< Previous58 GREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 OVER $60 BILLION IN 17 YEARS But that was just the beginning, says Chrysler. “The second announcement is the one that excites me the most. It is one thing to convince a company to come here and build and grow, but the proof is in the pudding when a company makes the second announcement, and it is even bigger than the first one,” she says. “They are choosing you after having that initial experience to grow and build even more the second time. The first project was commissioned and went up faster than any other building in their portfolio. That made a huge impression on Amgen.” Tyler Allchin, managing director of health care and life sciences for JobsOhio, says that the Team Ohio approach also made a big impression on Amgen. “We often refer to our approach as Team Ohio. That team played a role in Amgen bringing their site from shovel in the ground to product to market in 26 months. They had never brought a project online that quickly,” he says. “That speaks to our obsession with speed to market and pace of business. Pharma companies are very demanding on timelines and getting their products out. We do our best to de-risk that process and help them run ahead of schedule. We pride ourselves on speeding them up and not slowing them down with any bureaucracy.” Allchin cited other location factors as pivotal: “The short commute to the airport at John Glenn, and the short drive to the cargo airport at Rickenbacker, which has cold storage capability for life science companies, were also key factors,” he adds. “But the ability to attract and retain skilled workers is still the No. 1 criterion for companies when deciding where to place these facilities. The OSU biomedical engineering, chemistry and biology programs are critical.” “ We understand speed to market. We started to earn a name for ourselves nationally. That is how we managed to get on the radar screen for Amgen. ” — Jennifer Chrysler, Community Development Director, New Albany, Ohio Photos courtesy of AmgenGREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 59 SEEDS PLANTED IN 1996 Bill Ebbing, president and CEO of the New Albany Company, says that “we may have won Amgen in 2021, but we started the prospect of getting Amgen back in 1996 when we started the business park. We knew what we wanted to create right from the start.” Ebbing says the development began as a 1,200-acre business park that would ultimately grow to over 12,000 acres today. “We did master-planning of the park with the city. Bringing the right infrastructure into place and having the right community focused on workforce and quality of life were essential to making this development a success,” he says. “When you think about the assets that are being constructed and the cost of those assets, it is a huge investment. Having the right platform is critical. That is how the Amgen project began. It is because of that forward thinking in 1996.” Today, Amgen takes up 225 acres in the park and has plenty of company in New Albany. Since 2008, the city and the park have attracted over $60 billion in private investment, with $28 billion coming in the form of Intel’s huge semiconductor manufacturing announcement in January 2022. By the end of next year, over 30,000 people will be employed in the park, and at any given time, there is an average of 4,000 construction workers employed on site in the development. Reflecting on the growth of both Amgen and New Albany, Rodriguez-Toledo said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to be here in Ohio. Given our accelerated timeline, it has been remarkable to see how we have been able to make the impossible possible. It was a very aggressive timeline to build building one, and now we are ready to move on to the next phase of our expansion in Ohio.” Matt McCollister, interim president of One Columbus, says the region will continue to support the growth of Amgen and other life science firms through enhanced worker training that will take place at the new Biomanufacturing Workforce Center of Excellence that was announced in mid-September. “That will have a huge impact on our region,” he says. “Only two other places in America graduate more life science people than we do — Boston and Philadelphia. We probably lose some of our graduates to other locations because we produce so much talent. We’re also working with partners like Columbus State University on intensive training for entry-level technicians to work in clean rooms.” According to One Columbus, from Q1 of 2021 through Q3 of 2025, the region had over 2,500 new jobs announced in life sciences. Calling this milestone “truly unbelievable,” McCollister added: “We’ve had a heck of run, and now we’re preparing for more.” Photo: Getty Imageshen Greater Fort Wayne Inc. cultivated a visionary economic development action plan for the City of Fort Wayne and Allen County — its fi rst in over a decade — the team noted the importance of the region fi nding its “swagger” to achieve full economic potential. Offi cially launched in January , the Allen County Together (ACT) plan presented three guiding principles: accelerating high- growth economic development opportunities through targeted infrastructure investments; enhancing resources and support catered toward entrepreneurship, innovation and widespread adoption of technology; and investing into local business, talent and real estate development that ensures inclusive regional growth. As the second fastest growing metro in the Great Lakes region for the seventh year in a row, behind No. Indianapolis as of , the arrival of ACT has already proved benefi cial in garnering further momentum. Rumors began to swirl about the major developer behind a massive -acre data center campus, dubbed “Project Zodiac,” coming to Fort Wayne in late . A few months later, Google confi rmed the company was indeed making its entrance into the city and the state, marking it with the $ billion project investment. Talk about swagger. “From our perspective, Google landing a major data center here — one of the company’s largest and most technologically advanced AI data center campuses — is a testament not just to the company, but to what we have going on here locally,” says Greater Fort Wayne Inc. President and CEO John Urbahns. “Having Google here really helps prove that there’s great opportunity for tech in our region.” PREPPED FOR HIGH TECH Google broke ground on the Fort Wayne data center campus last year, located on the southwest side of the city. Initial development plans proposed to the county would bring data center facilities across the site, although Google has not publicly released any additional details. At the time of our conversation, Urbahns W CASE STUDY: GOOGLE IN INDIANA 60 GREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 Google is in the midst of construction of a new 700-acre data center campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Photo courtesy of Google Google This: $2 Billion in Fort Wayne by ALEXIS ELMOREGREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 61 was unable to delve into specifi cs, but said the project’s fi rst phase is still underway, noting strong construction activity continues at the site. When asked about Google’s initial site selection process, he shared that Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) played a key role in helping the company navigate its fi rst data center development in the state. “ ey were looking for opportunities to help Google grow their footprint and our relationships,” he continues. “Not just with [I&M], but also with our water utility in the community, for them to know where we were at and how we had positioned our water utility to be ready for signifi cant heavy users. ere was a good intersection of electricity and water for the site that was chosen.” In August , it was announced that Google and I&M had fi led a joint contract to the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC) for a custom Demand Response structure agreement. Demand Response programs through I&M are available to residential, commercial and industrial customers and will allow Google to reduce or shift electricity demand for non-urgent tasks during hours the electric grid is under less stress. “ e strategy could not have materialized without Google being able and willing to engage, or without I&M’s interest in exploring the proposal,” says I&M Communications Specialist Kara Stevenson. “From our perspective, the strategy provides a unique opportunity to both support Google’s commitments to clean energy and innovation while providing long- term benefi ts to resource adequacy, reliability, resiliency and aff ordability for all of I&M’s customers.” In the region of Google’s site, the grid is typically least stressed during overnight hours between p.m. and a.m., states Stevenson. is move enables I&M to reduce peak loads when energy demand surges, thus lowering energy costs for all customers. e duo’s initiative includes Google transferring capacity from its carbon-free energy resources, such as solar or wind, to I&M that will aid in meeting its resource requirements set by PJM Interconnection. “Collaborations like this lessen the long- term fi nancial commitments I&M needs to make to acquire and operate the generation needed to provide service to its customers,” says Stevenson. “Google remains responsible under the arrangement for many of the risks associated with the generation resources whose capacity will be transferred to I&M, lifting that burden off the company and its other customers.” As construction continues in Fort Wayne, Google and I&M await approval from the IURC, which is anticipated to be fi nalized in the fi rst quarter of . Aside from delivering fresh digital infrastructure, Google has already partnered with Ivy Tech Community College’s Fort Wayne campus to launch its Skilled Trades and Readiness (STAR) Program. Google’s project will create direct jobs once complete, although the greatest community impact comes from the over , construction- related jobs created in the process. STAR provides paid short-term training, averaging fi ve to six weeks, for entry-level construction and skilled trades careers. Trades of focus students can explore besides construction include carpentry, mechanical, electrical and fi ber- optics programs. In December , students graduated from Ivy Tech’s initial cohort, each securing a role at either the Google site or with a sponsor company on a local community project. “It’s not just tech jobs at Google, it’s all the trades that go into the building of the facility. is is going to be, potentially, a -year construction site with more than , people working there daily, so electricians and other contractors are big suppliers to that growth,” says Urbahns. e arrival of Google in Fort Wayne subsequently served as a catalyst in attracting new potential data center developments to the region. Urbahns recalls an infl ux of interest following the project’s original announcement, although he says the city is remaining cautious of how these initiatives move forward. “We’re making sure we’re working with our energy and water partners to support the growth that we have. Google is our fi rst large-scale data center,” he says. “We’re open, but we’re cautious in making sure that water and electric loads are where they need to be. We can only grow at the pace of the growth of those utilities.” “ Having Google here really helps prove that there’s great opportunity for tech in our region. ” — John Urbahns,President and CEO, Greater Fort Wayne Inc. GREAT LAKES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEMBERS 62 GREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 APDEQ Vincent Lecorne Président-directeur général Ste-Thérèse, Quebec J7E 1M5 www.apdeq.qc.ca ALIA CONSULTING - ECDEV FIRM Alia Abbas Mississauga, Ontario L5M5H4 www.consultingwithalia.com ANN ARBOR SPARK Paul Krutko President and CEO Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 www.annarborusa.org AURORA REGIONAL ECONOMIC ALLIANCE Christopher Faber Aurora, Illinois 60506 www.aurorachamber.com BARRY COUNTY CHAMBER & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE Nichole Lyke Economic Development Director Hastings, Michigan 49058 www.mibarry.com BURLINGTON JUNCTION RAILWAY Eric Pitcher Director, Economic Development Hinsdale, Illinois 60521 www.bjryrail.com CRMORPHEW CONSULTING LLC Cheryl Morphew President Trafalgar, Indiana 46181 CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY (CN) Saskia Thompson Director of Industrial Development Troy, Michigan 48083 www.cn.ca CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Joseph Jankowski Sr. Advisor, Innovation & Economic Development Chesterland, Ohio 44026 www.firstlightltd.com CENTER FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION AND RESEARCH Anthony Sindone North Liberty, Indiana 46554 www.northwest.iu.edu CENTERSTATE CEO Shannon Fults Economic Development Manager Syracuse, New York 13202 www.centerstateceo.com CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT Stephanie Nick Special Projects Coordinator - Economic Development Jamestown, New York 14701 www.planningchautauqua.com CITY OF BETHLEHEM Sean Ziller Deputy Director of Economic Development Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018 www.bethlehem-pa.gov CITY OF BRAMPTON Denise McClure Acting Director Economic Development Brampton, Ontario L6Y 1M8 www.investbrampton.ca CITY OF HAMILTON Stacey Dietrich-Dudas Hamilton, Ohio 45011 www.hamiltonohiobusiness. com CITY OF PORT COLBORNE Bram Cotton Economic Development Officer Port Colborne, Ontario L3K3C8 www.portcolborne.ca CITY OF ROYAL OAK Meg Trouba Royal Oak, Michigan 48067 www.romi.gov Director of Economic Development Emily Wrobel Economic Development Specialist CITY OF WELLAND Julia Ciolfi Economic Development Officer Welland, Ontario L3B3X4 www.madeinwelland.ca CONWAY DATA INC. - SITE SELECTION MAGAZINE Peachtree Corners, Georgia 30092 www.siteselection.com CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF SAULT STE MARIE Rick Van Staveren Director, Economic Development Sault Ste Marie, Ontario P6A 5X6 www.saultstemarie.ca DMP DEVELOPMENT ANALYTICS Dean Prestegaard Economist & Economic Development Strategist Madison, Wisconsin 53711 www.DMPDevelopment Analytics.com DAIRYLAND POWER Donna Walker Sr Economic Development Manager La Crosse, Wisconsin 54602 www.Dairylandpower.com DESTINATION NORTHERN ONTARIO Gord Knowles Senior Coordinator, Investment Attraction & Economic Development Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A6L6 www.destinationnorthern ontario.ca DIANE LUPKE ASSOCIATES, INC. Diane Lupke President Newton, Wisconsin 53063 www.lupkeassociates.com EPIPHANY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Denise Dahl President Maumee, Ohio 43537 www.epdllc.consulting ERIE REGIONAL CHAMBER AND GROWTH PARTNERSHIP Jacob Rouch Vice President of Economic Development Erie, Pennsylvania 16507 www.eriepa.com EXPERIENCE CHAMPAIGN- URBANA Jayne DeLuce President & CEO Champaign, Illinois 61820 www.experiencecu.org GREAT RIVER ENERGY Tom Lambrecht Manager, Economic Development Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369 www.greatriverenergy.com GREATER SANDUSKY PARTNERSHIP Eric Wobser Chief Executive Officer Sandusky, Ohio 44870 www.greatersandusky.com INDIAN RIVER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mark Litten Vice-President, Economic Development Vero Beach, Florida 32960 www.indianrivered.com INDIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION/FOUNDATION Matt Kavgian President/CEO Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 www.ieda.org INTER-TRIBAL COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN, INC. DJ Hoffman Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 49783 www.itcmi.org INVEST HALTON HILLS (TOWN OF HALTON HILLS) Graham Lowe Senior Economic Development Officer Halton Hills, Ontario L7G 5G2 www.investhaltonhills.com KEVIN HEIDENREICH Kevin Heidenreich Minneapolis, Minnesota 55424 www.linkedin.com/in/ kevinheidenreich/ KINGSTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Donna Gillespie CEO Kingston, Ontario K7K 6Y3 www.investkingston.ca LORAIN COUNTY Rob Duncan Director Elyria, Ohio 44035 www.loraincountyohio. gov/573/Economic- DevelopmentGREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 63 MARTINKARL CONSULTING Martin Vanags Founder Rockford, Illinois 61108-7442 www.martinkarlconsulting.com MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF IRON RANGE RESOURCES & REHABILITATION Eveleth Minnesota 55734 www.mn.gov/irrrb Ida Rukavina Commissioner Sara Ferkul Executive Assistant to the Commissioner Janelle Greschner Director of Business Recruitment Chris Ismil Community Development Representative Jason Janisch Climate & Energy Policy Advisor Ryan Malich Executive Director of Business Development Whitney Ridlon Director of Community Development Keke Stephenson Research Analyst Scott Sundvall Loan Officer Samuel Teff Loan Officer MUNICIPALITY OF LAMBTON SHORES Natalie Core Thedford, Ontario N0M 2N0 www.lambtonshores.ca NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE GREAT LAKES Toledo, Ohio 43605 www.nmgl.org Kate Fineske Executive Director Sara Smith Director of Institutional Advancement OHIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE Mark Barbash Director Columbus, Ohio 43209 www.ohioeda.com ONTARIO EAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Jay Amer Executive Director Kingston, Ontario K7K 1Z7 www.ontarioeast.ca REGION 2 PLANNING COMMISSION Jacob Hurt Executive Director Jackson, Michigan 49201 www.region2planning.com RESEARCH FDI Montreal Quebec H3A 2L1 www.researchfdi.com Bruce Takefman President & CEO Trenton Blaise Director of Business Development Amber Hunter EVP, North America Erika Magder EVP, Global Sales Mackenzie Mosey Senior Marketing Coordinator Adam Solomon VP, Business Development ROBEY ANALYTICS, LLC Jim Robey Principal Mattawan, Michigan 49071 www.robeyanalytics.com ROUTE 20 LLC Lori Tubbs Forest Park, Illinois 60130 SARNIA-LAMBTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP Shauna Carr Economic Development Officer Sarnia, Ontario N7S 6L2 www.sarnialambton.on.ca SHELBORNE DEVELOPMENT Kathy Makino Managing Partner Detroit, Michigan 48214 www.Shelbornedevelopment. com SHIAWASSEE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP Justin Horvath President/CEO Owosso, Michigan 48867 www.sedpweb.org STATEBOOK Calandra Cruickshank President & CEO Kingston, New York 12401 www.statebook.com STEUBEN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. Isaac Lee Executive Director Angola, Indiana 46703 www.steubenedc.com STRATA PLATFORMS Susan Donkers COO Greenville, South Carolina 29601 www.strataplatforms.com STRATEGLOBE Joanie Buckley Green Bay, Wisconsin 54313 SUPERIOR BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT Kelly Peterson Executive Director Superior, Wisconsin 54880 www.superiorbid.com THE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION OF HENRY COUNTY, OHIO Jennifer Arps Executive Director Napoleon, Ohio 43545 www.henrycountyed.com THE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION INC Superior, Wisconsin 54880 www.wegrowbiz.org James Caesar Executive Director Creede McClellan Business Support Specialist Jenice Meyer Assistant Executive Director THE HAMMAN CONSULTING GROUP, INC. Jason Hamman President Vermilion, Ohio 44089 www.hammanconsulting.com THOMAS P. MILLER & ASSOCIATES Teresa Nortillo Director, Economic Development Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 www.tpma-inc.com TOM RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOUNDATION Anthony Perino Dir. of Operations Erie, Pennsylvania 16505 www.trecf.org TOWN OF FORT ERIE Deanna Graham Economic Development Officer Fort Erie, Ontario L1A 2S6 www.forterie.ca TOWNSHIP OF CENTRE WELLINGTON George Borovilos Manager of Economic Development Elora, Ontario N0B 1S0 www.centrewellington.ca TRAVERSE CONNECT Mandy Sentieri Chief Financial Officer Traverse City, MI 49684 www.traverseconnect.com VIOLET PR Nicole Marshall Senior Account Director Montclair, New Jersey 07042- 2677 www.violetpr.com WISCONSIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Neil White Regional Economic Development Director Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 www.wedc.org64 GREAT LAKES INVESTMENT GUIDE 2025 ADVERTISER INDEX Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . .BC https://www.greatlakesedc.org Illinois Economic Development Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 https://www.illinoisedc.org Michigan Economic Development Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 https://www.michiganbusiness.org Allegany County Offi ce of Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 https://www.alleganyco.gov City of Fremont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 https://www.fremontohio.org City of Oberlin- Economic Development Offi ce . . . . . . . . . . 13 https://cityofoberlin.com JobsOhio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC - 1 https://www.jobsohio.com Diane Lupke & Associates, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 https://www.lupkeassociates.com Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . 7 https://wedc.org CANADA City of Kawartha Lakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 https://www.kawarthalakes.ca City of Port Colborne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 https://www.wellandcanalcorridor.ca City of St. Catharines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 https://www.wellandcanalcorridor.ca City of Welland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 https://www.wellandcanalcorridor.ca Invest Halton Hills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 https://www.investhaltonhills.comNext >