Alabama has been selected for Area Development’s Silver Shovel Award, recognizing economic development success in 2022.
Area Development, a national publication, gave the state the honor on the basis of $10.1 billion in capital investment last year. That total is a record for the state, topping the $8.1 billion in 2018.
“The Silver Shovel Award is yet another testament to Alabama’s strong pro-business environment and to the talented workers that help these world-class companies grow and thrive,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “This honor demonstrates that our efforts to create good jobs and spark economic growth are producing bountiful results in Sweet Home Alabama.”
Based on the number of high-valued added jobs per capita, amount of investment, number of new facilities and industry diversity of the submitted projects, Alabama qualified for a Silver Shovel award in the 4- to 6-million population category. Other winners in the category were South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Additionally, Area Development recognized the Novelis project in Bay Minette that is expected to create 1,000 jobs through a $2.5 billion investment as a “Manufacturing Project of the Year” for 2022.
