LINCOLN – On Dec 23rd, Governor Pete Ricketts announced that Nebraska has received a major economic development award.  For the fourth time, Area Development—the leading executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation - has honored the State with a Silver Shovel. Previous Silver Shovels were awarded in 2007, 2019, and 2020. The 2022 award recognizes Nebraska’s successful recruitment of high-value, job-creating investment projects in 2021.

“Nebraska continues to attract major investments from internationally renowned job creators thanks to our hardworking people, common-sense regulatory environment, and business-friendly climate,” said Gov. Ricketts. “This fourth Silver Shovel Award affirms Nebraska’s reputation as a great place to invest and grow a business.”

The Gold and Silver Shovel Awards rank each state’s 10 biggest investment or expansion projects on a combination of weighted factors, including new jobs per capita, combined investments, new facilities, and industry diversity.  Overall, the top 10 projects in Nebraska created more than 2,500 jobs and totaled nearly $1.8 billion in new investment in 2021.

“Nebraska has welcoming communities, a great workforce, and we make it easy to do business,” said Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Tony Goins. “Winning another Silver Shovel Award is evidence of Nebraska’s growing reputation as a top state for business. The projects that contributed to this year’s award showcase our strength in diverse industries such as food processing, manufacturing, biofuels production, and IT. Nebraska is open for business, and we’re committed to providing world-class support to companies looking to invest in our state.”

See below for a full list of projects that contributed to this year’s victory:

Company / Industry

Nucor Corp. – Steel

Instinct – Pet Food

Duncan Aviation – Logistics / Transportation

Vericred – Health and & Data Services

Wholestone Farms – Food Processing

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. – Rail Car & Aerospace

Viridis Chemical LLC – Bioscience and Renewable Chemicals

Facebook – IT & Data Service

Heartwell Renewables – Bioscience & Renewable Fuels

Novozymes – Plant-Based Food

During Governor Ricketts’ tenure, DED has partnered with schools and/or local businesses to strengthen Nebraska’s workforce through programs such as the Developing Youth Talent Initiative, Nebraska Career Scholarship Program, and Customized Job Training Program.  These efforts have contributed to Nebraska achieving record-high employment in 2022 and the top labor force participation rate in America at 69.8%, a ranking the state has held for 25 consecutive months.

DED also administers the Rural Workforce Housing Fund and Middle Income Workforce Housing Fund to help communities build affordable, high-quality homes to support business growth. Both programs were initiated through legislation signed into law by Gov. Ricketts.

Throughout Governor Ricketts’ administration, the agency has organized domestic and international trade missions to promote Nebraska as an attractive place to invest.  Additionally, DED oversees a Site and Building Development Fund to support job creators relocating to Nebraska or expanding operations in the state.

Through these initiatives, and other ongoing business retention and recruitment efforts, DED has helped Nebraska rank in the top five nationally for new economic development projects per capita every year since Governor Ricketts took office (2015 through 2021).