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                            | FROM SITE SELECTION
                                    MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2023 ISSUE |  
                        
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                                                SPECIAL REPORT
                                            
                                                From hydrogen to next-gen nuclear power, companies and communities in
                                                TVA territory have the future in mind. Learn more in the Digital Edition
                                                of the TVA Intelligence Report or read these online stories: |  |  
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                                                INVESTMENT PROFILE: INVEST IN CANADA
                                                Investment in the Canadian workforce doubles down in three major
                                                industries. |  |    
                        
                            | KANSAS — THE STATE OF
                                    UNEXPECTED |  
                        
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                                                ART HAVENS
                                                A place where ‘nothing happens’ and its lessons from the galaxy. |  |  
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                                                ANIMAL HEALTH
                                                Kansas has built an animal health sciences corridor that is second to
                                                none. |  |    
                        
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                                                North Carolina
                                                Specialty chemicals company Albemarle Corporation announced in December
                                                it had selected Charlotte for Albemarle Technology Park, where it will
                                                create 200 jobs and invest up to $200 million in the University City
                                                neighborhood. The park will focus on advanced materials R&D, novel
                                                process development, and next-generation lithium products. “Innovations
                                                from the new site will enhance lithium recovery, improve production
                                                methods, and introduce new forms of lithium that will propel lithium-ion
                                                batteries and the electric vehicle sector even further,” said the
                                                company. “Albemarle is focused on lithium technology leadership because
                                                it drives value for our customers and advances the world’s transition to
                                                more sustainable energy,” said Kent Masters, Albemarle CEO. “We’re proud
                                                to be making this investment in our headquarter city and to be
                                                contributing to our state and local economy in this capacity.” The
                                                company originally relocated its HQ to Charlotte in 2015. A city release
                                                noted the recent investments in the region and the state by global EV
                                                companies Arrival, Toyota and VinFast
                                                have announced major investments across the state. Albemarle also
                                                operates a lithium processing facility in nearby Kings Mountain.
                                             
                                                Texas
                                                Founded in Mesquite in 1941 and now headquartered in Dallas, Dickey’s
                                                Barbecue Pit in fall 2022 renewed its devotion to its hometown by
                                                launching a new manufacturing and distribution plant, Wycliff Douglas
                                                Provisions, that will employ more than 350 and provide the company’s
                                                owner/operators such services as sausage grinding, blending, stuffing,
                                                marinating, tumbling, smoking, slicing, shredding and high-speed
                                                packaging. “Additional facility benefits are its freezer capabilities
                                                and redistributing of frozen items to bring down freight costs while
                                                nationwide fuel and transportation costs are still at an all-time high,”
                                                the company said. Dickey’s barbecue franchise offers “eight slow-smoked
                                                meats and 12 wholesome sides with ‘No B.S. (Bad Stuff)’ included,” said
                                                a release from the company, which has 550 locations in the United States
                                                and eight other countries.   |  |    
                        
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                                                WORKFORCE CHANGES
                                                In partnership with Jobs for the Future, the Community Workforce
                                                Initiative (CWI) program at Prologis will train 10,000 people in six
                                                U.S. markets for jobs in transportation, distribution and logistics over
                                                the next two years. |  |    
                        
                            | SITE SELECTION
                                    RECOMMENDS |  
                        
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                                                Graphic courtesy of Lightcast
                                             
                                             
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                                                            Lightcast in December released a new Career Pathways tool that uses
                                                            the firm’s library of job postings, real-world profiles, and
                                                            skills data “to show how workers can advance and succeed in
                                                            the workforce.” Instead of working within specific
                                                            industries and conventional promotions, says Lightcast,
                                                            “Career Pathways takes a broad view and identifies similar
                                                            jobs based on adjacent skills. This allows you to see the
                                                            full picture of the job market, complementing data already
                                                            available in Analyst like demand and compensation trends.
                                                            Many jobs require overlapping skills, despite being based in
                                                            different sectors or accomplishing different tasks. Using
                                                            the Lightcast Occupation Taxonomy or external taxonomies
                                                            including O*NET or SOC, our data can identify those overlaps
                                                            and illuminate new sources of talent for employers and also
                                                            help workers achieve upward mobility.” 
                                                            A November 2022 Site Selection Online Insider explored
                                                            Lightcast’s Talent Attraction Scorecard.
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                                                Many focus on serving the needs of their communities on this federal
                                                holiday honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One area of
                                                need arose during the December holiday season, when The Salvation Army
                                                raises 60% of its funding to support its programs throughout the year.
                                                On Christmas Eve, the Salvation Army of Osceola County Service Center in
                                                Greater Orlando — which provided nearly 20,000 meals in the last fiscal
                                                year, thousands of hot showers and one-on-one case management — was
                                                vandalized and robbed of its red-kettle money. When news spread of the
                                                crime, donations poured in from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office,
                                                Seeds of Hope and Faith United Methodist, among others. Bella Roma
                                                Pizzeria took it a step further by donating pizzas to feed service
                                                center clients and topped it off with a donation of 10% of their two
                                                restaurants’ weekend sales, resulting in a check for $2,200 presented
                                                here to Andrea Ruiz, director, The Salvation Army Osceola County. “This
                                                is the true definition of love in action,” said Captain Ken Chapman,
                                                area commander, The Salvation Army Osceola County.
                                             
                                                Reached by phone last week, Natasha Player, public relations manager for
                                                The Salvation Army’s Orlando Area Command, said, “The red kettle
                                                addresses hunger, housing and provides hope.” She said while no suspects
                                                in the robbery have been apprehended, the stolen money has been
                                                recouped. The organization is broadening its scope of activity to
                                                include a pathway to housing program and, in time, the possibility of
                                                workforce skills training at a day center on its eight-acre campus in
                                                downtown Orlando. “People tend to not want to acknowledge there is an
                                                issue,” she said, noting the organization distributes clothing and
                                                hygiene items to the unhoused twice a week. “It’s a never-ending cycle
                                                if we don’t address the housing issue. We want people to gain their
                                                independence.”
                                             
                                                Through a network of 7,600 centers across the U.S., The
                                                    Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans
                                                overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of
                                                social services. — Adam Bruns
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