Mississippi wins Gold Shovel Award for economic development

Mississippi received a Gold Shovel Award from Area Development magazine for major economic development accomplishments throughout 2025, the magazine said. Area Development also named a $210 million Amazon project in Marshall County one of its Non-Manufacturing Projects of the Year.

The Amazon project includes a 930,000-square-foot facility at Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park that will receive and consolidate products from Amazon vendors, Area Development said. Amazon announced the project will create 1,000 new jobs.

Area Development said submissions for the Shovel Awards are evaluated on “job creation, capital investment, industry diversity, and alignment with each state’s broader economic development strategy.” The magazine credited projects submitted by the Mississippi Development Authority for the state’s win in the category for states with fewer than 3 million people.

Gov. Tate Reeves hailed the recognition, saying it “is further proof that the Mississippi Momentum is going strong. The Gold Shovel Award represents billions of dollars in new private capital investment and thousands of new high-paying jobs created in communities throughout our state. Our conservative policies and world-class workforce continue to deliver results. It’s another great win for Mississippi and her people,” he said.

Bill Cork, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, said the award reflects measurable results. “Economic development is results-based, and this Gold Shovel Award is a clear indicator of the results Mississippi is delivering,” Cork said. Area Development published a full list of 2026 Shovel Award recipients, the magazine said.

Source: Original Article