< Previous28 JULY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N I can’t imagine a better decision than moving to Halifax,” says Jodi Asbell-Clarke, senior research scientist and director of the Education Gaming Environments Group (EdGE) at Massachusetts- based math and science education organization TERC. The game- based learning expert has lived in the Halifax area for 30 years, and says she’s never seen such housing bidding wars. Tourism, film and TV productions, local agriculture, microbreweries like Good Robot Brewing Co. and New Scotland Brewing Co. — Halifax seems to have everything a hipster wants or needs. It has what a lot of companies need to, judging by the projects landing there. The Greater Halifax Partnership says at least 16 companies relocated to or expanded in the metro area during the pandemic. Among the nearly 100 qualifying corporate facility projects Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database has tracked across the four provinces of Atlantic Canada since January 2019, one-fifth have landed in Greater Halifax. (To qualify, they must invest at least US$1 million, create at least 20 new jobs or occupy at least 20,000 new sq. ft. of space.) They include one of many Atlantic Canada investments from New Brunswick–based Cooke Aquaculture, which has also tallied recent investments in Digby, Nova Scotia, as well as Pennfield and Oak Bay, New Brunswick. Nova Scotia Business continues to report pending incentives approved for such companies as Massachusetts-based IT services firm Virtusa (160 potential jobs), insurer Marsh Canada (60 jobs) and battery materials and technology firm NOVONIX, which is expanding at its existing site in Bedford while siting a new facility in the Halifax metro-area community of Dartmouth. Where Services Rule the Roost The Halifax roster of corporate investors is dominated by professional services, software development and customer care operations from the likes of Axis Capital Holdings (300 jobs, announced early this year); Manulife Securities (600 jobs, 2019); Eeye (150 jobs, 2019), Alberta-based 10380008 Canada Inc. (100 jobs), Pitchperfect Software (58 jobs) and REDSpace (125 jobs), which got its start in a post-dotcom-crash basement 20 years ago. Today REDSpace employs more than 200, and early this year was named the Halifax Business of the Year. “Awards like these shine a light on all the world- class work happening here across sectors, which helps attract and retain more of the top talent we need to help us all continue to thrive,” wrote Mike Johnston by ADAM BRUNS adam.bruns@siteselection.com A TLANTIC CANAD A “ Services Sector Drives Metro Areas’ Job Growth Greater Halifax leads all Atlantic Canada cities in project attraction over the past two years. Photo courtesy of Discover Halifax30 JULY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N in a March blog post. “This year more than ever, we’ve seen a growing interest in our region, now the world can see how we take care of each other here.” The biggest job creator in the services sector over the past two years has been Sydney Call Centre (an MCI company) in Cape Breton, which in 2019 was creating 600 tech-enabled BPO jobs. The company’s resilience shone through earlier this year, as it announced still further growth even after a year of hardship after transitioning office jobs to work-at-home positions in the company across North America. The Sydney Call Centre’s employees’ continued success during the pandemic encouraged MCI to make the strategic investment to expand operations to all of Nova Scotia, as the company brings on thousands of new hires across North America. “The incredible success of The Sydney Call Centre and the business-friendly environment in Nova Scotia made this an easy decision to expand operations to the entirety of the Nova Scotia Province,” said MCI CEO Anthony Marlowe in February. “Despite initial spikes in 2020 employee attrition due to the onset of emergency procedures/COVID-19, our team in Sydney has expertly executed the scaled-up work- from-home model. Like it has in the United States, our highly scalable model will continue to please employees and clients alike across all of Nova Scotia.” The Sydney Call Centre now employs almost 650 people between the Sydney site and Sydney work- from-home and another 100 remote employees in the area. MCI is seeking to hire an additional 350 Nova Scotian employees in 2021. “We feel now there is a lot of call center talent yet to be tapped, especially in Mainland Halifax, and the peninsula,” Marlowe said. “MCI has a particular interest in applicants from the Port Hawkesbury area due to the deep talent pool of representatives and the long-standing history of premium call center work.” Even in Canada, TD Means a Touchdown Three of the next four leading cities for corporate projects in Atlantic Canada are in New Brunswick, led by Fredericton and Moncton with nine projects each, followed by Saint John and in a tie with Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, at four projects apiece. TD Direct has invested in both Moncton and Saint John in recent years, projecting 440 jobs in the former and 250 in the latter with new operations announced in 2019. The company keeps coming back for more. In November, TD Insurance (TDI) announced it would bring more jobs to the Atlantic region through the opening of a new bilingual Client Advice Centre (CAC) located at the company’s Moncton-area campus in Dieppe, where nearly 1,000 employees already work in the Canadian Banking Contact Selected Top Facility Projects by Investment, Atlantic Canada, Jan. 2019–April 2021 Company Name Target Province Target City Sector Types Investment (Million USD) Arianne Phosphate Inc. NB Belledune Minerals Mfg 330.0 McCain Foods Group Inc. NB Grand Falls Food & Beverage Mfg 80.0 Cooke Aquaculture Inc. NS Digby Food & Beverage Mfg 48.3 Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. NL Saint John’s Life Sciences Mfg 37.0 J.D. Irving Ltd. NB Doaktown Wood Products Mfg 35.0 Canopy Growth Corporation NB Fredericton Life Sciences Mfg 29.9 Michelin North America Canada Inc. NS Westville Chemicals & Plastics Mfg 14.3 Corner Brook Port Corporation NL Corner Brook Transport & Logistics D/W 11.0 Scotia Harvest Inc. NS Digby Food & Beverage Mfg 10.6 Produits Forestiers Arbec NB Miramichi Wood Products Mfg 10.0 Source: Conway Projects Database Sambro Island is just one of many stunning vistas in Greater Halifax. Photo courtesy of Discover Halifax S I T E S E L E C T I O N JULY 2021 31 Centre and TD Finance Operations. The new TDI space has the capacity for more than 135 people, and plans called for at least 100 to be in place by January 2021. “With the rise of remote work, we expect our presence in the region to increase beyond current capacity,” said a company release. “In a year of such economic uncertainty, we are very proud to be investing in local jobs and helping support the region’s economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Raymond Chun, president & CEO, TD Insurance. “Today’s announcement also reinforces our commitment to better support customers in Atlantic Canada as well as our customers all across the country — in both official languages.” “As we continue to navigate COVID-19, we’re discovering both new challenges and new opportunities,” said New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, “Our changing global landscape has made remote work arrangements commonplace. Professionals across the world can work from anywhere, and more and more are choosing to do that right here in New Brunswick.” The company’s history in Atlantic Canada dates to 1922. The first TD call center location in New Brunswick opened in Saint John in 1994. “Greater Moncton is a thriving region and a talent draw for the Maritimes,” said Frank McKenna, deputy chair, TD Bank Group. “We are investing in the future of this province because it possesses the attributes needed to operate a successful business: great people, good quality of life, and a welcoming culture. With the pandemic, we have been able to create a successful work from home model which has led to expanded recruitment across the province, including in northern New Brunswick. TD has a long-standing presence in Atlantic Canada and the creation of these latest jobs underscores our commitment to growth in the region.” Top Atlantic Canada Metro Areas by Corporate Facility Projects, Jan. 2019 - May 2021 Metro Area Projects Halifax, Nova Scotia 20 Fredericton, New Brunswick 9 Moncton, New Brunswick 9 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 4 Saint John, New Brunswick 4 Source: Conway Projects Database34 JULY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N INVES TMENT PROFILE: ASCENSION PARISH, LOUISIANA On the AscentOn the Ascent Ascension Parish in the Baton Rouge MSA is climbing the green ladder. Can a parish of , people change the world? If you’re talking about Ascension Parish, Louisiana, the answer is a resounding yes. Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Ascension Parish arguably has become the epicenter of the nation’s chemical and petrochemical industrial establishment — a de ning quality that recently became even more important than it already was. Since , Ascension has landed more than $ . billion in new capital investment projects that have created over , jobs. e bulk of these expansions have come in chemical and petrochemical manufacturing. Last December, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. made a feasibility announcement of a $ . billion investment that creates jobs in Ascension. e Japan-based rm purchased a green eld site in Geismar. e plant is expected to be one of the most advanced chemical manufacturing facilities in the world. e complex will produce methyl methacrylate, or MMA, a foundational chemical for making acrylic-based polymers. MMA is found in paints, adhesives, and clear acrylic barriers that are often used in indoor environments for virus protection. Ascension is also seeing an uptick in activity in the green economy. Last October, Renewable Energy Group Inc. said it would expand its capacity at its Geismar biore nery plant by million gallons annually to million gallons per year. e $ million investment creates jobs and is slated for completion by late . REG conducted a comprehensive site search before choosing Geismar. “REG Geismar has proven to be a tremendous asset for our company and is a natural site for increasing production of our lower carbon renewable diesel,” said Cynthia Warner, president and CEO of REG. “ e state of Louisiana and Ascension Parish have been great partners who encouraged us every step along the way as we developed our expansion plan. ey truly understand the broad economic and environmental bene ts that renewable fuels provide.” by RON STARNER ron.starner@siteselection.com Above: REG Geismar Photo courtesy of REG Geismar S I T E S E L E C T I O N JULY 2021 35 This investment profile was prepared under the auspices of the Ascension Economic Development Corp. For more information, contact Kate MacArthur at 225-644-1750 or kmacarthur@ ascensionedc.com. On the web, go to www. ascensionedc.com. REG Geismar was the rst renewable diesel plant built in the U.S. before it was purchased by REG in . “ is is an exciting milestone for our business as we continue to advance our drive to produce low-carbon fuels at signi cant scale,” said Warner. “We are developing this project with our proprietary process technology and are proud to continue to deliver sustainable fuel solutions to our customers and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy.” In a prepared statement, the company said that “the Geismar industrial area provides the needed infrastructure and process materials we require to produce renewable diesel and is an important asset for the parish. Marine logistics to ship our feedstocks in and nished product across the globe is key for our long- term success here. Finally, the workforce and skilled people locally are important as we look at our current facility and future growth.” e company added that “the local workforce is hardworking, knowledgeable, and take safety extremely seriously, which is a core value at REG.” REG and Mitsubishi have company. ey were joined in Ascension last year by Highway Transport, Westlake Chemical and CF Industries. Together, these three expansion projects added another $ million in capital investment to the parish. Kate MacArthur, president and CEO of Ascension Economic Development Corp., says there is a simple explanation for this new wave of energy spending. “ is is the easiest and best location to operate a business,” she says. “ is is the most business-friendly area you will nd in Louisiana. Chemical and petrochemical companies have been doing business here for years, and we have an experienced workforce.” MacArthur adds that “we have projects that will make a nal investment decision within the year. ose potential projects represent approximately $ billion in new investment and new jobs. ese project sectors include food and beverage manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, medical marijuana R&D and manufacturing, renewable energy manufacturing, green ammonia manufacturing and logistics.” e ascent continues with location assets that include a ,-acre site with multiple pipelines and rail, access to Interstate , three class railroads, and eight available certi ed sites ranging from to , acres. Located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, we possess the distinctive Louisiana joie de vivre while being the most business-friendly area you will nd.” — Kate MacArthur, President & CEO, Ascension Economic Development Corp. Located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, we possess the distinctive Since 2006, Ascension has landed over $10.5 billion in capital investment projects that have created over 3,200 jobs. Source: Ascension EDC Waterways are a key asset to Ascension Parish. Photo courtesy of Ascension EDCOf the major data center facility investments tracked globally by Site Selection and the Conway Data Projects Database since January , , precisely have taken place in the United States. Accepting that there are a few (dozen?) projects we’re probably not learning about in China, here are the non-U.S. countries where we’ve found the most projects landing that involve at least $ million invested, new jobs or , new sq. ft. of space: At the international metro level, London continues to lead the way, but India is the only country with multiple metros in the Top : By U.S. state, the breakdown goes like this: THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: WHERE DATA CENTER PROJECTS ARE GOING TODAY AND TOMORROW by ADAM BRUNS adam.bruns@siteselection.com D A T A CENTERS 36 JULY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N 1. India 24 2. Australia 21 3. United Kingdom 16 T4. Germany 9 T4. Singapore 9 6. Canada 8 7. Chile 7 8. China/Hong Kong 6 T9. Russia 5 T9. South Africa 5 T9. Spain 5 T9. Ireland 5 TOP 10 DATA CENTER COUNTRIES Jan. 2018 – April 2021 1. London, United Kingdom 12 2. Mumbai, India 8 T3. Frankfurt, Germany 6 T3. Sydney, Australia 6 T5. Santiago, Chile 5 T5. Singapore 5 T7. Chennai, India 4 T7. Dublin, Ireland 4 T7. Queretaro, Mexico 4 T7. Seoul, South Korea 4 TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL DATA CENTER METROS Jan. 2018 – April 2021 1. Texas 34 2. Virginia 20 T3. Nebraska 15 T3. Ohio 15 T5. Georgia 13 T5. Illinois 13 7. Arizona 10 T8. Iowa 9 T8. North Carolina 9 10. California 7 TOP 10 DATA CENTER STATES Jan. 2018 – April 2021 Facebook is investing in a major facility in Gallatin, Tennessee. Rendering courtesy of FacebookBreak the fi gures down by metro area, and the following leaders emerge domestically: S I T E S E L E C T I O N JULY 2021 37 1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 20 2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin 15 3. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia 13 T4. Columbus, Ohio 12 T4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland 12 (Ashburn, Virginia: 6) 6. Omaha-Council Blu s, Nebraska-Iowa 11 7. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona 10 8. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas 7 T9. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington 5 T9. Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa 5 TOP 10 U.S. DATA CENTER METROS Jan. 2018 – April 2021 Saturated? Not Yet Among projects landing in recent months was yet another major site in the largest data center corridor in the world, Northern Virginia. San Francisco–based hyperscale data center developer and operator Yondr Group in June announced the acquisition of acres in Loudoun and Prince William counties, where the company expects to deliver MW of IT capacity. e projects will come to a Northern Virginia data center market with more than . GW of total leased data center absorption to date; close to MW of data centers currently under construction; and a projected data center space growth rate of .% in . “With our Americas expansion plan in full swing, being strategically located in Northern Virginia will allow our clients to access the country’s largest data center corridor,” said Éanna Murphy, a former Google data center leader who now serves as senior vice president of operations, Americas at Yondr Group. at location includes close proximity to Northern Virginia’s major fi ber path and power transmission lines. “Our partnership with JK Land Holdings and support from both county governments will allow our clients to grow at scale in this metro.” “Northern Virginia is one of the many milestones Yondr is working towards as we expand in the United States, Canada and Latin America, as part of our global scaling strategy,” said Pete Jones, chief development offi cer and founder at Yondr Group, before citing other locations that are part of the company’s plan. “With projects currently under development in London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Jakarta, Indonesia and in multiple cities in India, the addition of Northern Virginia reinforces Yondr’s commitment to deliver data centers across fi ve continents by .” The Lowdown from C&W In February, Cushman & Wakefi eld’s Global Data Center Market Comparison report found, to no one’s surprise, that Northern Virginia is still the No. data center market globally, followed by No. Chicago (same as Site Selection’s fi ndings) and No. Sydney, which was the biggest upward mover. e study evaluated , data centers around the world, “utilizing a unique weighted methodology to rank global markets” to arrive at the overall top : GLOBAL RANK MARKET 1 Northern Virginia 2 Chicago 3 Sydney 4 Silicon Valley 5 Singapore 6 Dallas 7 London 8 Seattle 9 New York/New Jersey 10 AmsterdamNext >