< Previous154 JULY 2025 SITE SELECTION I nterstate Highway spans over , miles, connecting a dozen states from Texas to South Carolina across the southern United States. In a Conway Projects Database report that calculated all new projects in counties that I- intersected over the last two years, the clear winner by metropolitan area was Dallas- Fort Worth-Arlington with projects announced or under construction. Site Selection spoke with Rush Harris, Marshall Economic Development Corporation (EDC) executive director about past and upcoming projects and expansions near the I- corridor in Marshall, Texas, just two hours east of Dallas. Prospects for Development Along I-20 Marshall, with a population of , and a location minutes west of Shreveport, Louisiana, is intersected by Interstate , a vital artery for business and economic development in the East Texas region. By KELLY BARRAZA kelly.barraza@siteselection.com I-20 CORRIDOR A Texas and Pacifi c Railway advertisement recalls how Marshall was one of the originally planned major hubs on the Texas and Pacifi c Railway that was started in the 1870s and ceased operations in 1976. Photo courtesy of Texas & Pacifi c Railway Museum and Gift Shop Development Opportunities Along I-20 In This Eastern Corner of TEXAS Small Texas town mounts big eff ort in attracting and keeping industry talent. Marshall Texas Depot. Source: Texas & Pacifi c Railway Museum and Gift Shop SITE SELECTION JULY 2025 155 “Marshall is an older community that has a lot of legacy manufacturing. If companies need expansion, we have that room for expansion. We want to keep everything that we got,” Harris says. “Because we are funded in part by sales taxes, we don’t want to compete with the real estate market.” Five- or two-acre lots can be commonly sold in town to interested site buyers. Harris notes that when working on projects, he has to offer buyers something with higher acreages (20 to 30 acres). “Sometimes we provide developer incentives,” Harris says. “We work with private real estate developers, but we provide bigger incentives.” There is an ongoing Texas Department of Transportation project to widen I-20 and upgrade the road in many areas, Harris adds. The result should provide higher levels of safety, mobility and accessibility, and the project should have a net positive for economic activity around Marshall and surrounding regions. There is pressure west of Marshall near Dallas in cities where goods are being slowed down due to bottlenecks. Plans for expanding I-20 are in the works to free up this congestion. “I-20 [is] widening to three lanes near one of the exits of Marshall to Longview. Lots of inbound traffic from Louisiana,” Harris says, “lots of truck traffic from the east to Dallas. Freeing up some space is a good thing for us ultimately for commuter traffic.” In Texas, the Interstate Highway system runs over 3,000 miles and is made up of dozens of routes. I-69 has three different crossings in the Lone Star State, following the edge of the state around the Gulf toward Houston, picking up Houston traffic, toward Marshall and Texarkana. Another road project yet to be completed, I-369 near Marshall, is expected to open in a few years. For Marshall, this spells opportunity for those in the Dallas and Houston markets to find less expensive, advantageous land where these Interstates may cross in the future, Harris notes. “We try to recruit business and help them expand. We develop those properties along I-20 with the hopes that we can use those as tools to recruit new business to the industry and area,” Harris explains. “Manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, headquarters and transportation. We help them find a spot, or if we don’t have a spot, we connect them with the landowners who do. “We also work with governments to find Top I-20 Counties by Projects Since May 2023 1 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: 772 2 Metro Atlanta: 178 3 New Orleans-Metaire: 45 4 Birmingham, Alabama: 39 5 Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 35 6 Columbia, South Carolina: 26 7 Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana: 20 8 Longview, Texas: 18 9 Tyler, Texas: 15 10 Augusta, Georgia: 14 Source: Conway Projects Database incentives, like grants or tax abatement,” he adds. “We act as their go to for community information, connection with utilities, labor force data and what our workforce looks like.” Texas Town Example of Economic Opportunity “We are in what I call the pretty part of Texas,” Harris says. “It’s a beautiful place and pretty family-centric. When visitors and interested parties come and see Marshall, they like that it is different from Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. “What gets them very interested is these little, smaller communities, universities, technical schools, all spotted along that I-20 corridor,” says Harris. “It makes for good workforce development and is one of the drivers in all of our economic development.” The town of Marshall has a big city feel due to its amenities and labor shed, picking up people who live in Shreveport and Longview and other areas that may not have larger industrial areas. Further, the town invests in upskilling younger generations with the “WE Align” initiative, which consists of employers and educators that meet monthly to talk about skills needed in K-12 through college.156 JULY 2025 SITE SELECTION Retired Air Force Base Takes on New Life as Business Powerhouse T he way to a Mainer’s heart is through their stomach — appropriate for this New England state abundant in food and agricultural resources. In March, the Taste of Maine Potato Chip Company broke ground on a new $ million, , -sq.-ft. potato chip manufacturing facility at Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Aroostook County, the largest and most northern county of Maine known for its rural beauty, forested areas and potatoes. e potato chip plant is the fi rst new construction at the former Loring Air Force Base, which shuttered its hangars for military use in . e plant is set to receive a -year tax incentive approved by the town of Limestone last year. e project will create to jobs paying over $ , a year. Slated to open in spring of , the plant will source locally grown russet potatoes for the production of their chips, which will be well supplied by the $. billion Maine potato industry that in supported over , jobs and $ million in labor income, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Plans for the plant were fi rst announced in early by local businessman Bruce Sargent and Jim Pelkey of Falcon Transportation in Presque Isle, Maine. Sargent spoke to Site Selection about the project and this area of Maine, indicating how bullish the city of Limestone and the Loring Development Authority have been in revitalizing business at the , -acre base. e growing business roster there now includes established and prospective projects such as a sustainable aviation fuel facility from DG Fuels, an AI startup and investment group Green Maine. Big Plans for Limestone Sargent’s early exposure to the local Maine potato and agriculture business before his -year-long career in refrigerated freight transportation clearly left roots that will help boost the ambitious project through its development phase. “I’m up for the challenge,” he says. “ ere’s always room for the little manufacturer. I don’t worry about the competition.” Initially operating independently, Sargent plans to scale the plant’s production with eyes on a potential partnership with larger food and beverage entities in order to deliver his product across the United States. “I want to put out a good product, and I want to put it out fast at a high volume,” Sargent says by KELLY BARRAZA kelly.barraza@siteselection.com Maine STATE SPOTLIGHT This corner of New England is poised for revitalization. Loring Commerce Centre, Limestone, Maine Photo by Andrew Sinclair courtesy of DVIDS SITE SELECTION JULY 2025 157 of Taste of Maine Potato Chips’ future distribution plans. “Private label and co- pack is my object — selling to franchises like Publix, Food Lion.” e Loring Development Authority and City of Limestone were noted for their collaboration with industry to build out Loring Commerce Centre, with Limestone open to off ering - and - year tax increment fi nancing (TIF) and other duty-free options to new businesses looking to grow in the area. e facility’s location in Maine, where the potato is one of many crops farmed on a large scale, is strategic in avoiding the need to import potato crop from other states like Idaho and Washington. is is vital for reducing freight cost and managing shrinkage rate in the food manufacturing process. It also allows Taste of Maine to work directly with local Maine farmers. e Taste of Maine factory will fry potato slices in batches with each industrial fryer having a capacity of pounds of fi nished product per hour. A total of eight fryers are planned at full build-out. Repurposing an Air Force Base e potato chip plant is just one of many in-progress and recently completed projects at Loring Commerce Centre. In November , sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) company DG Fuels announced a $ billion, , -acre SAF facility at Loring Commerce Centre expected to break ground in . is location is planned to have a yearly output of million gallons of jet fuel derived from . million tons of wood biomass. ere is discussion on whether inactive rail in northern Maine will be repurposed for this operation, as DG Fuels has worked with the Maine Department of Transportation to identify existing rail that may be used to transport biomass from Limestone to Loring across Aroostook County. DG Fuels has also indicated interest in using an existing pipeline to carry SAF from Loring to coastal Maine for distribution at airports on the Eastern Seaboard. “ is project, when completed, would represent a big part of the vision that the state has always had for Loring,” stated then-Loring Development Authority of Maine Board Chair Jeremy Fischer in , noting that the potential impact cannot be overstated in terms of jobs and increased economic activity in the area. “ anks to all who have brought their eff orts to bear to make this a reality and thanks in advance to those whose contributions have yet to be made.” Green Maine, based in Portland, Maine, is also working with DG Fuels to build workforce housing in Loring to support the project construction. DG Fuels is also planning several sustainable fuel facility projects across the U.S., including in Nebraska and Minnesota (see the January issue of Site Selection). Maine-based artifi cial intelligence company Eternal Mind also opened its offi ce at the Loring Commerce Centre in . Eternal Mind works with companies to automate processes, using everything from predictive analytics to natural language processing in their business model. BY THE NUMBERS MAINE Higher Ed. R&D Expenditure in $000s: 198,712 Number of NCRCs: 504 | % Improved 2023–24: 11.01% Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2024–25: +5 Industrial power cost (¢/kWh): 12.30 Total Rev. as Share of Total Expenses, FY 2008-22: 103.1% 2024 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 1.67 Selected Top Projects by Capital Investment COMPANY CITY INVESTMENT $M Plus Power Gorham 100 Taste Of Maine Potato Chip Co. Limestone 55 Somic America Brewer 15 Dysarts Service / United Construction & Forestry Hermon 13 Great Northern Salmon Millinocket 6 Source: Conway Projects Database DON’T COUNT MAINE OUT • The Pine Tree State boasted a real GDP increase in 2024 of 3% that places it at an impressive 17th in the country. • The state reached a total of $95.7 billion in personal income growth by the end of 2024 (a 4.9% increase from 2023). • Maine’s total population is projected to increase by 3.5% for the decade between 2022 and 2032, with 2.2% growth in the fi rst half and 1.3% in the second. This projection forecasts Maine’s population to be 1,438,344 in 2032. • Approximately 1,880 Maine manufacturing businesses employ more than 57,600 Maine residents. The payroll tops $3.6 billion and accounts for 14.5% of wages paid statewide. Source: Maine State Economist Offi ce158 JULY 2025 SITE SELECTION Conway Data, Inc. ...................................126 https://conway.com https://conway.com/custom-publishing Great Lakes Economic Development Council.............41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org/event-6168001 International Economic Development Council..........IBC https://detroit.iedconline.org Site Selection...................................107, 160 https://siteselection.com UNITED STATES ALABAMA Alabama Department of Commerce ...................83 https://madeinruralalabama.com Gadsden Etowah County Industrial Development Authority ..............................45 https://alabamamegasite.com Jefferson Traywick, Jefferson County Economic Development...............................91 https://www.jccal.org Norfolk Southern Corporation..........................13 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation............................46 https://www.odedc.com Tennessee Valley Authority........................35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development ARIZONA Arizona Commerce Authority.........................IFC https://www.azcommerce.com Mesa Gateway Airport Authority ......................53 https://www.choosegatewayairport.com ARKANSAS Arkansas Economic Development Commission..........33 https://www.arkansasedc.com CALIFORNIA City of Palmdale Economic Develoment FTZ No. 191 .......1 https://www.cityofpalmdaleca.gov/foreigntradezone CONNECTICUT AdvanceCT.........................................25 https://www.advancect.org DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington DC Economic Partnership .................105 https://wdcep.com FLORIDA Central Florida Development Council ..................75 https://www.cfdc.org Duke Energy..........................................7 https://locationdukeenergy.com New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau...............43 https://www.visitnsbfl.com Southeast Volusia Manufacturing & Technology Coalition.43 http://www.sevmtc.com GEORGIA Americus Sumter Payroll Development Authority........87 https://www.selectsumter.com Norfolk Southern Corporation................9, 11, 13, 15, 17 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com Southern Economic Development Council..............23 https://www.sedc.org Tennessee Valley Authority........................35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development Toombs County Development Authority................93 https://www.toombsconnect.com Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority ..............61 https://www.buildlowndes.com ILLINOIS Great Lakes Economic Development Council.............41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org INDIANA Duke Energy..........................................7 https://locationdukeenergy.com Great Lakes Economic Development Council.............41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org Norfolk Southern Corporation..........................15 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com KANSAS GoTopeka Economic Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 https://www.gotopeka.com KENTUCKY Duke Energy..........................................7 https://locationdukeenergy.com Norfolk Southern Corporation..........................9 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com Team Kentucky / New Kentucky Home.................BC http://www.selectkentucky.com Tennessee Valley Authority........................35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development LOUISIANA Ascension Economic Development Corporation......114-115 https://ascensionedc.com Chennault International Airport Authority ..............118 https://chennault.org City of Broussard....................................117 https://www.cityofbroussard.com Lafayette Economic Development Authority............119 https://looktolafayette.com Port of Lake Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 https://portlc.com MARYLAND Maryland Marketing Partnership....................62-63 https://business.maryland.gov/aerospace MICHIGAN Great Lakes Economic Development Council.............41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org International Economic Development Council..........IBC https://detroit.iedconline.org Michigan Economic Development Corporation ...........5 https://www.michiganbusiness.org Midland Business Alliance ............................96 https://mbami.org MINNESOTA Great Lakes Economic Development Council.............41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org MISSISSIPPI Marshall County Industrial Development Authority ......89 https://www.marshallcoms.com Mississippi Development Authority ....................56 https://mississippi.org Tennessee Valley Authority........................35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development MISSOURI Bi-State Development / St. Louis Regional Freightway...55 https://www.thefreightway.com NEBRASKA York County Development Corporation ................74 https://www.yorkdevco.com PAGEPAGEPAGE INDEX TO ADVERTISERS For LOCATION INFORMATION or assistance in conducting a Confidential Site Search please email karen.medernach@conway.com or visit us at www.siteselection.com. SITE SELECTION JULY 2025 159 PAGEPAGEPAGE NEW JERSEY Middlesex County Office of Economic & Business Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125 https://discovermiddlesex.com/thrive NEW MEXICO Santa Fe County Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 https://encantadonetwork.com NEW YORK Capitalize Albany Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145 https://capitalizealbany.com Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org Konar Properties / Erie Station Business Park . . . . . . . . . . .147 https://www.eriestation.com New York City Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142-143 https://edc.nyc https://www.madebushterminal.nyc Operation Oswego County, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146 https://www.oswegocounty.org NORTH CAROLINA Duke Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 https://locationdukeenergy.com Piedmont Triad Airport Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 https://landatpti.com Tennessee Valley Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development OHIO Dayton Development Coalition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 https://daytonregion.com Duke Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 https://locationdukeenergy.com JobsOhio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 https://www.jobsohio.com OKLAHOMA Ardmore Development Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 https://www.ardmoredevelopment.com Oklahoma Department of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 https://www.okcommerce.gov PENNSYLVANIA Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97-100 https://dced.pa.gov The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia . . . . .103 https://chamberphl.com SOUTH CAROLINA Duke Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 https://locationdukeenergy.com Norfolk Southern Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com TENNESSEE Silicon Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108-109 https://www.siliconranch.com Tennessee Valley Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development TEXAS Frisco Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 https://friscoedc.com Pflugerville Community Development Corporation . . .58-59 https://www.pfdevelopment.com YTexas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 https://www.ytexas.com Texas Economic Development Connection Intelligence Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127-138 Bastrop Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . .135 https://www.bastropedc.org City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137 http://www.huntsvilletxed.com El Campo City Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 https://www.elcampoeco.org Gonzales Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . .138 https://gonzalesedc.org Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation . . . . . . . .131 https://www.marblefallseconomy.com TexAmericas Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 https://www.texamericascenter.com VIRGINIA City of Norfolk Department of Development . . . . . . . . . . . .67 https://norfolkdevelopment.com Fairfax County Economic Development Authority . .Gatefold https://fairfaxcountyeda.org Norfolk Southern Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 https://nsites.norfolksouthern.com Tennessee Valley Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35-38 https://www.tva.com/economic-development WEST VIRGINIA Putnam County Development Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 https://pcda.org WISCONSIN Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org INTERNATIONAL CANADA ONTARIO Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org QUEBEC Great Lakes Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 https://www.greatlakesedc.org GEORGIA Invest in Georgia / LEPL Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68-71 https://investingeorgia.org REPUBLIC OF KOREA Invest Seoul / Seoul Business Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-19 https://investseoul.orgNext >