Investor Watch: April 23, 2026

I-4 CORRIDOR

Ron Starner, named an Azbee Award national finalist this week by the American Society of Business Publication Editors for best body of work by a staff journalist, takes us coast to coast on a Central Florida freeway that continues to drive economic growth.

NEWS DIGEST

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, sees expanded uranium enrichment. Which U.S. states have the longest commutes? Aerospace startup CesiumAstro establishes a new manufacturing facility and global headquarters near Austin. A $1 billion expansion boosts Port of Baltimore activity. Clean chemical manufacturing locates in southeastern New Mexico. John Deere expands in Indiana and North Carolina.

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Photo courtesy of American Welding Society

If there’s one industrial workforce development theme seemingly common to every territory, it’s the need for more certified welders. We just learned about one welder who we’re guessing has a good shot at being hired: Last week the American Welding Society (AWS) and SkillsUSA announced that Mikala Sposito (pictured), a 21-year-old student from Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, had been selected as the official United States competitor in Welding for the 48th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled for September 22–27, 2026, in Shanghai, China. She is the first woman to represent the United States in welding at WorldSkills.

“Sposito secured her historic spot by winning the USA Weld Trials at the Robotics Technology Park in Huntsville, Alabama,” the Miami-based AWS explained. (That park and its welding affiliation with AWS were first chronicled by Site Selection in 2015.) “After three rigorous qualifying events, she placed first overall. Benjamin Cornaby of Utah State University Eastern took second, and CJ Parks of West Side Greers Ferry, Arkansas, placed third. The multi-stage process evaluated competitors on precision, safety, technical execution, craftsmanship and their ability to complete complex multi-process welding tasks under strict international standards and tight time constraints.”

Originally inspired by a welding demo at a Maker Faire when she was 10, Sposito won the 2024 SkillsUSA Michigan state championship and dedicated 60–80 hours per week over the past two years to training at Washtenaw Community College under instructor Alex Pazkowski, a former WorldSkills silver medalist, the AWS explained. She is the sixth WorldSkills qualifier from the college — more than any other U.S. institution.

For several years Site Selection has chronicled top states and institutions by medal count at the SkillsUSA national championships. And in 2024 we covered the WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France.

As for encouraging more women in these fields, another inspiring example can be found in Lynchburg, Virginia: Read “My Favorite Machinist Is a Woman!”, published by Site Selection in 2022.

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CBRE says the Southeast ranks as industrial occupiers’ top region for expansion.
Map by mstroz: Getty Images

More than 1.7 billion sq. ft. of industrial leases are set to expire within the next 36 months, reports CBRE in its 2026 U.S. Industrial & Logistics Occupier Survey. The firm’s research finds that “more than 90% of occupiers plan to maintain or expand their portfolios in the next 36 months, motivated by a need for newer space (23%) or lower costs (17%). This reflects a continued shift away from older assets, which have recorded over 400 million sq. ft. of negative net absorption in the past three years.”

The Southeast ranked as occupiers’ top region for expansion, cited by 30% of respondents, CBRE reports. “The region’s large pipeline of modern buildings, growing manufacturing base and proximity to high growth population centers position it as the leading destination for new facilities.” The Midwest followed with 22% citing expansion plans. “Access to transportation hubs, including ports and major Interstate corridors, remains critical for most occupiers,” said CBRE’s Head of Industrial Research, Americas James Breeze.

In its Shocks to the System report, also issued this month, Newmark finds that “early indications including rising diesel and freight costs are beginning to shape supply chain decision-making, leading to leasing hesitations and a sharper focus on location strategy and transportation efficiency.” More than 1.3 billion square feet of leases are set to expire in the next few years, prompting occupiers to reassess footprints amid rising cost pressure, Newmark says. In addition, “Roughly $500 billion in U.S. manufacturing investment since 2020 is accelerating a shift toward reshoring and more regionalized, resilient supply chains.”

A performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” takes place at the Globe Theatre in London.
Photo courtesy of Farelight Production and Shakespeare’s Globe

Today is the date traditionally recognized as William Shakespeare’s birthday (and the date of his death). So what better way to celebrate than a glimpse of the 29-year-old recreation of the famous performance space associated with his name? The Globe Theatre, located in Bankside in London (where the Industrial Asset Management Council held a reception last summer) is operated by Shakespeare’s Globe, an organization founded by American actor Sam Wanamaker. The open-air theater has a capacity of 1,570 (700 standing) and audiences are told to dress for the weather. “Seats are arranged in galleries all around the wide, open stage, so spectators and performers can see each other at all times,” the organization notes. “The Globe Theatre is a space where the audience has always been a vital component of the performance.”

Compelling facts: The Globe Theatre is constructed in the shape of an icosagon, which everyone knows is a 20-sided polygon. Painted on the roof over the stage are the 12 signs of the zodiac, referred to as “The Heavens.” The structure is built from oak beams, lime-plaster walls and a water-reed thatched roof, for which the organization had to seek special permission because of a law against thatched buildings in London since the Great Fire of 1666. That was 53 years after Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre in London had burned down during an early performance of “Henry VIII.” It was rebuilt within a year with a tile roof. After being closed along with all theaters in 1642 because of civil war, that theater was eventually torn down to make way for housing. — Adam Bruns