Making the Connection
When you read this, we’ll be counting down the days until the IAMC Spring Forum being held in Little Rock, Arkansas, April 18-22. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you are as well. I know the programming will be top notch and the networking is unmatched. If you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you do so. You don’t want to miss out.
Our Forums are only possible due to our sponsors as well as our Economic Development partners. The Economic Development partners are the drivers of where these events occur by joining together to create a host committee that brings all of you to their community. I want to recognize all of our Economic Development members for bringing great insights and making the necessary connections that allow the rest of us to be successful. I know much of their work is highlighted in this issue.
While the Spring and Fall Forums are great spots to connect with each other, I encourage all of you to reach out and connect outside of those programs. Looking back over the last few months I’ve had numerous opportunities to network and connect with many of you. One of the ingredients to IAMC’s secret sauce is members’ willingness to connect and help each other out. I’m sure most of you have a story or three where a fellow IAMC member was able to make a connection and provide advice to help you get business done. You may be surprised what happens by reaching out randomly just to say hello.
As a Minnesotan, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the events occurring in my state. I think we all agree laws should be enforced, processes should be followed and our elected officials should work together. What I’ve seen over the last month or so proves how those actions are completed matter. Despite what you may hear, the Twin Cities is one of the safest communities in the country. It’s unfortunate the actions of some bad actors caused so much unrest and upheaval. I’m happy to report the rhetoric has calmed down and things are getting back to normal here.
Until I see you in Little Rock, remember what Ferris Bueller said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
— Matt M. Boehlke
Hitachi Energy’s busy 2025 included investments across 10 countries that qualified for the Conway Projects Database. A $1 billion commitment in the U.S. to help meet demand for transformers and equipment needed by AI data center expansion includes $457 million toward a new large power transformer facility located on this campus in South Boston, Virginia.
Photo courtesy of Hitachi Energy
SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT
By Adam Bruns
Whether it’s projects from corporate active member companies or the launch of new learning and networking opportunities, IAMC members continue to influence area economies and one another’s professional development.
Statistics from the organization’s 2025 Annual Report tell the story:
- Engagement with members or prospective members in 42 states, three Canadian provinces and 11 countries
- A total of 106 professional development hours at IAMC Forums, webinars, international events and IAMC Locals
- A grand total of 62 new corporate members, more than half of whom join colleagues who were already members
Among the highlights was the launch of PILLAR, a customized industrial real estate learning platform. Designed for professionals at every level looking to advance their careers, PILLAR offers practical, real-world learning that you can apply immediately to your daily responsibilities and ongoing projects while also building toward longer-term goals. Based on IAMC’s Content Pyramid, each PILLAR program aligns with one of the five broad categories that impact excellence in corporate real estate:
- Building a Knowledge Base
- Asset Management
- Transacting Real Estate
- Creating Enterprise Value
- Leadership
The first step is the inaugural PILLAR Skills Path, “Building and Selling Your Industrial Business Case,” an interactive program for corporate end users that will equip participants to frame industrial real estate as a solution to business challenges, linking projects directly to enterprise goals. IAMC’s PILLAR Skills Paths are 3-month, cohort-based learning experiences crafted with the working professional in mind, with participants committing to 10+ hours over the duration of the program. This first Skills Path will culminate in a group capstone project where participants will develop and present a business case at an exclusive session during IAMC’s Spring 2026 Forum in Little Rock, Arkansas.
“We’re excited to see the engagement and collaborative learning taking place during our pilot Skills Path, ‘Building & Selling Your Industrial Business Case,’” says IAMC Director of Education and Research Charlene Manuel. “We have an amazing group of participants — ranging from those early in their career to seasoned professionals — all committed to learning and improving their capabilities. We’re fortunate that the IAMC members participating are strengthening the outcomes of the program by sharing their experience and expertise — reinforcing the best practices in industrial corporate real estate that PILLAR addresses.”
Watch for more about this program in this space in future issues of Site Selection.
Growth Mindset
Zoom out from professional development to development in general and you’ll find the companies employing IAMC corporate actives doing their fair share to contribute to area prosperity and job creation around the world. Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database qualifies corporate end-user facility investment projects involving construction if they meet one of these three criteria: at least $1 million invested, at least 20 new jobs created or at least 20,000 new sq. ft. of space. A report on IAMC member company projects qualified in 2025 reveals 440 projects involving more than $77.5 billion of investment, nearly 45,200 jobs created and some 107.5 million sq. ft. of space.
A data drill-down shows that Amazon or Amazon Web Services accounted for 136 of those projects (more than 30% of the total). Other repeat investors include prominent logistics and manufacturing firms spreading the wealth and moving goods:
- Hitachi Energy: 17 projects in 10 countries, including a 3,000-job project in Chennai, India, that is part of a larger plan to create 5,000 jobs in India by 2030. The company’s Global Technology and Innovation Center in Chennai already is the company’s largest globally, employing 3,000 engineers.
- Fedex: 16 projects in seven countries, including U.S. projects in six states from Maine to California.
- Rivian Automotive: 15 projects across 11 states, including a new HQ in Atlanta and a 1.2-million-sq.-ft. expansion at its manufacturing hub in Normal, Illinois.
- CEVA Logistics: 13 projects in eight countries.
- Nestle: 13 projects in nine countries.
- Pepsico: 12 projects in six countries.
- DHL: 11 projects in eight countries.
- Walmart: 10 projects in eight states and India.
- Deere & Company: seven projects in Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and Mexico.