TheJobWalk E.44

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! Eli Lilly launches a $6.5B facility in Texas, while Novo Nordisk builds big with a $4.1B manufacturing site. Scout Motors invests $2.3B in EV production in Blythewood, and Amkor shifts gears with a $2B chip plant relocation. Microsoft drops $4B to expand America’s largest data center build, and Procore names Ajei Gopal as its new CEO. Explore America’s largest data center project coming in at $10B+. Let’s dive in!

NEWS
$6.5 Billion Eli Lilly & Company Texas Facility

Eli Lilly has just announced another major development- plans to build a $6.5 billion active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas.

This new Houston facility will support the production of treatments in areas like heart disease, cancer & immune disorders.

The project will support around 4,000 construction jobs during the build, along with 615 permanent roles upon completion- for engineers, scientists, and lab workers.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 JLL Data Says Office Demand’s Up(CNBC)
📰 Volvo Showcases First All-Electric Vehicle Site(Volvo)
📰 Nvidia & OpenAI Team Up for $100B(Nvidia)
📰 Digital Realty Launches Pathway for Vets(Digital Realty)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

$4.1B Novo Nordisk Manufacturing Facility

Novo Nordisk announced to break ground back in June 2024, on the 1.4 million SQ FT all-new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina. 

This $4.1 billion project is expected to create over 2,000 external contractor positions as well as 1,000 permanent positions. 

Their expansion will double the combined square footage of all three of Novo Nordisk’s existing facilities in North Carolina.

The project aims to enhance the company’s capacity to produce current and future injectable treatments for obesity and other serious chronic diseases. It will be fully operational by 2027 and 2029.

• Client: Novo Nordisk

• General Contractors: BE&K Building Group

• Award: Manufacturing facility 

• Value: $4.1 Billion

• Location: Clayton, North Carolina

Movement in the field:

🔌EV Bucks Roll Into Blythewood… $2.3B Worth: Scout Motors Inc. (an American subsidiary of Volkswagen AG), is building an EV manufacturing facility in South Carolina to build all-new Scout vehicles at a state-of-the-art factory. This $2.3 billion project is expected to produce fully electric Scout pickup trucks and SUVs, with a production capacity of over 200,000 vehicles annually. The 16 million sq ft project is expected to create over 4,000 direct jobs and up to 5,500 more from suppliers. Construction includes multiple contractors seeing the project through such as AECOM, M. B. Kahn, and Evans General Contractors, with project expectancy in 2027.

Key Details: Client: Scout Motors Inc., General Contractors: Evans General Contractors, AECOM, M. B. Kahn, Architects: TBA, Award: Manufacturing, Value: $2.3 Billion, Location: Blythewood, South Carolina

🧪Golden Triangle’s $8.5B Chemistry Set Grows Bigger: Golden Triangle Polymers, a JV between Chevron Phillips and QatarEnergy, is building an $8.5 billion petrochemical facility in Orange County, Texas. Construction began in 2023 and is currently supporting thousands of construction jobs through the buildout, with operations set to start in 2026. Once operational, the complex will produce essential plastics used in packaging, consumer goods, and industrial applications.

Key Details: Owner/Developer: Golden Triangle Polymers Company (Chevron Phillips Chemical Company & QatarEnergy JV), General Contractor: Zachry Group & Chiyoda Corporation JV, Sector: Petrochemical/Industrial, Value: $8.5 Billion, Location: Orange County, Texas

🍟Amkor Hits Refresh, $2B Chip Plant Finds New Home: Amkor Technology has announced plans to relocate its planned $2 billion semiconductor facility to a larger site in Peoria, Arizona. The move comes as the company scales its investment to meet growing demand for advanced semiconductor packaging and testing. Construction is expected to begin this month, and production of the first chips is planned for 2028.

Key Details: Owner/Client: Amkor Technology, Inc., General Contractor: TBD, Sector: Semiconductor/Advanced Manufacturing, Value: $2 Billion, Location: Peoria, Arizona

💻Ctrl + Alt + Expand, Microsoft Drops $4B on Data Hub: Microsoft will invest an additional $4 billion to expand its planned data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, bringing its total investment in the state to over $7 billion. The first data center, set to go online in early 2026, is already in final construction phases and has employed nearly 10,000 workers, including 3,000+ construction workers at peak. A second data center, equal in scale, will be completed by 2028. This campus will host the world’s most powerful AI datacenter, serving as part of Microsoft’s distributed training supercomputer network.

Key Details: General Contractors: Confidential, Client: Microsoft, Award: Data Center, Value: $7 Billion+ (Total Investment), Location: Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin

WANT TO SPONSOR THEJOBWALK?

Contact: [email protected] 

WORLD
America’s Largest Data Center, Louisiana

BuildWitt just recently filmed with Mortenson, showcasing the build of the Richland Parish Data Center campus located in Northeastern Louisiana. 

Once complete, this Meta site will host 10 hyperscale data centers, representing one of the largest single data center projects in U.S. history. 

The site spans 4 million sq. ft, spread across 3,200 acres. Mortenson has hundreds of machines in constant motion, moving an average of 40,000-50,000 cubic yards of dirt per day.

5 miles long, 1 mile wide...

• Client/Developer: Meta

• General Contractor: Mortenson

• Sector: Data Center

• Location: Richland Parish, Louisiana

TECH SPOTLIGHT
Procore Picks Ajei Gopal as New CEO

Procore announced that Ajei Gopal will become its next Chief Executive Officer, taking over from the company’s founder, Tooey Courtemanche.

Gopal brings more than 35 years of tech leadership experience, including serving as President and CEO at Ansys from 2017 to 2025. Under his leadership at Ansys, revenue more than tripled and the company eventually completed a $35 billion acquisition by Synopsys.

He is expected to officially start in November 2025, at which point Courtemanche will step back from day‑to‑day operations and take on the role of Chair of the Board.

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

What is the purpose of a P-trap in plumbing systems?

A. Create water pressure // B. Prevent sewer gases from entering buildings // C. Increase flow velocity

Which document defines the quality and workmanship standards for a construction project?

A. Shop Drawings // B. Specifications // C. Change Orders

What is the most common cause of concrete spalling?

A. Excessive cement content // B. Poor curing methods // C. Freeze-thaw cycles

Which type of lighting is most energy-efficient for commercial spaces?

A. LED // B. Fluorescent // C. Incandescent 

In a design-bid-build project, who holds the primary contract with the owner?

A. Architect/Engineer  // B. General Contractor // C. Subcontractor

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
hahahahaha… oh

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

If your younger self saw your current career path, what would they admire?

ANSWERS

Q1 B. Prevent sewer gases from entering buildings // Q2 B. Specifications // Q3 C. Freeze-thaw cycles // Q4 A. LED // Q5 A. Architect/Engineer

How many did you get?