Mississippi Receives Silver Shovel Award for Economic Development Projects
Jun 15, 2023
by: Alyssa Arbuckle, Super Talk Mississippi
Mississippi is once again the recipient of a Silver Shovel Award by Area Development magazine for the state’s achievements in economic development throughout 2022.
Last year, Mississippi was honored with the Shovel Award in the “fewer than 3 million population” category after creating nearly 2,500 jobs through eight projects scattered throughout the Magnolia State.
In addition to announcing Mississippi as a 2023 Silver Shovel Award recipient, the magazine named the $2.5 billion Steel Dynamics project one of its Manufacturing Projects of the Year.
“Mississippi set records in economic development last year,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “We secured a record $6 billion in new capital investment and finalized the largest economic development project in our state’s history. We’re doing what it takes to bring in billions worth of new investment and thousands of high-paying jobs to our state.”
The Shovel Awards recognize state economic development agencies that create a significant number of jobs through infrastructure improvements, improved policies, and investments in new and expanded facilities.
Based on the number of value-added jobs per capita, amount of investment, number of new facilities, and industry diversity of the projects submitted by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), Mississippi won a Silver Shovel in the “2 to 4 million population” category.
Here’s a list of the top projects that contributed to the state winning the award:
- Steel Dynamics: $2.5 billion investment, 1000 new jobs
- Nissan: $500 million investment, upskilling of 2000 jobs
- Enviva: $250 million investment, and 100 new jobs
- CLAW Forestry: $200 million investment, 131 new jobs
- Albany Industries: $182.5 million investment, 85 jobs
- Altex Tube: $110 million investment, 58 new jobs
- Walmart: $90 million investment, 250 new jobs
- Menasha Packaging: $79 million, 21 new jobs
- Terberg Taylor Americas Group: $16 million investment, 90 new jobs
- Baxter: $11.6 million investment, 105 new jobs
- Standvast Fulfillment: $4.4 million, 360 jobs
- Homestead Furniture: $2 million investment, 117 new jobs
To view a complete list of the 2023 Shovel Award winners, click here.