Polar Semiconductor will invest $525 million to expand its Bloomington, MN manufacturing facility. The company will leverage $120 million in direct funding as part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, and a $75 million investment from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) Minnesota Forward Fund. The expansion will create more than 160 new jobs. Polar’s federal funding is the first award in Minnesota from the CHIPS and Science Act, as well as the first award from the Minnesota Forward Fund. The expansion and modernization project will enable Polar to double its ..read more

Governor Tony Evers welcomed President Joe Biden back to Wisconsin and joined Microsoft officials to celebrate Microsoft’s investment of $3.3 billion between now and the end of 2026 to expand its national cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure capacity through the development of a state-of-the-art data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The project is expected to bring 2,000 union construction jobs to the area by the end of this year, as well as provide long-term employment opportunities over the next several years. Microsoft is also announcing the establishment of a lo ..read more

G&C Foods, Inc. marked the start of construction this week for its new cold storage distribution center in Alachua, Florida. The Syracuse, NY-based company is a food service and retail re-distributor of refrigerated, frozen, and dry food products. With a focus on meeting clients’ diverse needs, G&C has garnered recognition for its innovative distribution system, expert product purchasing team, and client service. Over the years, G&C has expanded its reach across the United States and recently ventured into international markets, including Central and Latin America, the Caribbean, t ..read more

Green New Energy Materials, Inc., a China-based manufacturer of lithium-ion battery parts, will establish its first U.S. operation in Lincoln County, North Carolina, creating 545 jobs. The company will invest $140 million in the community of Denver, leasing the largest new spec building in Lincoln Commerce Center, owned by Crow Holdings. Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincolnton, North Carolina (Photo: Adobe Stock/Mark Castiglia) Green New Energy Materials, with strategic partners such as LG, Samsung, SKI, AESC, and Northvolt, manufactures battery separator products for the lithium-ion battery i ..read more

Commercial and industrial HVAC manufacturer Daikin Applied will invest $121 million to build a new energy-efficient manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. In partnership with its subsidiary Alliance Air Products — a San Diego-based custom air-handling equipment designer and manufacturer — Daikin Applied is expanding its manufacturing capabilities to support sustainable data center growth across North America. The 460,000-square-foot facility will create more than 1,150 new jobs in the northwest region of Mexico. Construction of the facility is expected to be complete by spring 2025 with pr ..read more

Worksport Ltd. will invest $6 million and expand its manufacturing facility in Buffalo, NY, adding 280 new jobs. The company manufactures tonneau covers and solar-powered systems for pickup trucks. This expansion will enable Worksport, which opened its facility in 2023, to accommodate a rapid increase in demand for its products from 50 covers daily to up to 900 covers per day. Buffalo, New York (Photo: Adobe Stock/Atomazul) “New York State is providing the skilled workers and critical resources small businesses need to grow and thrive,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “Worksport started with just ..read more

Plug and Play and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) have launched an accelerator hub — dubbed the Fintech Accelerator — at Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ FAST) in Hoboken. Plug and Play is a Silicon Valley-based firm and innovation platform known for connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, and government agencies. NJ FAST is the first East Coast location for Plug and Play, which has partnerships around the globe. The Strategic Innovation Center (SIC) will serve as a hub for financial technology (fintech) and insurance technology (insuretech) startups ..read more

Columbia Vehicle Group (Columbia), an electric vehicle manufacturer, announced it has selected Aiken County for the company’s first South Carolina operation. The company’s $12.2 million investment will create 180 new jobs. Part of the Nordic Group of Companies, Columbia manufactures pure electric vehicles for industrial and commercial markets under the Columbia and Tomberlin brands. The company’s products, which include golf carts, utility vehicles, maintenance vehicles and e-bikes, are distributed globally. (Photo: S.C. Department of Commerce) “We are proud to welcome Columbia Vehicle Group t ..read more

Montgomery, Alabama will be the site of a new Meta AI-optimized data center, which increase the company’s existing investment in the state — a data center campus currently operates in Huntsville. The Montgomery data center, reflecting Meta’s latest design, will be 715,000 square feet and it will be the company’s 24th data hub and the 20th in the United States. Expected to go online at the end of 2026, the facility will be LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be supported by 100% renewable energy and reach net zero emissions. Aerial view of planned Meta data center in ..read more

Formetco, LLC has opened a cutting-edge 175,000-square-foot digital manufacturing facility in Suwanee, Georgia. The Duluth-based company is a pioneer in the design, manufacture, and innovation of digital and hardware products for the outdoor advertising industry and digital LED displays for sports venues. The addition of the new facility in Suwanee complements an existing infrastructure that includes a 120,000-square-foot hardware manufacturing plant and a 10,000-square-foot showroom in Duluth; a structure fabrication facility in Tennile; and an advanced R&D office in Minneapolis, MN. Form ..read more