Welcome to Great Lakes Growth Report, a newslettter brought to you by the Great Lakes Economic Development Council. Growth Report brings you economic development news, announcements and issues from across the Great Lakes region. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Send story ideas, announcements or events to info@greatlakesedc.org
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This Week in Perspective
Power has become a site-selection issue. The Ohio AI campus, Wisconsin’s INNIO expansion and the Churchill Falls agreement all illustrate how economic development strategy is increasingly being shaped by the availability, reliability and cost of electricity. What once was primarily a utility issue is now central to recruiting advanced manufacturing, data centers and resource-processing projects.
Traditional manufacturing remains active alongside emerging industries. Nucor’s Indiana expansion, ILPEA’s retention in Illinois and fairlife’s new production capacity in New York demonstrate continued investment in steel fabrication, plastics and food processing even as AI and energy projects capture larger headlines.
Regional collaboration is becoming more important. The eight-state Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative is an example of economic development organized around a regional supply chain rather than state boundaries. That approach could become increasingly important as states look to compete with other large U.S. regions and global manufacturing hubs rather than simply with one another.
OpenAI Joins 8-Gigawatt PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Southern Ohio
OpenAI has agreed to secure approximately 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, working with SB Energy, NVIDIA and the U.S. Department of Energy. The project is expected to create approximately 35,000 construction jobs during a six-year buildout through 2032 and 2,500 permanent operating jobs.
OpenAI says the project will cover its own energy and infrastructure costs, including necessary grid upgrades and transmission. The company also plans a $40 million community investment fund, in addition to an earlier $40 million commitment from SB Energy. The scale positions Southern Ohio as one of North America’s emerging centers for AI infrastructure. More here.
INNIO Plans $300 Million Waukesha Expansion and More Than 500 Jobs
Global energy technology company INNIO plans to invest more than $300 million to expand its North American production hub in Waukesha, Wisconsin, creating more than 500 jobs over the coming years. The company manufactures large natural gas engines used in distributed power generation and gas compression applications.
The expansion reflects surging demand for onsite and distributed electricity generation as data centers, manufacturers and utilities look for additional power capacity. Wisconsin has authorized up to $6 million in performance-based tax credits tied to investment and employment. The project also reinforces the growing economic connection between artificial intelligence infrastructure and traditional Great Lakes manufacturing. More here.
fairlife Ramps Up Production at $650 Million Webster, New York, Facility
fairlife is ramping up production at its new $650 million, 745,000-square-foot dairy processing facility in Webster, New York. The plant has already created approximately 380 full-time jobs and is expected to process between five million and six million pounds of milk each day from New York dairy farms.
The facility will serve as fairlife’s flagship regional operation and one of the largest dairy-processing plants in the Northeast. Its development required significant supporting infrastructure, including wastewater and electrical improvements. The project connects New York’s agricultural base with advanced food manufacturing while creating a major new market for dairy producers across the state. More here.
Nucor Investing $59 Million to Expand Vulcraft Plant in Northeast Indiana
Nucor will invest $59 million to expand its Vulcraft Indiana manufacturing operation in St. Joe, adding a 127,000-square-foot production facility and creating 20 full-time jobs by the end of 2027. The existing plant employs approximately 300 people.
The expansion will give the plant new capability to manufacture steel grating for industrial flooring and stair systems, complementing its existing production of steel joists, girders and decking. Nucor plans to break ground during the fourth quarter. The project further builds on the company’s extensive Indiana footprint, which includes more than a dozen locations and roughly 2,600 employees. More here.
Illinois Incentive Deal Keeps ILPEA Industries Manufacturing Plant in Galesburg
A combined $400,000 state and local incentive package has persuaded ILPEA Industries to keep its Galesburg, Illinois, manufacturing plant open rather than consolidate operations into a sister facility in South Carolina. The agreement will support retention of 32 current jobs and provide additional assistance if employment reaches 40.
ILPEA manufactures appliance door seals and plastic extrusion products. Employment had fallen from 62 earlier this year as customer demand weakened, and additional layoffs were planned before the retention package came together. The case provides a useful reminder that business retention can have as much economic impact as recruiting a new company — particularly when an existing operation is considering relocation. More here.
Michigan Expands Focus on Investment-Ready Industrial Sites
Michigan is putting new emphasis on site readiness and large-scale redevelopment as it competes for advanced manufacturing, mobility, semiconductor, life sciences and clean-energy projects. A new Business Facilities analysis highlights state programs intended to pair businesses with communities that can deliver prepared industrial locations and infrastructure
more quickly.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in corporate site selection. Companies increasingly expect states and communities to resolve utility, infrastructure, entitlement and redevelopment challenges before a project begins. Michigan’s approach seeks to combine its established manufacturing workforce and supplier base with a stronger pipeline of investment-ready properties capable of supporting increasingly compressed project schedules. More here.
Great Lakes States Launch Next Phase of Regional Mass Timber Initiative
The Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative is entering its next phase with participation from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The eight-state effort will focus on creating stronger connections among timber resources, manufacturers, developers and end users.
Supported by a USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Grant, the initiative will conduct supply-chain mapping, feasibility work for new manufacturing opportunities, technical assistance and workforce development. Team
Pennsylvania will co-lead the coordinated economic development workgroup. The effort represents an unusual interstate approach to industry development and could help create new markets for Great Lakes forest products while expanding domestic production of engineered building materials. More here.
Mariposa Dairy and Armada Toolworks Invest in Lindsay, Ontario, Manufacturing
Two Lindsay manufacturers are advancing projects worth more than C$20 million combined. Mariposa Dairy is undertaking a C$19.5 million expansion that will add automated processing, packaging and shipping technology, while Armada Toolworks is investing more than C$1.3 million to modernize manufacturing and diversify into medical-device production.
Mariposa has grown into one of Canada’s largest goat-cheese processors and now operates more than 80,000 square feet of production space. Armada traditionally manufactures automotive plastic components but is using the project to enter a new market. Together, the investments illustrate how automation and market diversification are helping Ontario manufacturers respond to tariff and productivity pressures. More here.
Nearly C$70 Billion Churchill Falls Agreement Could Reshape Quebec Industrial Growth
Canada, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador are advancing a package of hydroelectric generation and transmission projects valued at nearly C$70 billion. The agreement includes expansion of the Churchill Falls generating station, development of the long-discussed Gull Island hydroelectric project and hundreds of kilometers of new transmission infrastructure.
The projects could provide Quebec with significant additional clean electricity at a time when energy-intensive manufacturers, data centers and mining projects are competing for limited power. Federal officials also identified the Labrador Trough as a strategic critical-minerals corridor. The agreement therefore has implications well beyond electricity generation, potentially unlocking additional mining, processing and industrial investment throughout Quebec and the broader Great Lakes-St. Lawrence economy. More here.
