Relocations and Expansions - Winter 2021

ALABAMA

Huntsville, Ala., preferred choice for new Space Command
In January, the Air Force announced that Huntsville, Ala., (home of the Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command) is the preferred choice for the headquarters of the new Space Command. The decision, which isn’t official, was made based on a variety of factors, including room to grow. The headquarters is expected to create thousands of jobs.

Big steel deal in South Alabama
Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal SA and Japan-based Nippon Steel are investing $775 million to expand their joint venture plant in Calvert, Ala., just north of Mobile. The plant, first started and occupied by ThyssenKrupp, was initially a $4 billion investment. The joint venture will build an electric arc furnace that will be producing steel by 2023. The new furnace will be able to produce 1.5 million metric tons of steel each year.

Packaging manufacturer to invest $440 million at Alabama mill
Packaging Corp. Of America will invest $440 million at its paper mill in Jackson, Ala. The three-year project will permanently convert a paper machine at its mill in Clarke County to produce liner board used for corrugated packaging.

Manufacturer of specialized polyester film expanding in Northern Alabama
Polyplex USA announced plans to invest more than $90 million to expand production capacity at its Decatur, Ala., facility. Polyplex plans to add a second biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) film line at the Alabama plant. The deal will create 100 jobs.

Vials of vaccines needed; operation opens in Auburn
SiO2 Materials Science has quickly opened a new manufacturing facility in Auburn, Ala. The plant will produce vials for the Moderna vaccine. The $163 million facility to increase vial capacity is part of a federal government project.

Bamboo manufacturer to open Alabama plant
Resource Fiber, a maker of commercial bamboo products like laminated timbers, is opening a plant in Lamar County, Ala. The project will create more than 100 jobs.

ARKANSAS

Turkey processor adding gobs of jobs in Arkansas
Butterball announced in January it is expanding two turkey plants in Northwest Arkansas, creating 360 new jobs. The company is investing over $8 million in its plants in Ozark and Huntsville, Ark.

Mars Petcare invests in Arkansas facility again
Mars Petcare is once again expanding its Fort Smith facilities. The company has already invested $420 million in its plant there. This latest expansion calls for an investment of $145 million and 120 new full-time jobs.

Amazon to build Arkansas fulfillment center
In the winter quarter, Amazon announced it will build a new fulfillment center in North Little Rock. The deal will create 500 jobs. It will be North Little Rock’s second Amazon facility. (A distribution center opened in the city in 2018.)

Manufacturer landing in Fort Smith
Jonesboro, Ark.-based Hytrol Conveyor has chosen Fort Smith, Ark., for a new manufacturing plant. The facility will house 250 workers.

Nestlé USA to invest $100 million in Arkansas
Nestlé USA is investing $100 million in an expansion of its food processing facility in Jonesboro. The company is adding a Hot Pockets sandwich line that will call for 100 new employees.

FLORIDA

Germany-based startup plans electric flying taxi hub in Orlando, Fla.
The first hub location for a high-speed, electric air mobility network in America will be launched by Germany-based Lilium in Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla. According to Positively Osceola, the aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing jet aircraft, Tavistock Development Company, announced the country’s first urban and regional air mobility network as well as Lilium’s first U.S. network location. The project will create more than 100 high-wage jobs.

Blackstone to open new Miami office
Blackstone, a global investment firm, is opening a technology office in downtown Miami. The project calls for 200 tech jobs, but investment professionals may also be added in 2022.

Boeing to expand MRO operations in JAX
Chicago-based Boeing announced this winter that it will expand its maintenance, repair and overhaul operations at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla. Boeing has a 25-year lease agreement with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority at the former Air Force base. The deal calls for 400 new jobs.

Danish manufacturer expands in Tallahassee
Danfoss Turbocor, a maker of oil-free compressors, is adding a 90,000-square-foot facility at its site in Tallahassee, Fla. The project is expected to create 200 new jobs.

Santander bringing 875 jobs to Florida
Santander Consumer USA will invest approximately $22 million to upgrade and convert existing retail space to a customer contact operations center in Pasco County, Fla. The financial services company will create 875 new jobs over the next five years.

GEORGIA

Nestlé Purina investing $550 million in Georgia
Nestlé Purina PetCare is investing big in its pet food factory in Hartwell, Ga. The $550 million investment will add 130 jobs.

Columbus, Ga., lands nice deal
Path-Tec, a healthcare logistics provider, is investing $5 million to expand its operations in Columbus. The project will create 350 jobs.

Northern Ireland-based tech company opens hub in Buckhead
Kainos, a tech company, will invest $1.2 million in opening a North American sales and IT hub in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. The project is expected to bring 137 jobs to Fulton County.

Microsoft plans significant Atlanta expansion
Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company plans to make metro Atlanta a major hub as it embarks on a significant expansion. The tech giant is adding two regional data centers and could bring thousands of jobs to 90 acres of land it bought in recent months at the stalled Quarry Yards development on the city’s Westside.

MasterBrand Cabinets locates complex in Jackson, Ga.
MasterBrand Cabinets will open a Southeastern U.S. manufacturing and distribution hub near Jackson, Ga. The project is expected to create nearly 400 jobs in Butts County.

KENTUCKY

GE opens new line in Louisville, Ky.
GE Appliances has operated its massive Appliance Park in Louisville. Ky., for years. The company recently announced it is investing $80 million to open a new large-capacity dishwasher line. The project will add 280 jobs.

Plastic manufacturer expands in Kentucky
Stratus Plastics, an automotive plastics manufacturing company located in Morgantown, Ky., is increasing capacity at its plant there. The expansion will create 135 jobs.

Ball to open new plant in Kentucky
Ball Corporation, the world’s largest maker of recyclable aluminum beverage containers, is opening a new plant in Bowling Green, Ky. The facility will house 200 workers.

Protective Life relocates core site to Covington, Ky.
The Birmingham, Ala.-based Protective Life Corporation is relocating its core site to Covington, Ky. The insurance company will invest $17.1 million with plans to create roughly 100 jobs there.

LOUISIANA

ElementUS advances $800 million rare earth elements project in Louisiana
ElementUS, a joint venture of DADA and Enervoxa, will invest $800 million to extract rare earth elements at the Noranda Alumina site in Gramercy, La. The deal is up to a final decision next year.  “We’re proud to see the creation of this new facility that will create hundreds of high-demand, high-wage job opportunities for the people of St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish and surrounding areas,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc.

Sasol wraps up $12.8 billion project in Lake Charles
After years of construction and weathering two hurricanes, South Africa-based energy and chemical company Sasol has completed its $12.8 billion petrochemical complex in Lake Charles. The unit achieved “beneficial” operations on November 15, about two months after initially projected, as the region had two hurricanes make landfall last year. The facility can produce up to 420,000 tons of polyethylene each year using technology developed by Exxon Mobil. The raw material is used in manufacturing plastic bags and shrink wrap, in addition to paper cup or carton coatings and squeezable plastic bottles.

Louisiana lands first Amazon facility
Louisiana’s first Amazon fulfillment center is being built in Lafayette Parish. Amazon will create 500 direct jobs with an annual payroll of about $16 million in the $100 million project.

Mitsubishi Chemical eyes Geismar, La., plant
Based in Tokyo, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC) is studying the feasibility of building a $1 billion methyl methacrylate manufacturing complex in Geismar. A final investment decision by MCC on the greenfield project is expected by mid-2022.

Grön Fuels announces potential $9.2 billion renewable fuel complex in Louisiana
Grön Fuels is studying the feasibility of a renewable fuel complex at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. With expansions and associated projects, the complex could involve up to $9.2 billion of total investment over several phases. A final investment decision is expected in 2021. The complex would create an estimated 1,025 new direct jobs.

MISSISSIPPI

Amazon to open third Mississippi center, bringing 1,000 jobs
Amazon is opening a third facility in Mississippi for sorting and processing customer orders. The new fulfillment center in Canton will be the first to feature Amazon’s robotics technology. It will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs.

Mississippi lumber mill to create over 100 jobs
A new sawmill is coming to Winona, Miss. The 150-job deal by Biewer Lumber will generate an investment of $130 million.

Another big sawmill captured by Mississippi
Idaho Forest Group (IFG) announced in the winter it will build a new $120 million sawmill in Lumberton, Miss. The project is one of a series of new sawmills opening in the Magnolia State. The deal will create 135 jobs.

MISSOURI

Missouri company announces expansion
PlayPower has announced plans to expand its facility in Monett, Mo., which represents a $2 million investment and is expected to create 82 new jobs. Monett is the manufacturing home for many of PlayPower’s premier brands including Little Tikes Commercial playground equipment.

Nice deal in Kansas City
Melaleuca, an online wellness shopping club, is investing $36 million in its Kansas City facility. The company is building a 500,000-square-foot facility and will hire 200 in the deal.

Tracker Boats to double footprint in Missouri
Bass Pro Shops and White River Marine Group are expanding their Tracker Boats plant in Bolivar, Mo., doubling the square footage and adding 300 manufacturing jobs.

NORTH CAROLINA

Epic Games to take over mall and turn it into a global HQ in Cary, N.C.
Epic Games, the North Carolina company known for its popular Fortnite game, announced in the winter it is converting the Cary Towne Center mall into it new campus. No word yet on how many jobs will be created by moving into the nearly 1-million-square-foot facility, but it will be in the thousands.

California gene therapy manufacturer picks Durham County
Adverum Biotechnologies, a gene therapy manufacturer, is investing $82 million in a facility in Durham County. The company plans to hire 200 workers.

Kentucky-based manufacturer picks North Carolina for new operation
Bardstown, Ky.-based American Fuji Seal, a maker of packaging, is investing $52 million in a new plant in Hickory, N.C. The deal will create over 100 jobs.

Gilead Sciences will create 275 jobs in the Research Triangle region
Gilead Sciences, a leading biopharmaceutical company, has selected North Carolina’s Research Triangle region as the location for a major business services and information technology hub, creating 275 jobs. The company will invest up to $5 million in Wake County.

Apiject Systems plans vaccine gigafactory in RTP
ApiJect Systems, a medical technology company, has been approved by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation for a $590 million loan to construct a 1-million-square-foot facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The gigafactory will enable the U.S. to more quickly package high volumes of injectable medicines and vaccines in the event of a national emergency, beginning with COVID-19.

North Carolina is fighting cancer and creating jobs
North Carolina has allocated a Job Development Investment Grant to a company that is developing a blood test that can screen for more than 50 cancers simultaneously. The California-based healthcare company, GRAIL, is building a $100 million laboratory that will employ nearly 400 people in Raleigh-Durham.

OKLAHOMA

Costco opens new operations center in Oklahoma City
The members-only warehouse retailer, Costco, has opened a back-office operations center in Oklahoma City. The project is expected to result in 1,500 new jobs.

Defense contractor adding jobs in Oklahoma
North Star Scientific is establishing an aerospace manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City. The company plans to hire 40 in the deal.

Oklahoma aerospace company announces 80 new jobs
Broken Arrow-based aerospace company CymSTAR will hire 80-plus new employees over the next three years with engineering salaries of $60,000 to more than $100,000 per year.
“CymSTAR offers engineers the opportunity to work with cutting-edge simulation technologies as we focus on upgrading and building training systems in support of our armed forces,” said Dan Marticello, CymSTAR president and CEO.

SOUTH CAROLINA

White Claw to invest $400 million, create 300 jobs in Richland County, S.C.
Mark Anthony Brewing, which makes White Claw Hard Seltzer, plans to build a $400 million facility in Richland County, one the largest economic investments in Richland County history that state officials say will create 300 new jobs.

Walmart distribution center adding 1,000 jobs in South Carolina
Walmart is opening a new distribution center in South Carolina that officials say will create about 1,000 full-time jobs. The center will be located on the Ridgeville Industrial Campus in Dorchester County, and is part of a $220 million investment in the state.

Santa Cruz Nutritionals expanding Sumter operations
Santa Cruz Nutritionals, a manufacturer of food supplements, is investing $84 million in an expansion of its Sumter County operations, which is also expected to create 164 jobs.

Westinghouse to locate new plant in Clarendon County
Westinghouse Electric Company, which provides a variety of products and services to nuclear plants, is locating a new plant in Clarendon County, S.C. The $24 million facility, which will expand the company’s welding and machining capacity, will house 44 workers.

TENNESSEE

Tech company announces move to Nashville, Tenn.
A Silicon Valley tech company announced its move to middle Tennessee, and now its CEO is predicting he won’t be alone. Yoshi CEO Bryan Frist said he’ll begin his company’s transition from Silicon Valley to Nashville. The Yoshi app allows users to have gas, auto maintenance and car washes delivered to them, and the company’s move will deliver 100 jobs to the mid-state.

Tennessee lands eighth Amazon fulfillment center
A new 634,000-square-foot fulfillment center using Amazon Robotics Technology will create 800 new jobs in East Tennessee. The internet retailer is investing at least $200 million to build the warehouse fulfillment center in Alcoa.

E-commerce company unveils plan for 3,500-job facility in Tennessee
E-commerce order company Red Stag Fulfillment is planning a 420-acre, $300 million distribution center in Sweetwater that could include 3,500 jobs. Knoxville-based Red Stag stores, packages and ships products that range from furniture to pet food to electronics.

Eastman going green in Kingsport, Tenn.
A global leader in plastics, chemicals and fibers, Eastman will build one of the world’s largest methanolysis facilities at its site in Kingsport, Tenn. Eastman will invest approximately $250 million in the facility over the next two years. Through methanolysis, the new facility will convert polyester waste that often ends up in landfills and waterways into durable products.

Biotech firm to relocate from California to Nashville
Revance Therapeutics is relocating its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Nashville. The company will invest $10 million and hire 150 in the move.

Cognate Bioservices to add 500 employees in Memphis
A bioscience company with facilities in Memphis is looking to create 561 new jobs in the area. The EDGE awarded Cognate Bioservices a 15-year jobs PILOT to create those jobs and triple its current Memphis employee base. As part of this first phase, Cognate is also investing more than $212 million to renovate its current and new properties.

TEXAS

Oracle to relocate HQ from Silicon Valley to Austin
In the winter quarter, tech giant Oracle announced it was relocating its world headquarters from California to Austin, Texas, where it already has a major presence. The relocation follows a slew of others moving from California to Texas. Elon Musk has relocated to Austin and is building a major vehicle and battery factory there. Nearly 700,000 Californians have moved to Texas in the last 10 years.

Samsung files paperwork for $17 billion chip factory in Austin
South Korea-based Samsung filed paperwork with Texas officials in early March requesting an incentive package worth $1 billion to build a $17 billion chip factory in Austin. The company has operated another large chip plant in Austin for decades. The company says the factory could house as many as 1,800 workers.

Peloton to add 1,600 employees in Plano
Fitness equipment company Peloton announced a large expansion of its facilities in Plano, Texas. The New York-based company will hire up to 1,600 workers in Plano.

Home Depot bringing 1,500 new jobs to Dallas-Fort Worth
The Home Depot has opened a new distribution center in Dallas to fulfill online and store orders. The 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center will house 1,500 employees.

One thousand jobs announced in Texas
TaskUs, a New Braunfels-based tech company, announced in the winter quarter it will open a new location on the U.S.-Mexican border in Rio Grande Valley, Texas. The company offers multiple tech solutions such as AI and CX. The deal is expected to result in 1,000 jobs.

Amazon goes big in San Antonio
Amazon, the most active company in economic development history in the South, is planning two new fulfillment centers in San Antonio as well as a new local delivery station. The three projects will create 1,500 jobs.

Mexico-based Envases Group plans facility in Texas
The Envases Group, a Mexico-based producer of packaging solutions, plans to open its first aluminum can production center in Waco. The $100 million project is expected to create 120 new jobs.

FedEx hiring 1,200 for new Southern Dallas hub
FedEx is hiring 1,200 workers for its new shipping hub in southern Dallas County. The shipping giant leased 778,000 square feet of warehouse space earlier this year for the FedEx Ground package handling center.

VIRGINIA

Largest initial capital investment ever for Henry County, Va.
Crown Holdings, a metal packaging technology company, is investing $145 million to open a new 355,000-square-foot aluminum can production facility at the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre and will create 126 new jobs. This is the largest initial capital investment a company has ever made in Henry County, according to Jim Adams, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors.

Shipping company keeping headquarters in Norfolk, Va., adding 400 jobs
International shipping company CMA CGM will keep its North American headquarters in Norfolk and expand its operations, adding 400 new jobs in the Commonwealth. Norfolk was chosen after a “competitive site-selection search” that included many other North American port cities.

ID.me to hire 1,000 in Northern Virginia
Digital identity management company ID.me says it will hire more than 1,000 new employees in Northern Virginia by the end of 2021. The fast-growing McLean, Va.-based company provides identity authentication technology to both government and business customers.

Vytal Studios’ new HQ in Richmond, Va., creating 155 new jobs
Vytal Studios, a technology-based education and training content developer and producer, will invest $6.8 million to relocate its corporate headquarters from Austin, Texas, to Richmond. The company will renovate a facility to include studio and office space. Virginia successfully competed with Florida and North Carolina for the project, which will create 155 new jobs. 

Virginia voters approve casino referendum
Virginia will move forward with the development of four casinos across its state, and one of them will border North Carolina. Voters in the city of Danville, Va., just north of the Piedmont Triad, passed the casino referendum in November. Caesar’s will move forward with the casino, 300-room hotel and entertainment venue. The project will bring more than 1,200 jobs to the region.

Salmon company bringing 200 jobs to Southwest Virginia
Pure Salmon, along with Tazewell, Russell and Buchanan Counties, issued a joint press release announcing one of the largest private investments ever in the area —
the world’s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility.  Located in Southwest Virginia, the facility will employ over 200 whose individual median wage will equal or exceed the total median family income of families in all of the three counties.

Dynamic Aviation to expand with 207 jobs in Rockingham County
Dynamic Aviation will invest $47.9 million to expand its operation in Rockingham County, creating 207 new jobs. The company, which is among Rockingham’s top employers, is a provider of special-mission aviation solutions for government and commercial organizations worldwide.

Furniture manufacturing, once thought lost, continues on in the South
North Carolina-based Ison Furniture is opening a new factory in a vacant facility in Axton, Va. The company makes upholstered furniture and other furnishings. The $3.5 million deal will create nearly 200 jobs. Also, Ison supplier Dogwood Global will occupy a vacant building on the same property to produce wood tables and custom furniture frames that will be upholstered by Ison.

Germany-based distribution giant to create lots of jobs in Virginia
Germany-based DHL Supply Chain is expected to invest $72 million to locate a major distribution center in Stafford County, Va. The center will serve the Mid-Atlantic region. The deal will create 577 jobs. J

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