Texas lands Gold Shovel award for job-creating business investments

06/29/2024 06:00 AM

AUSTIN – Texas received another Gold Shovel Award from Area Development magazine for leading among the most populous states in attracting high–value economic development projects that will create many new jobs.

This is the 11th Gold Shovel Award for Texas, which has received a Gold or Silver Shovel in each of the 19 years of the award program.

“Texas again brings home the gold when it comes to attracting high-value business investments that create good-paying jobs for hardworking Texans across our great state,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.

“I congratulate our local, regional and statewide economic development partners on this achievement,” Abbott said. “Texas offers innovative businesses the freedom to expand and thrive, with each of our regions offering unique advantages.

“As we continue to work together with our communities, I look forward to building an even bigger, better Texas,” he added.

Area Development recognized Texas for $21 billion in high-value business expansion or location projects. The magazine also named ZT Systems in Georgetown, Texas, a cloud-computing manufacturing facility to create as many as 1,500 jobs, as a Project of the Year.

Other economic development investments in Texas noted by the magazine include: $185 million invested by Toppan Photomasks Inc. in its semiconductor-related manufacturing operations in Round Rock, $600 million by Google for a data center in the Dallas area, $375 million by Tesla in a lithium refinery in Robstown, and a billion-dollar investment by Graphic Packaging International in Waco.

Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create many new jobs in their communities.

The rankings are based on a combination of weighted factors, including the number of new jobs to be created in relation to the state’s population, the combined dollar amount of the company investments, the number of new facilities, and the diversity of industry represented.