Economic Development News

U.S. employers announced 71,321 layoffs in November, bringing the 2025 total to 1.17 million, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Tech companies and AI-driven restructuring contributed significantly, with AI-related layoffs totaling 54,694 this year....

A new study by The Perryman Group finds that Dallas Fort Worth International Airport now contributes $78.3 billion annually to the North Texas economy and supports roughly 684,000 regional jobs. The airport’s growth over the last decade has been fueled by increasing...

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock reported that the Port of Beaumont handled $23 billion in trade in 2024, a 182% increase from 2015, contributing $23.4 billion to the state’s GDP. The port’s growth has been fueled by exports, which jumped 117% from 2020 to 2024,...

Nichiha will close its Plant One facility in Macon on Dec. 6, putting nearly 200 workers out of a job just before the holiday season. The Japanese fiber cement manufacturer will keep its second Macon plant open, while local authorities have organized job fairs and...

Since 2010, data centers in Virginia have been exempt from the state’s sales and use tax, resulting in $2.7 billion in foregone revenue, including $1 billion in fiscal 2024 alone. While the exemption supports 74,000 jobs and contributes $9.1 billion to the state GDP,...

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig led a 12-member delegation on a trade mission to Vietnam and Indonesia to promote the state’s corn, soybeans, pork, beef, and biofuels. The delegation included representatives from Iowa’s grain and protein commodity groups and...

Bulk liquid storage and logistics services provider BWC Terminals is locating a new terminal facility in Pascagoula, representing a nearly $316 million investment and creating 25 jobs. The project will occupy the former Mississippi Phosphates site and support an...

Silicon Valley startup XLight signed a letter of intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce for $150 million in proposed CHIPS Act incentives to support construction and demonstration of a free-electron laser prototype for extreme ultraviolet lithography. The deal...

Layoff announcements exceeded 1,000 in November as companies across the packaging sector continued to restructure operations. Ceilley Pallets (12 layoffs), Graphic Packaging (120), Inline Plastics (25), International Paper (718), Printpack (111), and Smurfit Westrock...

The University of Alabama reported a record $3.4 billion statewide economic impact for the 2023–2024 academic year, including $2.354 billion in the Tuscaloosa metro area. University leaders highlighted strong enrollment, workforce contributions, and significant...