Investor Watch: May 7, 2026

“Thirteen shots were fired at the home of Indianapolis City Councilman Ron Gibson,” write Chris Lloyd and Larry Gigerich, board members of the Site Selectors Guild, in an exclusive commentary for Site Selection, “and the shooter left a note that read ‘No Data Centers.’ It’s the latest example of escalating violence tied to economic development debates.”

BIG DEALS

Based on a points system derived from total project investment and affiliated job creation, we present the top 20 projects of 2025 in North America and top 20 projects abroad as tracked by Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database.

EDITOR’S VIEW

We’ve been out and about quite a bit lately, writes Editor in Chief Adam Bruns, seeing places with our own eyes and talking with people in those places. It’s an essential journalism function that will continue to distinguish our work from AI-generated facsimiles of business intelligence.

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Photo courtesy of Amgen

Amgen this week announced it would pour $300 million into its site in Juncos, Puerto Rico, first established in 1992 and today producing biologic medicines distributed to more than 60 countries. “Amgen has been a leader in U.S. biomanufacturing for decades, and this expansion reflects our continued commitment to American manufacturing,” said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and CEO at Amgen.

The company noted that it’s “long-standing commitment to U.S. innovation and state-of-the-art operations is reflect-d in more than $40 billion invested in manufacturing and research and development since the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. Pro-growth tax policies in TCJA, extended and reinforced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, support the company’s ability to invest in domestic science and manufacturing.”

“Combined with the $650 million previously announced, this represents nearly $1 billion in confidence in our workforce, our capabilities and our ability to produce lifesaving medicines,” said Puerto Rico Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce Sebastián Negrón Reichard.

Site Selection emailed with Amgen Manufacturing Limited Site Head and Vice President Thomas Seewoester about the company’s growth in Puerto Rico for this November 2025 story.

Cherokee County, South Carolina, is quickly emerging as a premier destination for business and industry. Strategically located along the I-85 corridor, the county offers exception-al access to major markets across the Southeast while maintaining a cost-effective operat-ing environment.

What truly sets Cherokee County apart is its commitment to speed and service. The county prides itself on a fast, predictable permitting process that allows projects to move from concept to construction without unnecessary delays. For companies looking to build or expand, time is money—and Cherokee County delivers.

A prime example of the county’s readiness is Stateline 85 Industrial Park, a premier, strate-gically located site offering immediate access to I-85. The park features two move-in-ready, 200,000-square-foot industrial buildings, along with the infrastructure to support addi-tional development, providing companies with immediate and scalable options. With strong leadership, pro-business policies, and a workforce ready to grow, Cherokee County is built for success.

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In a comparison of the largest cities in each of the 50 U.S. states, Charlotte, North Carolina (pictured), is second only to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in lowest effective tax rate on commercial property.
Photo by Viyaleta Herasimovich: Getty Images

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence in April released the 50-State Property Tax Comparison Study, comprehensive analysis of effective tax rates in 75 large cities and in one rural community from each state. “This report provides the most meaningful data available to compare cities’ property taxes by calculating the effective tax rate: the tax bill as a percentage of a property’s market value,” the organizations explain. “Data are available for 75 large U.S. cities and a rural municipality in each state, with information on four different property types (homestead, commercial, industrial, and apartment properties).”

Photo by Andre Carriere courtesy of Jacksonville Port Authority

A third new 50-gauge ship-to-shore container crane moved its first container yesterday at Jacksonville Port Authority’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal. The crane features a 100-foot lift height and can reach across 17 containers on a ship’s deck. This crane is the third of three new container cranes manufactured by Germany-based Liebherr Crane Company that have been added at JAXPORT over the past year. Two entered service in January at the port’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. “All three cranes were purchased as part of a multi-year, $93 million initiative to modernize JAXPORT’s crane fleet,” a JAXPORT release explains, “including $53 million in state funding over the past two years for crane purchases and upgrades.” JAXPORT is Florida’s No. 1 container port by volume and the nation’s third largest vehicle-handling port.