< Previous116 JULY 2023 SITE SELECTION Somerset Board of Commissioners announced in February that Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) would receive $ million in American Rescue Plan funding to expand its Workforce Training Center. “ e county’s $ million investment to expand the Workforce Training Center at Raritan Valley Community College is an investment in economic development,” says Paolini. “With the growth in cell and gene therapy manufacturing these companies need to bring on technicians who don’t need an advanced degree to perform their job. RVCC, as a community college, is uniquely positioned to develop fl exible training models that meet this immediate need. It will be the fi rst community college in New Jersey, and among only a few in the Northeast, to off er a clean-room training environment,” says Paolini. A Dependable Ecosystem Hours before RVCC received news of the $ million in ARP funding, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals awarded the college a $, grant. One of three institutions to receive the grant, the college will use the grant to cultivate a program catered to career opportunities within biopharmaceutical manufacturing. “ e trajectory is changing for what companies are looking for. One reason is the shortage of employees and number two is technology,” says RVCC Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation Jacki Belin. NEW JERSEY Source: Site Selection State of the States Report, January 2023 Total Revenue as Share of Total Expenses, FY 2006-2020: 91.9% 49 th 22 nd Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2022–2023: 0 50 th Number of NCRCs: 948 | Percent Improvement 2021–2022: 3.90% 46 th Higher Ed. R&D Expenditure in $000s: 1,261,263 2022 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 2.44 1 st 43 rd Industrial power cost per kWh: $14.09 Source: Conway Projects Database Selected Top Projects COMPANY CITY INVESTMENT (MILLIONS US$) Togus Urban Renewal / 1888 Studios Bayonne 925 Campbell Soup Co. Camden 50 Mondelez International Whippany 50 Cascades Piscataway 9 Actega North America Cinnaminson 5 Campbell’s HQ investment represents its fi rst at its home base since 2010. Photo courtesy of Campbell Soup Company BY THE NUMBERS118 JULY 2023 SITE SELECTION e Workforce Training Center will grow from , sq. ft. to , sq. ft., adding new advanced manufacturing programs, EV and mechatronics workspaces, classrooms and the clean room. For county leadership and the college, these assets aim to expand interest for high school students and underrepresented communities to explore career opportunities within these industries, in addition to extending training programs to current employees. “It will encourage students of all backgrounds to get involved in STEM education,” says Belin. “On a philosophical level it will really help us participate in the health of our society, especially in the growth in vaccine development, advances in cell and gene therapy. ose are all things that are going to really take off in the next few years.” While the clean room is expected to open in January , RVCC already is collaborating with life sciences companies such as Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Nobel BioCare on what curriculum needs there will be upon its opening. Investing in innovative skills training in addition to traditional education, regardless of age, supports the county’s goal of growing its robust life sciences ecosystem. roughout this process, Berlin and Paolini also have learned that this installation can serve industries beyond life sciences, including a number of food and beverage, personal care and semiconductor companies in the state. e project is thus a benefi t not only to burgeoning talent, but a stepping stone for the county’s economic development initiatives, which means keeping skilled talent at home. “We have dozens of companies — L’Oreal, Gilchrist & Soames, Haleon, Ashland –—that develop fragrances, cosmetics, supplements, and other personal care products. ese companies have similar talent and real estate needs to the life sciences and can also benefi t from having access to workers with training in a clean-room environment,” says Paolini. For Somerset County and RVCC the prospect brings excitement and enthusiasm in playing a meaningful role in building a well-versed talent pipeline and remaining in steady contact with industry to address workforce needs in the region. The Classics Are Found in Jersey In addition to fresh life sciences talent the state is a hotspot of America’s staple food and beverage brand investments. To kick off , Campbell Soup Company announced that it would be consolidating its snacks offi ces in North Carolina and Connecticut by integrating employees to its reimagined HQ in Camden, New Jersey. e company is investing $ million to introduce multiple new features, including distinct “neighborhoods” for its snacks and meals and beverage divisions on the campus. Additionally, the HQ’s Dorrance center will be transformed into a larger upgraded conference center. e enhanced space will bring increased capacity for meetings and events for the , employee base. A new campus center, named after Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin, will operate Mondelēz International’s Global R&D Innovation Center will be the testing ground for some of America’s favorite snack brands. Photo courtesy of Mondelēz International SITE SELECTION JULY 2023 119 as a social hub and collaborative workspace for employees. Maggie’s Place joins the HQ’s Snacks R&D center and pilot plant, which will allow innovation to take place on site. “We are thrilled to invest in our people, our facilities and our Camden community, which Campbell has called home for more than years,” said Campbell President and CEO Mark Clouse. “We remain committed to our two-division operating model and are confi dent that being together in one headquarters is the best way for us to continue building a culture that unlocks our full growth potential. is investment will ensure Campbell remains a great place to work and a compelling destination for top talent.” Two months later in March , Mondelēz International celebrated the opening of its $ million Global Research and Development Innovation Center minutes west of Newark in Whippany, New Jersey. e snack giant, known best for its Oreo, Ritz and Cadbury brands, plans to test new cookie, cracker and candy products and manufacturing practices at the site. While product piloting will take place here, the Innovation Center will also support electric baking technology as the company transitions toward its goal of zero carbon emissions by . Located a few miles from the company’s HQ, the site will allow domestic and international teams to collaborate on new ideas. “Our research and development team at Mondelēz International is passionate about the important work we do to pioneer innovations, improve production processes and create consumer- favorite products for people to enjoy both here in the United States and in global markets,” said Norberto Chaclin, global senior vice president, R&D, Biscuits and Baked Snacks at Mondelēz International. “With this new center now open, our team is well positioned to set the standard for future snacking innovations around the world from right here in New Jersey.” Oklahoma STATE SPOTLIGHT 120 JULY 2023 SITE SELECTION Tulsa seeks to be a leader in Advanced Aerial Mobility Photo courtesy of Oklahoma State University From advanced mobility to solar, investments by the federal government are hitting home. by GARY DAUGHTERS gary.daughters@siteselection.com Tulsa Is Reinventing ItselfT he multi-pronged force of partners pushing to reboot Tulsa’s manufacturing core is refreshingly candid about the urgency of their task yet jazzed about the initial returns on what is a far-fl ung project. Tulsa, whose existing manufacturing base in energy and aviation has experienced erosion, is one of scores of communities leveraging federal grants under the $. trillion Build Back Better American Rescue Plan, approved in . Tulsa will use the money it’s been awarded to help reset and reposition its backbone industries. “Recognizing that we have an amazing legacy and an amazing industry base,” says Jennifer Hankins, chief of strategic partnerships for Tulsa Innovation Labs and federally designated coordinator of the grant, “the window is closing for us to really take that next step, that next leap towards something new. ‘Now or never’ is really the feeling that we have here.” “Now” may have arrived last September, when Tulsa’s TRAM (Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility) Corridor, a coalition of government, nonprofi t, academic and private- sector partners, was one of nationwide applicants awarded Build Back Better Challenge grants totaling $ billion. In its winning submission, the TRAM coalition outlined a vision of a “super region” for advanced, uncrewed transportation systems supported by R&D, production and test capabilities. e coalition predicts the initiative will create ,-, jobs within three years; several thousand are on the way already. “We’re trying to be a one-stop shop for this industry and have carved out a real capability to do that,” says Hankins. Among four projects funded under the TRAM Corridor’s $. million award, the largest supports the construction of a wastewater treatment facility at Tulsa’s Port of Inola. As mundane as water treatment may sound — and as tangential as it would seem to advanced mobility — getting the project green-lighted was fundamental to what followed eight months later: namely, the biggest economic development deal in Oklahoma history, a solar energy investment that also serves to underscore how economic development rarely marches in a straight line. The New Corridor Lands a Big One In late May, Enel North America, through its affi liate SUN USA, announced plans to build a $ billion solar panel manufacturing facility on up to acres at the ,-acre Inola Port and within a half-mile of the planned $ million water treatment facility. e factory’s expected annual production capacity of GW and its projected creation of , jobs could nearly double under a possible second phase. Oklahoma, according to an offi cial connected to the recruitment, beat out prospective locations in at least two other states. e Oklahoma Legislature approved a $ million incentive package to help push the deal across the fi nish line. “Our selection of Oklahoma is a testament to the strength of the Tulsa Port of Inola site, the state’s commitment to workforce development and an attractive investment climate,” said Giovanni Bertolino, head of Sun USA. Offi cials connected to the TRAM Corridor — a coalition that includes Tulsa Innovation Labs, the Indian Nations Council of Governments, Tulsa Ports, Oklahoma State University, Partner Tulsa, e Tulsa Regional Chamber, the Osage Nation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation— believe beyond doubt that the Enel project would not have happened were it not for the green light given to the wastewater facility, which is supported by $. million under the Corridor’s BBB Challenge grant. “It’s one of the most sought-after requirements for all the major projects you see these days,” says Andrew Ralston, director of economic development for Tulsa Ports. “Every battery project, every hydrogen project, every solar panel project needs large capacities of wastewater and sewer water.” Adhering to the spirit of a federal grant awarded under the heading of “advanced mobility,” Tulsa Ports, Ralston tells Site Selection, has “kind of a percentage goal” of recruiting projects uniquely devoted to crewless transportation to the Inola Port’s industrial park. “But it’s important,” he says, “that we leave the park open for other priorities that need heavy capacities, heavy transportation assets and large tracts of land. Renewable energy is SITE SELECTION JULY 2023 121122 JULY 2023 SITE SELECTION one of those industries we’re looking to attract. Enel will catalyze further development, so that we can continue recruiting other industries, which include those inside the Build Back Better goal of advanced mobility.” An Ecosystem Begins to Take Shape e fi rst such recruit to the TRAM Corridor stepped forward in April. WindShape, a Swiss drone company, announced plans to build a testing and validation facility at Tulsa’s Skyway Droneport, a converted civilian airport just three miles north of downtown Tulsa. Owned by the Osage Nation and managed and marketed since November by Oklahoma City-based DronePort Network, Skyway features a ,-ft. runway and a -acre light industrial park where WindShape is setting up shop. “WindShape,” said CEO Guillaume Catry, “believes that Tulsa will become a major innovation hub and technology infl uencer in the emerging uncrewed aircraft and Advanced Aerial Mobility industry.” WindShape’s planned ,-sq.-ft. facility is to include the capacity to simulate natural wind and weather profi les using, the company said in a release, its “Windshaper” technology. “ e new Windshape facility is a unique and much needed resource for the nascent Advanced Aerial Mobility sector,” says Dr. Jamey Jacob, director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education at Oklahoma State University. Jacob is among those leading the development of a drone test bed, a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) commercial fl ight corridor anchored by Skyway Droneport and supported by the BBB award. e test space is to extend nautical miles across the ,-sq.-mile Skyway Range, another component of the TRAM Corridor vision. e sheer size of the Skyway Range — a key attraction to drone developers — is enabled in large part by the Osage Nation being sole landowner. “It’s lots of open space, so it’s a very low-risk use-case scenario,” Jacob says. “But what makes it unique is that it connects to the suburban areas of Tulsa.” at bifurcated landscape, Jacob explains, allows for higher-risk testing over rural expanses while also off ering developers the option to “push the envelope” and demonstrate more advanced technologies over populated areas. “It can be a testing ground for the ‘last-mile’ problem of drone delivery,” he says, “getting the product to the end user. at’s what makes it really special.” Those Drones Are Coming, Really Jacob also serves as director for the emerging LaunchPad Center of Advanced Mobility, touted by the TRAM coalition as a catalyst for developing new drone technologies, including such exotics as urban air mobility, otherwise known as urban air taxis. Jacob describes LaunchPad, funded by some $ million from the BBB grant and embedded within the Helmerich Research Center at OSU- Tulsa, as a collaborative co-anchor with Skyway , one devoted to R&D and the other to testing. WindShape, says Jacob, will have a presence at both facilities. “It could be an early-stage startup or a fully formed company,” he says of the types of businesses LaunchPad hopes to nurture. Support, he says, can range from technical expertise to business development coaching. “Maybe they don’t have the research and development capability to build a prototype. We’re here to help them do that. Or maybe they’re lacking access to venture capital to get their company off the ground. And that’s where some of our partners come in, such as Tulsa Innovation Lab and the George Kaiser Family Foundation. e real goal here is to help energize these young companies to be able to get them off the ground.” Jacob sees advanced mobility moving more swiftly out of the lab and into the real world, beginning — but not ending — with retail drone delivery. “You place an order on your phone and get something delivered by drone within fi ve to BY THE NUMBERS OKLAHOMA Higher Ed. R&D Expenditure in $000s: 520,445 Number of NCRCs: 155,317 | Percent Improvement 2021–2022: 2.19% Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2022–2023: +5 Industrial power cost per kWh: $8.16 Total Revenue as Share of Total Expenses, FY 2006-2020: 104.9% 2022 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 1.41 Selected Top Projects by Capital Investment COMPANY CITY INVESTMENT $M Southern Rock Energy Partners Cushing 5,500 ENEL SPA / 3Sun USA Inola 1,000 The Pratt & Whitney Co. Oklahoma City 255 Locke Supply Co. Oklahoma City 122 Sam’s East Oklahoma City 44 Source: Conway Projects DatabaseNext >