturers and wind components). Inspired by their economic development experiences and their work together to bring investment and jobs to rural communities, Matt, Reagan and Governor Bredesen co-founded Silicon Ranch in Nashville after leaving office in 2011.

Today Silicon Ranch is the developer, owner and operator of one of the largest fleets of solar facilities in the United States, with more than 180 operating projects across more than 15 states and Canada. Matt and his co-founders pioneered utility-scale solar in the Southeast and built the first projects in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia and Arkansas.

Along with his co-founders, Matt championed a collaborative approach with utilities emphasizing not only clean energy but also economic and community development, bringing much-needed jobs, meaningful tax revenue and vital infrastructure to rural areas and underserved communities across the country. That commitment has paid dividends, helping Silicon Ranch forge deep, durable relationships with partners ranging from local energy co-ops to some of the world’s largest corporations.

Through Silicon Ranch, Matt has championed a model of economic and community development that is inclusive, forward-looking, and deeply rooted in place. His work has helped redefine what it means to invest in communities, not just through capital, but through long-term partnerships that prioritize people, land and legacy.

Congratulations to Matt on being recognized in the Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame.

Pictured above: Raul Peralta; David Rumbarger; Fred Smith; Michael Smith

Kyle Spurgeon

Greater Jackson, Tenn. Chamber of Commerce; Jackson Energy

Mitch Stennett EDA of Jones County, Miss.; Community Development Foundation, Tupelo, Miss.

Kirkley Thomas Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas

Lee Thuston Burr & Forman

Angela Till Alabama Department of Commerce

Norris Tolson

Carolinas Gateway Partnership; North Carolina Department of Commerce

Anthony Topazi Alabama Power; Mississippi Power

Phil Trenary

Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce

Tragically, Phil was taken in 2018 in an act of violence in downtown Memphis,

a city he had served so well. I knew and respected him.

Cindy Vincent

Morgan County, Ala. EDA

By far the backbone of MCEDA for more than 30 years.

Mark Williams

Strategic Development Group

Mark Williams, the noted site consultant from South Carolina, has just updated his book Corporate Site Selection and Economic Development. Mark is a mainstay at the Southern Economic Development Roundtable and is scheduled to speak Dec. 11-13 at the Pearl Hotel at Rosemary. Want a ticket? Call me.

Roy Williams

Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce

Robert Wood

Georgia Department of Economic Development

Pictured above: Sandy Smith; Kyle Spurgeon

Steve Yost

North Carolina’s Southeast

Yost is an outstanding economic developer who represents North Carolina’s southeast region. Yost has pulled off the impossible in that of the original eight to 10 regional groups — going back to Alvah Ward and Watts Carr — not many have made it to today. . .North Carolina went regional in the 1990s.

Sharon Younger

Younger & Associates, Jackson, Tenn.

A true professional and expert in our little world of economic development in the South.

Randy Zook

Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce; Arkansas Economic Development Commission

The deadline for nominations for SB&D’s third volume of the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame” is set for August 29, 2025. J

GETTING THE BIG QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND THE LITTLE THINGS RIGHT

That’s Law Elevated

Pictured above, left to right: Cindy Vincent; Steve Yost; Mark Williams; Sharon Younger

10+ Markets That Are Winning The

Greensboro, N.C.

Three huge deals — Boom, Toyota and now, JetZero and its 15,000 (just from JetZero) employees — have found their way to the Greensboro region in a relatively short period of time. Talk about on a roll! There might not be a commercial airport in the South, other than the Perot family’s Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, that has had more success luring industry the last two decades. Remember, HondaJet makes its small private jet at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. No question to us that the Greensboro market is the hottest market of any size in the U.S. right now.

Savannah, Ga.

After the gut-wrenching loss of Volvo at the megasite just west of Savannah in Bryan County, Ga., this port city landed the “Big Kahuna” in the Hyundai Metaplant, where vehicles and batteries are just now in production. Until Hyundai came to Savannah, we had never seen or heard of a “supplier” to an OEM making a $4 billion to $5 billion-plus investment.

Lake Charles, La.

In terms of per capita, the Lake Charles region, including Calcasieu Parish where Houston-based Cheniere put in what essentially was the first mass LNG producer plant in the U.S., there is just no contest. Most years, Southwest Louisiana beats three quarters of Southern states in total annual investments. These LNG plants are huge, and cost today about $18 billion to build. Now Lake Charles has captured another LNG plant from Woodside Energy.

George Swift retired from the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance earlier this year. The new Southern “Yankee Factory Hound” in Southwest Louisiana is Scott Walker. Scott was extremely capable in his time in Michigan and Indiana. But, taking over for a legend like George won’t be easy. Yet, looking at Scott’s background, he may be nominated in one of the next three volumes of the “Hall of Fame.” He joins Liz DeVille at the Alliance.

Chester County, S.C.

Here is another South Carolina county, located south of Charlotte, on a roll. During the height of the reshoring era, Chester County ranked as the fastest growing in manufacturing employment (70 percent) in the Charlotte region from 2010 to 2020. In fact, Chester has become a go-to place in the South for new plants and reshored manufacturing facilities and the categories are numerous, from metals, chemicals and advanced materials to the food and beverage industry, like E.&J. Gallo’s $423 million investment in Chester County. That winery is the first East Coast facility it now operates. And Robert Long, the economic developer there, is making things happen and fast.

Economic Development Game

Florence, S.C.

For decades, or since Honda announced the location of its ATV manufacturing plant in Timmonsville-Florence County, S.C., in 1998, there were not that many projects landing in Florence. The Honda plant opened in July of that year. Not much came out of Florence after that until now, with its relatively new leader Gregg Robinson, who came over from a successful stint in Orangeburg, S.C. This guy, like Robert Long and Chester County, are racking up deals. No question they are headed to the Hall of Fame.

York County, S.C.

The consistent deal run York County and Rock Hill are on is more than three decades old now. Located just south of Charlotte, York County’s location is a no-brainer.

Berkeley County, S.C.

This South Carolina county is in the Charleston MSA. Landing Volvo in the fall of 2015 put Berkeley County on the map. Since then, it’s been one of the most active in the South.

Taylor, Texas

Samsung invested approximately $17 billion to build a new semiconductor manu facturing facility in Taylor, Texas, spurred on by the CHIPS and Science Act from the previous administration. The new fabrication plant will produce advanced logic chips for mobile, 5G, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence purposes. In addition to capturing the latest semiconductor facility announced in the South, the suppliers to the plant have been humming with announcements. Being located just inside the dynamic market (Austin) will keep this place going for years to come.

Hutto, Texas

Ditto for Hutto, which is located between Taylor and Round Rock, Texas. The spillover of projects to Hutto from Austin, where Elon Musk is relocating almost all of his companies and their headquarters like Tesla and Space X to Austin from California, is quite impressive for such a new community.

Georgetown, Texas

Another Austin MSA market, Georgetown is one of the fastest growing cities in America and has been named to many “Best Cities” lists. It also ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States.

+10Markets That Are Winning The Economic Development Game

San Marcos-Hays County, Texas

Hays County is not a reach here. The area is the fastest growing county in Texas and the fastest growing county in the country among counties with over 100,000 residents. The region has been called “The Next Great Metropolis” by Forbes

Chatham County, N.C.

Wolfspeed is finishing up its huge chip plant in Chatham County. Years ago SB&D staff and Dianne Reed, the economic developer at the time in Chatham County, walked the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing Site prior to anyone building on it.

Then came two big deals — the Vinfast EV plant (building has not started) and Wolfspeed, and they still have over 1,000 acres of the site to develop. Along came current Chatham County Economic Development Corporation leader Michael Smith, and this massive manufacturing resurgence in the South found Chatham County, which is essentially in the Research Triangle region. It should be noted that Chatham County is adjacent and within just a few miles of the Toyota battery plant being constructed in Randolph County.

Bowling Green, Ky.

Like York County, S.C., Bowling Green performs well seemingly every year. Its central location between the birth of the automotive industry, or the Midwest, to the new EV region king, the American South, directly on Interstate 65, the spine of the Southern Auto Corridor, is unsurpassed.

Clarksville, Tenn.-Hopkinsville, Ky.

Surprised to learn that this two-state MSA has a population that is nearing 400,000. Clarksville (shown here) benefits from also being in the Joint Metro Region of Nashville-Clarksville. That MSA comprises one of the most dynamic and growing areas in a multi-state area.

The Nashville MSA and the Clarksville MSA together operate in some ways that mirror other dual metro areas in the nation, and in some ways perform quite differently. Clarksville has seen its share of failed recruiting ventures, with Microvast announcing but not building a new EV battery plant there.

But with so many projects announced every year for 25 years, there is going to be a dog deal among them. James Chavez, Mike Evans and Vonda Gates, all seasoned economic development professionals, ran economic development in Clarksville.

Today it is David “Buck” Dellinger running the show. There are plenty of great jobs in Clarksville-Montgomery County, with top manufacturers and employers like LG, Bridgestone, Florim USA, Hankook/AtlasBX, and Google all well-established and continually expanding their workforce.

Other winning markets include: Loudoun County, Va.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Mobile-Baldwin County, Ala.; and Williamson County, Texas. J

TEN TOP DEALS

The American South’s 10 largest new or expanded manufacturing and selected non-manufacturing job announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE IN THE SPRING 2025 QUARTER

A CITY WHERE HISTORY INSPIRES TODAY’S PROGRESS, AND A NEW GENERATION IS WRITING TOMORROW’S STORY. In 2022, the Montgomery Chamber celebrated a record breaking year with unprecedented economic growth, new investment and world-wide interest in Montgomery.

• 23 Announced Projects

• $1.7B in Capital Investment DRIVING ECONOMIC

Tract 2 at Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre in Henry County, Virginia, is the only site in the nation to earn a Platinum designation from the Site Selectors Guild’s REDI Sites Program—the highest level of site readiness certification available.

With grading completion expected by Fall 2025, Tract 2 offers a speed-to-market advantage for manufacturers. The site features robust, modern infrastructure, including rail access, designed to meet the demands of today’s industries.

Ready to Move. Built to Scale.

Located in Henry County, Virginia, the Patriot Centre Industrial Park offers two state-of-the-art shell buildings with quick access to U.S. 220 and key interstate corridors. Designed for flexibility, these facilities are ideal for manufacturers and advanced industries. The park is fully equipped with municipal water and sewer, natural gas, an on-site substation, and high-speed fiber—delivering the infrastructure and scalability businesses need to grow.

2 Shell

Scan the QR Code to learn more about Tract 2. • 95,500 SF expandable to 180,000 SF

5,500 SF Office Space

15 Acre Site

30’ Clear Ceiling Height

100,440 SF expandable to 400,000 SF

Flexible Office Configuration

20 Acre Site

8 Shell

Tract

Tract