Mississippi has been at the forefront of economic success in recent years, and has been recognized for reeling in high-dollar projects with a Gold Shovel Award.
The national award, presented by Area Development magazine, honors Mississippi’s major accomplishments in economic development throughout 2025. Additionally, Area Development named the $210 million Amazon project in Marshall County as one of its Non-Manufacturing Projects of the Year.
The project entailed a 930,000-square-foot facility located in Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park, with the plant serving to receive and consolidate products from Amazon vendors. Amazon announced that 1,000 new jobs would be created as part of the project.
“This national recognition is further proof that the Mississippi Momentum is going strong,” Gov. Tate Reeves said.
“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.”
Submissions are evaluated on “job creation, capital investment, industry diversity, and alignment with each state’s broader economic development strategy.” Based on the projects submitted by the Mississippi Development Authority, the Magnolia State won a Gold Shovel Award in the “under 3 million population” category.
Mississippi’s top job creation and investment projects contributing to winning a Gold Shovel Award include:
“Economic development is results-based, and this Gold Shovel Award is a clear indicator of the results Mississippi is delivering,” Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork said.
“We compete with every state in the nation for investment and jobs, and companies continue to choose us because they know projects can move here. Our state has become one of the best for business growth and investment, and we are proud to once again be recognized for our dedication to bringing new opportunities to all Mississippians.”
The full list of 2026 Shovel Award recipients can be found here.
