< Previous96 MAY 2025 SITE SELECTION O il and gas companies locate where they need to – proximity to the Permian Basin, Marcellus Shale or LNG hubs along the Gulf Coast for example. But where are their future employees looking to launch and grow their careers? Recent analysis from LearnToDrill.com, an online education and training resource for professionals in the oil and gas industry, off ers insights into what its top fi ve states with the fastest-growing career opportunities bring to the table as potential locations for workers. 1) TEXAS • Texas provides over , direct jobs in the oil and gas industry, making up nearly % of all U.S. oil and gas employment (Texas Oil and Gas Association). • e Permian Basin (West Texas), Eagle Ford Shale (South Texas) and Haynesville Shale (East Texas) are the major hotspots for employment. • Popular Roles: Drilling Engineers, Petroleum Engineers, Geologists, Field Technicians and Rig Operators. • Salary Ranges: Texas off ers some of the most competitive salaries in the industry, with roles like Petroleum Engineers earning around $ , annually (Bureau of Labor Statistics). 2) NEW MEXICO • As the third-largest oil-producing state in the U.S., New Mexico has experienced remarkable growth thanks to its location within the Permian Basin, which it shares with Texas. • Employment in New Mexico’s oil and gas sector has risen by % since (New Mexico Oil & Gas Association). is growth is spurred by investments in drilling technology and the expansion of shale operations. • Popular Roles: Production Engineers, Environmental Health & Safety Specialists, Equipment Operators and Land Analysts. • Salary Ranges: Salaries in New Mexico are competitive, with Production Engineers earning around $ , annually on average. 3) NORTH DAKOTA • North Dakota’s oil industry is centered around the Bakken Shale formation, which has transformed the state’s economy over the past two decades. • Employment in the oil and gas sector grew by % from to (North Dakota Petroleum Council), with continued growth expected as infrastructure expands. • Key Areas: e Bakken Formation, primarily located in the Williston Basin in the western part of the state. OIL & GAS by Where Industry Job Seekers Are Gravitating OIL & GAS ntered around ich has over the past SITE SELECTION MAY 2025 97 • Popular Roles: Hydraulic Fracturing Technicians, Well Log Analysts, Drillers and Environmental Engineers. • Salary Ranges: North Dakota off ers high salaries due to the remote and challenging work environment. For example, Drillers can earn between $ , and $ , per year, often with additional housing and travel allowances. 4) LOUISIANA • Known for its rich history in off shore oil drilling, Louisiana remains a vital contributor to the U.S. energy supply, especially with its operations in the Gulf of Mexico. • Off shore drilling activity has rebounded, contributing to a % increase in oil and gas jobs in (Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association). • Key Areas: Off shore operations in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore drilling in areas like the Haynesville Shale. • Popular Roles: Off shore Drilling Engineers, Subsea Engineers, Marine Operations Technicians and Safety Managers. • Salary Ranges: Off shore roles often come with lucrative pay due to the challenging conditions. For example, Subsea Engineers can make over $ , annually, with additional bonuses for off shore rotations. 5 )COLORADO • Colorado has become a growing hub for natural gas production, particularly within the Denver-Julesburg Basin (DJ Basin). Its industry is increasingly focusing on environmentally conscious practices, making it attractive for professionals in sustainable energy. • e oil and gas sector in Colorado has seen growth of about % in the last two years, bolstered by state support for environmentally friendly energy production. • Key Areas: e DJ Basin near Denver and Weld County. • Popular Roles: Environmental Compliance Offi cers, Operations Managers, Field Engineers and Data Analysts. • Salary Ranges: Colorado off ers competitive salaries with an environmental focus; Environmental Compliance Offi cers, for example, earn around $ , annually. Photo: Getty ImagesMaking It in Florida F lorida’s manufacturing resurgence coincides with policy changes, demographic trends and infrastructure investments that are turning the Sunshine State into a production power. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Commerce show the manufacturing sector across the state surging since , with employment in production rising by % between and . at equates to , new manufacturing jobs statewide, pushing Florida’s total production workforce to , in and propelling the state into the top nationally in manufacturing jobs. With a national manufacturing recovery being somewhat uneven around the country, Florida is one of just fi ve states that together accounted for two- thirds of total manufacturing job growth nationwide. Experts interviewed for this article say that notable tax policy changes, demographic migration patterns and the sheer growth of the state are the biggest factors driving Florida’s manufacturing renaissance. As more people — particularly younger workers and families — move to Florida, two things happen: e swelling population generates more demand for products; and the size of the available workforce continues to grow. Census counts show that from to , Florida’s population is projected to grow from . million to . million. at equals . million new residents. While Florida’s growth in slowed to .%, the state population increased by .% from to . e state’s new population is also getting younger, meaning it is more mobile and more likely to adapt to the kind of advanced manufacturing jobs now in high demand in multiple industry sectors. For example, in Leon by RON STARNER ron.starner@siteselection.com Florida STATE SPOTLIGHT 98 MAY 2025 SITE SELECTION CAE recently moved into its new 326,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Tampa. CAE makes defense solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense. Image courtesy of CAE Policies, migration and infrastructure create the perfect storm for manufacturing growth.100 MAY 2025 SITE SELECTION County around Tallahassee, the median age is now just . years. In Alachua County (Gainesville), it is . years. While these are both university towns (home to Florida State University and the University of Florida), they are not the only cities getting younger. In Hendry County, the median age is now .; in Hardee County it is .; and in Orange County (Orlando), it is now .. Combined with policy changes aimed at benefi ting employers who produce goods, Florida has created the perfect storm for manufacturing growth. From to , Florida’s manufacturing output increased from $. billion to $ billion. at is a growth rate of .%. During that same -year period, manufacturing employment in the state rose .%. As a result, Florida today ranks as the th largest state for manufacturing jobs. I-4 Corridor Leads the Boom e biggest growth is occurring along the Interstate Corridor in Central Florida, stretching from Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater on the Gulf Coast to Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville on the Space Coast. Gross domestic product for manufacturing along this corridor mushroomed to $ billion in — a % increase from . One industry growing rapidly is aerospace and defense. In Tampa, CAE Defense & Security recently celebrated the opening of a new U.S. headquarters. e ,-sq.-ft. project on Tampa International Airport property creates space for employees. A Canadian manufacturer of simulation and modeling technologies and training services for aerospace and defense customers, CAE was founded in and today maintains operations and training centers in countries. Susan Gehrig, vice president of operations for CAE in Tampa, says her fi rm likes this location because “it is a big thing for us to be near our customers in the Tampa Bay Area. Our closest neighbor is MacDill Air Force Base. ey have been a customer for a long time. We develop and produce high-tech solutions for complex missions across the world. is Tampa location permits us e employees were the driving factor.” — Michael Ansorge , CEO, Oculus Surgical Inc., on why his fi rm chose Port St. Lucie e employees were the driving factor.” Medical device manufacturer Oculus Surgical Inc. recently moved into its new 75,000-sq.-ft. plant in Port St. Lucie. Image courtesy of Oculus BY THE NUMBERS FLORIDA Higher Ed. R&D Expenditure in $000s: 43,149,828 Number of NCRCs: 116,596 | Percent Improved 2023–24: 0.19% Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2024–2025: 0 Industrial power cost per kWh: $9.39 Total Rev. as Share of Total Expenses, FY 2008-22: 106.20% 2024 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 1.26 Selected Top Projects by Capital Investment COMPANY CITY INVESTMENT $M Seminole Electric Cooperative Dade City 750 United Airlines Orlando 300 Aura Aero Daytona Beach 172.5 Trademark Metals Recycling Bushnell 150 Arthrex Fort Myers 150 Source: Conway Projects Database (continued on p. )102 MAY 2025 SITE SELECTION O ver the past 30 years, Florida has given birth to some of the largest and most impactful master-planned communities in the country: The Villages, Celebration, Lakewood Ranch, Trinity, Babcock Ranch, Viera, Wellen Park, FishHawk Ranch, Lake Nona, Seaside, Watercolor and Ave Maria — just to name a few. Thanks to Tavistock Development Company, creator of Lake Nona, you can add another large-scale, mixed-use development to that mix: Sunbridge in southeast Orlando. At 27,447 acres, Sunbridge will be comparable to Lakewood Ranch in Manatee and Sarasota counties on the Gulf Coast and will be the largest master-planned development of its kind in Central Florida. And while a massive Del Webb community of private homes will anchor the development, industrial end-users are already lining up to sign big deals. Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin and department store retailer TJ Maxx have both signed agreements to build and occupy giant industrial facilities in the Sunbridge Business Park just off State Road 528. TJ Maxx closed late last year on the purchase of 186.5 acres at the northwest corner of Innovation Way and the Beachline Expressway for $45.4 million. The company plans to build a 1.93-million- sq.-ft. warehouse on site. Blue Origin signed a 220,853-sq.- ft. lease in the Venture Park Beachline complex at S.R. 528 earlier in 2024. Many other industrial investors are showing interest. Sunbridge is unprecedented in Central Florida. Upon buildout, Tavistock plans to deliver 5,720 single-family homes, 1,650 apartments, 5.47 million sq. ft. of office space, 2.9 million sq. ft. of industrial space, 880,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 490 hotel rooms on the 8,000 acres of land in Sunbridge within Orange County. The Osceola County portion of Sunbridge is even bigger. At nearly 20,000 acres, it will have another 29,320 homes; 8.54 million sq. ft. of commercial, office and industrial space; around 2 million sq. ft. of institutional or civic space; and 5,000 hotel rooms. Skipper Peek, senior vice president with Tavistock Development in Orlando, said the proximity to Orlando and the Space Coast make sites in Sunbridge Business Park attractive. “That was a major factor in the Blue Origin decision,” he says. “When you look at the proximity to Orlando with its major employment base and being just 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport, this location made a lot of sense for both companies.” Peek says the success of Lake Nona on the south side of Orlando opened the door for Tavistock to develop Sunbridge in the southeast quadrant of America’s top tourist destination. “There were no roads here, but as infrastructure accesses more land, the growth follows,” he says. “Tavistock poured A NEW CITY RISES SOUTH OF ORLANDO Sunbridge, a master-planned community of more than 27,000 acres southeast of Orlando, will soon be home to large industrial facilities for Blue Origin and TJ Maxx. Image courtesy of Tavistock Development Co. Clint Beaty, SVP, Tavistock Development Co.104 MAY 2025 SITE SELECTION a lot of resources into it.” Clint Beaty, senior vice president of operations for Tavistock, says Sunbridge is part of the 300,000-acre Deseret Ranch owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “They are long-term thinkers,” he says. “Tavistock’s role is that we are doing finished-lot development for large public builders. Some of the entitlements are denser than downtown Orlando. It will take decades to get to that full entitlement.” Beaty says the entire community, including the business park, is designed to blend in with the surrounding natural environment and focus on wellness and sustainability. Much of the property in Sunbridge falls within the headwaters of the Kissimmee River Basin that ultimately flows into Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades. “Water is the new liquid gold in the state,” says Beaty. “The average citizen does not understand that. A very native Florida plant mix is here. In collaboration with strategic partners like the University of Florida and The Nature Conservancy, we developed a no-turn compost production material for use in Sunbridge. It holds about six times its weight in water. This product creates a healthy soil environment and reduces the need for irrigation while reducing runoff. Using this material, there will be a 40% to 60% reduction in normal irrigation use in the residential areas of Sunbridge.” Industrial occupants will adhere to these same standards, Beaty says. “We are coming at this from a scientific research basis,” he adds. “We are creating the ethos, culture and education to preserve this natural part of Florida over the coming decades. Our goal with Sunbridge is simple: If you can get immersed in nature and still get to the airport in 15 minutes, we will have created something very special.” — Ron Starner SITE SELECTION MAY 2025 105 to do that. We want to make sure that America’s warfighters are mission-ready and safe.” She adds that the Tampa Bay Area provides CAE access to a highly skilled workforce, nearby colleges and universities that partner with the company, a low cost of living compared to other well-known defense clusters in the country, and an enviable quality of life with year-round sunshine. Building the new complex at TIA allows CAE to add about 100 new employees to its workforce. “It also gives us the capacity to grow,” Gehrig notes. “Our footprint here is wonderful. People want to move here.” ‘Employees Were Driving Factor’ CAE is not alone. Around Florida, manufacturers in a variety of sectors are expanding. On the Atlantic Coast in Port St. Lucie, Oculus Surgical Inc. just moved into a brand-new facility of 75,000 sq. ft. in the St. Lucie West Commerce Park. A global leader in the medical device industry, Oculus invested $30 million into this new plant that will enable the firm to grow its headcount from 29 to 79 over a 3-year period. “The employees were the driving factor” behind the site selection, says Michael Ansorge, CEO of Oculus, whose parent company in Germany is now 120 years old. “We were already based here, and we wanted to keep everyone we had on staff. We use this location as a hub for a lot of our Americas operations — from Alaska and Canada down to Panama and Brazil. We have access to the Port of Miami to our south. It is a good hub for container shipments.” Since Oculus does business globally, Ansorge says it helps to have a location that is accessible and welcoming for visiting customers. “This location is phenomenal,” he says. “We get a lot of visitors domestically and globally. Most of our international visitors are able to get direct flights to either Orlando or Miami, and we are equidistant to those cities. That was a big factor.” (continued from p. 100)Next >