2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts

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.

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