While the current COVID-19 crisis may put some development on “pause,” our annual Shovel Awards recognize states that garnered large job-creating and investment projects over the course of the previous year.
Q2 2020
_______________________________________________________________
EXTRACT: ARIZONA
Silver Shovel winner Arizona landed a couple of major financial industry projects last year.
- State Farm, for example, plans to hire 1,100 new employees in a Tempe expansion — everything from sales to underwriting to technology development.
- USAA’s Phoenix operations are slated to grow by a thousand in the next several years, with IT and software development opportunities leading the way.
- In another Phoenix expansion, Farmers Insurance will add more than 900 new jobs.
- And a Shellpoint Mortgage expansion plan in Tempe includes 1,350 jobs.
_________________________________________________________________________________
TAKING A LOOK BACK
Clearly, 2020 is not taking shape the way that anyone expected it would as America watched the ball drop and rang in the new year. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted just about everything, from health to lifestyles to the state of the economy.
Amid today’s gloomy headlines, it’s worth taking a look back at the economic development headlines of 2019 — the expansions and new developments that inspired our annual Shovel Awards. These honors are based on information provided by state economic development officials and the information was current at the time it was provided. It goes without saying that some companies may have paused or altered some of these plans as the pandemic unfolded. Looking back at the wins of 2019 is not simply a matter of turning on old favorite tunes to relive memories of better times. Paused economies always fire back up, and the Shovel Awards spotlight strong economic foundations upon which to build bright futures.
Amid today’s gloomy headlines, it’s worth taking a look back at the economic development headlines of 2019 — the expansions and new developments that inspired our annual Shovel Awards. These honors are based on information provided by state economic development officials and the information was current at the time it was provided. It goes without saying that some companies may have paused or altered some of these plans as the pandemic unfolded. Looking back at the wins of 2019 is not simply a matter of turning on old favorite tunes to relive memories of better times. Paused economies always fire back up, and the Shovel Awards spotlight strong economic foundations upon which to build bright futures.
__________________________________________________________________________________
2020 Gold Shovel Awards: The Winning States
- Texas (12+ Million Population)
- Virginia (8 to 12 Million Population)
- Tennessee (5 to 8 Million Population)
- Utah (3 to 5 Million Population)
- Mississippi (Under 3 Million Population)
2020 Silver Shovel Awards
12+ Million Population Category
- Florida
8+ to 12 Million Population Category
- Georgia
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Ohio
5+ to 8 Million Population Category
- Arizona
- Missouri
3+ to 5 Million Population Category
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
Under 3 Million Population Category
- Kansas
- Nebraska
