Economic Development

Tupelo, Miss. – – October 08, 2026 -- The Huntington National Bank has committed more than $40 million to modernize its downtown Tupelo Regional Headquarters and Tupelo Operations Center, serving as the anchor investment for a newly designated Huntington Bank Business Park.

Huntington commits over $40 million to upgrade Tupelo facilities

The investment will renovate the Tupelo Operations Center with a new fitness center, updated health center and on-site café, while the downtown headquarters will receive a modernized branch, community meeting space and expanded parking. Joseph Moss, Mississippi regional president for Huntington, said the project confirms the bank's long-term commitment to Tupelo and North Mississippi.

Washington – September 30, 2026 -- MedStar Health, Georgetown University and The Coalition hosted the first Business Local Impact Connection Day — Construction Edition at Georgetown University's Capitol Campus, aiming to link local D.C.-area businesses with prime contractors in the construction sector.

DCAP institutions have channeled $1.5 billion into D.C.-based businesses since 2017

The event is part of the DC Community Anchor Partnership (DCAP), a program run by The Coalition that has grown from four founding anchor institutions in 2017 to 17 today. Cumulative spending by DCAP members with D.C.-based businesses has surpassed $1.5 billion over that period.

Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- A newly filmed segment of the public-television series "Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid" profiles Southern Illinois Now (SI NOW), an economic development organization that has unified a 17-county region into a single point of contact for companies weighing relocation away from saturated metropolitan markets.

SI NOW consolidates 17 counties into one negotiating front for site selection

Rather than compete against one another for incoming industry, the counties in SI NOW's network pool infrastructure, workforce data and logistics assets under a shared regional brand. The organization positions this as a direct answer to fragmented local competition, which it says confuses incoming businesses, dilutes talent pools and duplicates administrative costs across neighboring municipalities.

San Antonio – September 25, 2026 -- Oxford Economics has named Greater San Antonio one of North America's five "Cities to Watch," as the region posted $4.8 billion in capital investment and 7,098 announced jobs year-to-date in 2026, surpassing its annual economic development targets.

Oxford Economics cites labor growth and military presence in naming San Antonio a top North American metro

The Global Cities Index recognition points to the region's economic diversity, labor force growth, military footprint, higher education assets and expanding business base as key differentiators among North American metros.

greater:SATX has driven 20,900 jobs and $10.26 billion in investment since 2022

The regional economic development partnership, led by President & CEO Sarah Carabias Rush, has coordinated recruitment across manufacturing, aerospace, defense, cybersecurity, financial services and corporate operations since 2022.

Trenton – September 23, 2026 -- New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has signed bipartisan legislation (A5016/S4218) creating an Employee Ownership Transition Program and a revolving loan fund at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to finance conversions of businesses into employee-owned firms.

NJEDA revives a financing model that returned ninefold on its original loan

The new Employee Ownership Revolving Loan Fund reactivates a mechanism NJEDA first used 50 years ago to finance the employee buyout of the Okonite Company in Passaic County. That original loan was fully repaid and revolved nine times over; Okonite remains 100% employee-owned today and has distributed more than $300 million in ESOP payouts to workers. The fund can draw capital from state appropriations, federal sources including U.S. Economic Development Administration grants, and philanthropic capital.

Boca Raton, Fla. – September 19, 2026 -- The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has designated Florida Atlantic University (FAU) as an Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) University, placing it among just over 90 higher education institutions nationwide to hold the credential.

FAU secures national recognition after review of over 1,000 stakeholders

The designation followed an independent, rigorous review process that engaged more than 1,000 internal and external stakeholders, including students, alumni, faculty, community partners, local employers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits and public agencies. The IEP status recognizes universities that collaborate with public and private sector partners to drive economic development through innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and workforce development.

Lebanon, Ind. – September 16, 2026 -- SHEIN opened a new 737,000-square-foot automated fulfillment facility in Lebanon, Indiana, expanding its statewide footprint to more than 2.5 million square feet and adding hundreds of new jobs to a workforce already exceeding 1,300 Hoosiers.

New facility deploys goods-to-person automation to boost fulfillment capacity

The Lebanon site, located roughly 1.5 miles from SHEIN's existing Indiana operations, is scheduled to begin operations this month. The facility uses a goods-to-person fulfillment system designed to strengthen SHEIN's U.S. logistics network as the company scales order volumes across its online fashion and lifestyle business.