2020 Mac Awards

Significant Projects:
Visa (financial services), Amazon (retail distribution), Facebook (technology), Google (technology), Hewlett Packard (technology).

Programs & Initiatives:
Opportunity Austin, the Austin Chamber’s five-county economic development initiative, spearheads programs related to economic growth, talent and place. Newly launched ATX Helps is focused on raising money to provide emergency shelter and outreach for people living on Austin’s streets.

Did You Know?
The Continental Club on South Congress is a nationally known mecca for roots music, rockabilly, country, swing, rock and blues. The club first opened its doors in 1955 as a swanky, private supper club.

Significant Projects:
Truist Financial Corporation (financial services), Microsoft (technology), Breezer Holdings (machinery), Carvana (automotive), Lowe’s (machinery), Avidxchange (technology), Lending Tree (financial services).

Programs & Initiatives:
Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, officially launched January 1, 2019, resulted from the merger of Charlotte Chamber and Charlotte Regional Partnership. The CLT Alliance champions inclusive growth and prosperity through research and data, career pathways awareness and workplace wellness programs. The Economic Development Advisory Council comprises economic development professionals from each of the 15 counties in the Charlotte region.

Did You Know?
Between 2004 and 2014, Charlotte was the country’s fastest-growing metro area, with 888,000 new residents.

Significant Projects:
Fresh Bourbon, Inc. (spirits), Kito U.S.A. (machinery), Solaredge Technologies (electronics), Faneuil (financial services), Curaleaf Ky. (life sciences), Tema Isenmann (chemicals).

Programs & Initiatives:
Commerce Lexington’s Minority Business Development Program strives to promote and sustain the growth and development of minority-owned businesses in the seven-county Lexington MSA.

Did You Know?
Lexington is home to more than 70 company headquarters, including those of Lexmark, Tempur-Pedic, Valvoline, Jif, A&W Restaurants and Calumet Farms.

Significant Projects:
Occidental Petroleum (energy), Crown Castle International (chemicals), Deloitte (financial services), Elemental Processing (textiles), Southwest Airlines (transportation), Haynes and Boone (financial services), Kulkoni (machinery), JPMorgan Chase (financial services), United Airlines (transportation).

Programs & Initiatives:
Future of Texas gives Partnership members access to elected officials on some of the state’s most pressing issues. The Partnership’s priority issues include improving student outcomes, public school finance and flood mitigation.

Did You Know?
Popular local nicknames for Houston include “Bayou City,” “Space City,” “H-Town,” and “the 713.”

Significant Projects:
MCS Industries (wood products), Norac (food), Western Express (logistics), Allegiant Air (transport), Axium Plastic (chemicals), Julabo USA (machinery), Radial, Inc (financial services), Stuffed Puffs (food), Sharp Packaging (consumer products).

Programs & Initiatives:
“Made Possible in Lehigh Valley” is a marketing campaign launched in March 2019 to increase awareness of the region and investment opportunities there.

Did You Know?
The Lehigh Valley region encompasses Lehigh and Northampton Counties in eastern Pennsylvania, and with a population of 670,000 people is the third-largest metropolitan are in the state.

Significant Projects:
Beasley Media Group (communications), PricewaterhouseCoopers (financial services), Waymo (automotive), Tiberina Solutions (automotive), Coyote Logistics (transportation), ZF Friedrichshafen (automotive), Dakkota Integrated Systems (automotive), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (automotive).

Programs & Initiatives:
DRP’s target clusters include mobility & automotive; logistics; smart manufacturing; research, design & engineering; digital technology; corporate & professional services; and financial services. DEGC’s D2D is a local procurement program dedicated to strengthening business-to-business connections to increase the local spend of larger corporations with Detroit-based businesses.

Did You Know?
The $5.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is expected to open in later 2024.

Significant Projects:
FedEx (logistics), Amazon (retail distribution), Patterson Warehouses (logistics), J.M. Smucker (food), Indigo Ag (agriculture), Cherry Tree International (logistics), Autozone (automotive), Barrett Distribution Centers (logistics), McKesson (life sciences), Raymond James (financial); Hyosung Heavy Industries (electronics), Jnj Express (financial).

Programs & Initiatives:
Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) is an EDGE initiative allowing for a temporary, partial reduction of future real and/or property taxes for projects that benefit the community that would not otherwise launch. We Build 901, sponsored by the Greater Memphis Chamber, focuses on building a talent pipeline for the construction industry.

Did You Know?
The Peabody Duck March at the famed Peabody Hotel began as a prank in the 1930s after General Manager Frank Schutt returned from a weekend duck hunting trip to Arkansas.

Significant Projects:
Zues Industrial Products (chemicals), Nippon Paint (chemicals), Gestamp Chattanooga (automotive), Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Dm Trans (transportation), Atn Hoelzel (machinery), Arrive on Time Logistics (transportation).

Programs & Initiatives:
GCEP is a public-private, regional economic development partnership representing a 16-county region in Northeast Alabama, Northwest Georgia and Southeast Tennessee. The group provides expertise in site selection, workforce support and incentive support.

Did You Know?
A marker on Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain claims that seven states can be seen from the 2,392-ft. (729-m.) ridge. No scientific evidence to support the claim exists.

Significant Projects:
Amazon (retail distribution), Wright Service Corporation (management solutions), Fidelity & Guaranty Life (financial services), Accordia Life & Annuity Company (financial services).

Programs & Initiatives:
For the last 35 years, the Greater Des Moines Partnership has presented Economic Impact Awards to companies in the region that have made a substantial impact to Greater Des Moines.

Did You Know?
Wells Fargo Arena seats 16,980 spectators and is home to the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League, the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League and the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League.

Significant Projects:
Zoho Corporation (software), Ball Metal Beverage Container Corp. (manufacturing), Fairlife LLC, (food) Fox Corporation (media), Microsoft (technology), Quetico (logistics), Vital Pharmaceuticals (pharmaceuticals).

Programs & Initiatives:
Launched in conjunction with other regional partners, “The Connective, Greater Phoenix’s Smart Region Consortium” is an effort to build what it calls “the nation’s largest smart region” by developing and deploying technology solutions rooted in connectivity, mobility, equity and sustainability. The partnership is a consortium of public, private, university and community partners.

Did You Know?
Rock idol Alice Cooper, a Phoenix native and attendee of Cortez High School, leads a non-profit charity called “Solid Rock” that serves inner-city Arizona teens.

Significant Projects:
Blue Origin (aerospace), Lockheed Martin (aerospace), Palco Telecom, Sanmina-Sci Systems (internet communications), Y-TEC Keylex Toyotetsu Alabama (automotive), Vuteq (automotive), Navistar (automotive), Daikyo Nishikawa (automotive), Yulista Holding (aerospace).

Programs & Initiatives:
The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber is active in promoting economic development, workforce & education, small business events, marketing & communications and government outreach on behalf of the local business community.

Did You Know?
The 3,843-acre (1,555-hectare) Cummings Research Park is the nation’s second-largest technology park, behind only North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Among major tenants is the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, now home to 35 companies.

Significant Projects:
Conner Industries (wood products), Dow Chemical (chemicals), Glovis Alabama (logistics), Hyundai Motor Manufacturing (automotive), Lightsource BP (energy), Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik GmbH (automotive), C. Hager and Sons (hardware).

Programs & Initiatives:
Imagine a Greater Montgomery is focused on building competitive regional talent, diversifying the regional economy, transforming Montgomery’s image and building diverse community capacity.

Did You Know?
Steven Reed, a former financial analyst, was sworn in as Montgomery’s first African-American mayor in November 2019.

Significant Projects:
Ford Motor Company (automotive), Kentuckiana (metals), Paccar (automotive), UPS (logistics), Fives Intralogistics (machinery), El Toro (financial services), Rainbow Design (technology), Creative Realities (technology)

Programs & Initiatives:
Louisville Forward aims to maximize Louisville’s potential for its 19 Opportunity Zones by providing concierge project management, offering incentives for projects in CDBG-eligible census tracts and working to accelerate the permitting process. Greater Louisville Inc.’s Greater Louisville 2020 is aimed at recruiting businesses, developing the regional workforce and advocating for a strong business environment.

Did You Know?
Louisville is the starting point for the wildly popular, 18-distillery Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Significant Projects:
Root Insurance (financial services), Scriptdrop (life sciences), Abbott Laboratories (life sciences),Nexient (technology), Olive (technology), Physna (technology), Essilor Laboratories (life sciences).

Programs & Initiatives:
Through strategic business outreach and customized research, One Columbus leverages public, private and institutional partnerships to grow the regional economy and strengthen its national and international competitiveness.

Did You Know?
Battelle Memorial Institute, founded in Columbus in 1929 by Ohio industrialist Gordon Battelle, is the world’s largest private research and development foundation.

Significant Projects:
Emirates (transportation), Flexport (logistics), Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (financial services), Sterling Bay (financial services), Dinsmore & Shohl (financial services), West Monroe Partners (financial services)

Programs & Initiatives:
The Global Partnership Program is a collaborative and solutions-oriented initiative to help grow and support international business activity in the Greater Phoenix region. The GPEC Global Growth Accelerator helps international firms accelerate growth plans.

Did You Know?
World Business Chicago’s 12 core initiatives include the Blackstone Inclusive Entrepreneurship Challenge, Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy and ThinkChicago, a twice-yearly event during the Lollapalooza music festival and Chicago Ideas Week.

Significant Projects:
North State Express (logistics), Eli Lilly & Co. (life sciences), 3shape AS (life sciences), Cree (electronics), Policygenius (financial services), Q Squared Solutions (life sciences), Hzo, Inc. (chemicals), Merck & Co. (life sciences), Bluebird Bio (life sciences), Cellectis (life sciences).

Programs & Initiatives:
The Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, formed and managed by the Partnership, is an initiative of business, government, academic and nonprofit leaders focused on accelerating growth of the region’s cleantech economy.

Did You Know?
The Research Triangle Region gets its name from Research Triangle Park and the nearby triad of Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Significant Projects:
Allison Transmission (automotive), Pepsico (food), Activecampaign (technology), Dormakaba (consumer products), Eli Lilly & Co. (life sciences), Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives (machinery), FedEx (distribution).

Programs & Initiatives:
Accelerate Indy, launched in conjunction with regional partners and with financial sponsor JPMorgan Chase, is aimed at supporting small business growth, existing business expansions and new business relocations.

Did You Know?
Indianapolis served as headquarters for the Walker Manufacturing Company, owned by Madam C. J. Walker, who was the wealthiest African-American businesswoman and wealthiest self-made woman in America at the time of her death in 1919.

Significant Projects:
Bottom Line Systems (financial services), Bon Secours Health System (life sciences), Georgia Pacific (packaging), Links Unlimited (consumer products), Losant IoT (technology) 

Programs & Initiatives:
In addition to representing the entire tri-state region, REDI Cincinnati leads a business expansion and retention program in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties to fuel expansion for fast-growing companies. Northern Kentucky Tri-ED led the creation of the NKY Entrepreneurship Council, which aims to establish an innovation cluster focusing on informatics, health innovation and logistics in Northern Kentucky.

Did You Know?
Cincinnati is the nation’s 28th largest economy, and the sixth largest economy in the Midwest.

Significant Projects:
Teledyne Instruments (electronics), Equinix (technology), Frito-Lay (food), Raytheon (aerospace), Southwest Transplant Alliance (life sciences), Vistaprint (printing), Southwest Airlines.

Programs & Initiatives:
The Dallas Regional Chamber’s “Building Tomorrow Together” initiative seeks to increase economic growth, enhance quality of life, strengthen the local talent pipeline and advocate for pro-business policies. The Chamber works with hundreds of member companies and regional partners to advocate for pro-business, pro-growth public policies. The Fort Worth Chamber’s “Fortify” is a four-year development initiative whose goals include attracting four Fortune 1000 headquarters, attracting 20 Inc. 5000 companies and increasing business startups by 10%.

Did You Know?
The microchip was invented in Dallas on September 12, 1958, by Texas Instruments engineer Jack Kilby.

Significant Projects:
A&R Logistics (chemicals), Anatolia Tile & Stone (machinery), Boyd & Jenerette (financial services), Bramli USA (chemicals), Allegiant Airlines (transportation), FedEx Ground Package System (transportation)

Programs & Initiatives:
The Business Retention Action Team works to support established businesses in Savannah and Chatham County. The Creative Coast initiative helps bring technology companies to Savannah. 

Did You Know?
Chatham Artillery Punch, a local mix of brandy, whiskey, rum, lemon and sugar, was served to President George Washington during his 1791 tour of Savannah. It is said to have the propensity to “vanquish hardy men.”