TheJobWalk E.43

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! We just hit 2000 subscribers- massive thank you for walking with us each week! Eli Lilly plans a $5B state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Virginia, while Red Bull, Ball Corp, and RAUCH break ground on a $1.5B manufacturing campus in North Carolina. Hensel Phelps secures a $700M aviation project, Bechtel’s $6.7B LNG mega-project gets the go-ahead, and GreenLite raises $49.5M to accelerate building permits with AI. Let’s dive in!

NEWS
$5 Billion Eli Lilly and Company Facility Planned for Virginia

Eli Lilly & Company is planning a $5 billion state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia, at the West Creek Business Park.

The project includes the development of a fully integrated complex, featuring large-scale production areas for both active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and final drug products.

The project is expected to generate 1,800 construction jobs and 650 permanent high‑skill jobs over the next five years.

This facility is the first of four new U.S. manufacturing sites that Lilly has announced it will build this year; Lilly expects all four to be operational by 2030.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 Innovation Fund Grant To Samsung Semiconductor(TXGov)
📰 Digital Realty & NVIDIA to Launch Quantum-AI Data Center in NYC(DigitalRealty)
📰 Rowan Digital Invests $1.2 Billion in Data Centers(Rowan)
📰 Liebherr Cranes Build Princess Elisabeth Energy Island(Liebherr)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

Red Bull $1.5B Manufacturing Facility, North Carolina

Red Bull, in partnership with Ball Corporation and RAUCH Fruchtsäfte, has officially broken ground on a $1.5 billion manufacturing campus in Concord, North Carolina. 

The development spans 2.3 million sq.ft. across production, filling, and distribution operations, alongside an 800,000 sq. ft. aluminum can plant by Ball. Once complete, the site will be one of the largest beverage production hubs in the United States, capable of producing up to 3 billion cans annually.

The first phase is expected to be operational in 2028, projected to create 700 jobs across manufacturing, logistics, and distribution.

• Client/Developer: Red Bull, Ball Corporation, Rauch Fruchtsäfte

• General Contractor: Not disclosed

• Sector: Food & Beverage

• Value: $1.5 Billion

• Location: Concord, North Carolina

Movement in the field:

🏠Project Core Drops $500M in Spartanburg: Project Core unveiled plans to build a mixed-use development in Spartanburg, South Carolina it is said to be the largest project in the city's history. This $500 million development is going to include a 3,500-seat stadium, 200,000 SQ FT office space, 375 luxury apartments, a 150-room hotel and a large public plaza. Construction of the complete mixed-use project is yet to begin but the baseball stadium was completed in April 2025 with all other components of the project yet to be announced.

Key Details: Client: The Johnson Group, General Contractors: Robins & Morton, Award: Mixed-use, Value: $500 Million, Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina

✈️HENSEL PHELPS Lands a Sky-High $700M Deal: HENSEL PHELPS has secured a $700 million contract to deliver a major expansion at Boise Airport. The project includes adding 10 new gates, designed to handle future passenger growth and expanded air service. The upgrade will significantly increase the airport’s capacity, positioning Boise as a stronger regional hub while supporting the city’s rising demand for travel.

Key Details: Owner/Client: Boise Airport, General Contractor: HENSEL PHELPS, Sector: Aviation, Value: $700 Million, Location: Boise, Idaho

🩺Paging Progress, $300M Med School Project Kicks Off: University of South Carolina broke ground on its new, 315,000 SQ FT all-new medicine research facility in Columbia, South Carolina. This $300 million project is expected to produce 6 buildings in total, forming a new 16-acre health sciences campus. Including a Medicine Building, Classrooms, labs and simulation spaces. Gilbane Building broke ground on this project back in February 2025, working with BOUDREAUX as the lead architects to produce this asset to revolutionary discoveries. The complete project is expected to be completed and fully operational in August 2027.

Key Details: Client: University of South Carolina, General Contractors: Gilbane Building, Architect: BOUDREAUX, Award: Medicine & Research Facility, Value: $300 Million, Location: Columbia, South Carolina

🪴Bechtel’s $6.7B LNG Beast Gets the Green Light: Bechtel has received approval to move forward on a $6.7 billion LNG project. The project will deliver a new export facility designed to expand U.S. LNG capacity for global markets. Construction will include liquefaction trains, storage tanks, and marine facilities to handle shipping operations. Construction is slated to begin in 2025, with completion targeted before the end of the decade.

Key Details: Owner/Client: NextDecade, General Contractor: Bechtel Corporation, Sector: Energy (LNG), Value: $6.7 Billion, Location: Brownsville, Texas

WANT TO SPONSOR THEJOBWALK?

Contact: [email protected] 

WORLD
Trojena, Saudi Arabia

NEOM is developing Trojena, a year-round mountain tourism destination in the mountains of northwest Saudi Arabia, situated at altitudes up to 2,600 meters on Jebel al Lawz.

The destination will include six themed districts: Gateway, Discover, Valley, Explore, Relax, and Fun- each tailored to deliver unique experiences such as skiing, luxury residences, wellness resorts, and outdoor adventure.

Trojena will feature over 30 kilometers of ski slopes, a 2.8-kilometer man-made lake, an 80-hectare golf course with an elevation change of 300 meters, and an array of hotels, entertainment, and cultural facilities.

It is the Gulf region’s first outdoor ski resort and will utilize natural snowfall and artificial snow for a 3-month ski season due to sub-zero winter temperatures.

TECH SPOTLIGHT
GreenLite Raises $49.5M to Speed Up Building Permits with AI

GreenLite just raised $49.5 million to help fix one of the biggest problems in construction- slow permits. Getting a building permit can take a long time. Cities are often behind, with not enough staff and too much paperwork. GreenLite uses AI to speed things up. Their tool, called LiteTable, checks building plans, finds mistakes, and shows the right building codes. This makes it faster and easier to get approved.

Right now, GreenLite works with almost 100 Fortune 500 companies, and says it can make permit approvals 75% faster. That means buildings can start going up much sooner.

They have 50 full-time employees and plan to grow. The company wants to help more areas like hotels, factories, clean energy, and housing. This big investment will help them do just that- build faster, smarter, and with fewer delays.

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

What’s the main function of a mechanical economizer in an HVAC system?

A. Introduce outside air to reduce cooling load // B. Maintain humidity levels // C. Increase refrigerant pressure

In reinforced concrete design, what is the typical role of stirrups?

A. Increase thermal resistance // B. Provide compressive strength // C. Control shear forces

Which type of circuit breaker is best suited for high short-circuit current environments?

A. Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) // B. Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) // C. Molded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB)

In a construction safety context, what does the term “leading edge” refer to?

A. Corner of an excavation // B. First piece of equipment installed // C. Edge of a floor, roof, or formwork not yet protected

What’s the purpose of an expansion joint in a building structure?

A. Strengthen beam-column connections // B. Allow for thermal movement and material expansion // C. Prevent seismic damage

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
“Dude, check this out”

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

Which daily habit is silently shaping my future, for better or worse?

ANSWERS

Q1 A. Introduce outside air to reduce cooling load // Q2 C. Control shear forces // Q3 A. Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) // Q4 C. Edge of a floor, roof, or formwork not yet protected // Q5 B. Allow for thermal movement and material expansion

How many did you get?

Not subscribed to TheJobWak? Subscribe for FREE