From Hammond to Fort Wayne, the Hoosier State is balling out.
When phrase broke that the Chicago Bears have been increasing their stadium web site search to incorporate locations in northwest Indiana, issues received actual for a number of people shortly.
Whether or not essentially the most storied franchise in National Football League historical past strikes to Indiana, the truth is that company leaders from AWS, FedEx, Microsoft, Nippon Steel and different world companies are beating a path to the Hoosier State.
Markets like LaPorte, Hobart, Noblesville, Fishers, Carmel, Westfield and different cities aren’t simply competing for coveted tasks; they’re successful them.
Case in level: John Deere. On January 27, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun introduced that the 189-year-old farm tools producer would make investments $125 million to construct a 1.2-million-sq.-ft. warehouse and distribution middle on 234 acres in Lake County close to the Lowell-Hebron space of Northwest Indiana. The new facility is predicted to create 150 jobs that pay wages above the county common.
Renderings courtesy of City of Westfield
“This new facility is an investment in customer expectations around world-class product support through parts availability for our U.S.-based ag, turf, construction, forestry and mining customers,” stated Denver Caldwell, vice chairman of aftermarket and buyer assist on the $45.7 billion firm headquartered in Moline, Illinois. “Indiana’s strong workforce and central location make it an ideal choice for expansion.”
The announcement is a part of John Deere’s pledge to speculate $20 billion in America-based manufacturing and logistics assist vegetation over the following 10 years. Based upon the agency’s job dedication plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) introduced it will award John Deere as much as $2.5 million in incentive-based tax credit.
Heather Ennis, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum (NWI), the financial growth partnership for the seven-county area simply throughout the Illinois line from Chicago, is not any stranger to massive offers. Just a number of months in the past, she celebrated the profitable recruitment of Amazon Web Services to Hobart in Lake County, the place AWS plans to develop $15 billion value of information middle services on a number of campuses.
She says that information facilities, value-added agricultural tasks and the quantum computing sector are all having a huge impact on the Northwest Indiana economic system.
“We’re seeing a lot of large-load needs coming through,” says Ennis. “It’s been pretty strong around data center opportunities. We’re also seeing a significant amount of interest around advanced manufacturing and semiconductors. The ongoing investment at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park in Chicago has created a quantum computing corridor that extends to Northwest Indiana.”
The NWI area has 870,000 folks and consists of cities like Valparaiso, Gary and Fair Oaks. Fair Oaks Farms is a significant employer via its three way partnership with Coca-Cola and Fairlife Milk. Around half of the area is a part of the Chicago metropolitan statistical space — an MSA that Site Selection has ranked because the No. 1 metro within the nation for undertaking exercise for greater than the previous dozen years, together with 2025.
Taking a Pass on the NFL
Besides AWS, the most important deal introduced within the area this previous yr was Nippon Steel Corporation committing to speculate $3.1 billion into facility enhancements on the U.S. Steel plant it bought in Gary two years in the past.
“That’s exciting for us,” says Ennis. “We’re seeing expansion of general advanced manufacturing in the region. Nippon will be doing improvements in tech advancements and adding employees to the steel mill in Gary.”
“As the second-largest urban area in the state, we want everyone to know that they will find genuinely welcome people and an ease of doing business here. I think people should not count out Indiana.”
— Heather Ennis, President & CEO, Northwest Indiana Forum
When I requested Ennis to call the area’s largest undertaking wins of 2025, she listed AWS, the metal mill and a $60 million FedEx distribution hub in Gary. “We’re also seeing new developments in our housing market,” she famous. “Our commuter rail service is causing housing markets to flourish in Northwest Indiana.”
And then she sprung the massive information: “The Chicago Bears are looking at Northwest Indiana,” she stated. When I requested her if she thought this was only a ploy by the Bears to get a greater deal in Chicago, she didn’t bat a watch. “We take all at-bats as real at-bats. We practice like we play,” she added.
Ennis elaborated by saying, “They have come and they have looked at sites in Northwest Indiana. Their conversation is with the governor and legislators. It would have to be a public-private partnership with the state, the locals and the Bears. Places like Hammond and western Porter County are a half-hour to 45-minute drive to downtown Chicago, and they are very accessible by commuter rail and boat.”
Another one that’s taking the Bears’ potential transfer significantly is John Boyd Jr., principal of The Boyd Company Inc., a nationwide web site choice consulting agency.
“Indiana is a global case study of a state successfully leveraging sports for high-level economic development,” Boyd says. “We see this with the NCAA headquarters attraction from Kansas City back in 1999, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Colts and the Pacers, top-notch University programs in Bloomington, West Lafayette, South Bend and Muncie. We’re also seeing this now with Gov. Braun, and the legislature’s working on an incentive package to attract the iconic Chicago Bears franchise from Illinois.” (At press time, Indiana legislators handed a invoice supporting the stadium proposal.)
Bears’ possession in September 2025 put ahead detailed plans for a brand new stadium on the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the place the group bought property in 2023. But negotiations over incentives have dragged out since then. Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren revealed an open letter to followers in December decrying a scarcity of legislative partnership, asserting the expanded search was on and stating, “This is not about leverage.”
Boyd says that “the economic impact of an amenity-rich domed stadium capable of hosting year-round events — and the multi-billion-dollar mixed-use real estate development around the stadium — would mean thousands of new jobs and tax revenue for Northwest Indiana and the state as a whole. And, unlike most other types of private-sector employers, sports franchises and stadiums are steady generational economic engines much less vulnerable to swings in the economy than most other types of businesses.”
Asked why an historic franchise just like the Bears would take into account a transfer throughout state traces, Boyd says, “The Bears — as well as future commercial tenants in the surrounding mixed-use development — would find the same business climate advantages [lower taxes, lower business costs and more business-friendly regulations] that so many companies that have ditched Illinois for Indiana over the years already enjoy in the Hoosier State.”
Sports Projects Rise in Westfield
Down the freeway in Central Indiana, the northern Indianapolis suburb of Westfield in Hamilton County is experiencing a wave of accelerated financial growth with the rise of a number of sports-related tasks. Among them is the brand new company headquarters of Ed Carpenter Racing, which is constructing a 76,000-sq.-ft. facility that ought to open in 2027. (See p. 182.)
Westfield not too long ago celebrated the groundbreaking of two giant mixed-use developments in downtown — the $27 million Ambrose on Main and the $105 million Grand on Main, a undertaking that would be the new Indiana headquarters for Skender and have an Underground Railroad artwork historical past attraction.
Jenell Fairman, government chief of financial and group growth for Westfield, says that two main mixed-use developments by Keystone Group on the north aspect and Carter & Associates on the south aspect might be game-changers for town. “Keystone will develop two mixed-use blocks that they will break ground on soon, adding another parking garage and retail space,” she says. “We will also be expanding the efforts of the sporting community to focus on health and wellness by helping people stay active.”
Also within the works are a brand new full-service lodge adjoining to the Grand Park Event Center; an ice hockey area at Grand Park Lake; a significant flag soccer competitors on the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus this July; and a brand new $11.2 million headquarters for Vikan North America in Westfield.
Two Dreams, Two Pitches
Fort Wayne in Allen County is banking on a brand new soccer stadium producing a large financial impression in Northeast Indiana. Local enterprise proprietor Mark Music introduced the undertaking on November 4, 2024. Upon completion in 2026, Fort Wayne FC Park would be the everlasting residence of Fort Wayne FC, a seven-year-old membership that competes in USL League One, the third division of American skilled soccer. The 9,200-seat facility at Bass Road and Interstate 69 would be the largest out of doors stadium in Northeast Indiana and is slated to open in time for the membership’s residence opener on May 2. The undertaking is being funded completely with personal cash and no taxpayer {dollars}.
“While this will be an incredible stadium for soccer fans and event attendees, we want to look beyond the field to the potential of contributing to the growth of sport in Northeast Indiana and beyond,” stated Music, majority proprietor of Fort Wayne FC. “Sports is an integral part of today’s society and adds to the quality of place. Soccer will continue to grow, especially with the World Cup phenomenon that will come to the U.S. in 2026.”
Music added that “this will be an incredible fan-first stadium, making the fan experience a top priority. There will be many viewing options including premium seating, right down to the pitch level. Because of the steeper rake of the upper grandstand, no seat will be more than 55 feet from the touch line, providing amazing line-of-sight views, so everyone will feel like they are part of the action. I’m hopeful that the community will see this soccer park as a true asset for Northeast Indiana.”
While the homeowners haven’t publicly divulged the price of the undertaking, earlier revealed studies stated the stadium can be half of a bigger $150 million mixed-use growth.
About 122 miles to the west in Portage, Indiana, Heather Ennis says it’s time for Indiana to unfold the phrase that Hoosiers play for retains. “We have a Northwest Indiana marketing campaign called ‘As Real As It Gets.’ We are promoting that through a variety of social media channels,” she says. “We are relationship-driven. We meet with site selectors, brokers and other business leaders. As the second-largest urban area in the state, we want everyone to know that they will find genuinely welcoming people and an ease of doing business here. I think people should not count out Indiana.”
Ed Carpenter Racing is constructing a brand new 76,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Westfield, Indiana. ECR competes within the NTT IndyCar Series and fielded three vehicles within the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
Ed Carpenter Racing Speeds into Westfield
Indianapolis suburb Westfield in Hamilton County could also be referred to as the “Youth Sports Capital of America,” nevertheless it’s nonetheless a magnet for big-time skilled sports activities groups. The newest to make the transfer to Westfield is Ed Carpenter Racing, the achieved NTT IndyCar Series group that introduced in mid-2025 that it’s relocating its headquarters to only south of the Grand Park Event Center on the west aspect of Grand Park Boulevard.
ECR plans to maneuver right into a brand-new 76,000-sq.-ft. facility that may function the central hub of the group’s skilled racing operations and home superior engineering and technical growth areas whereas including a strategic retail and fan engagement part. The undertaking consists of the development of Westfield’s first city-funded parking storage on the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus.
Founded in 2011, ECR has known as Indianapolis residence for the final 15 years. The agency is led by group co-owner Ed Carpenter, three-time pole winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2013, 2014 and 2018). The group’s three present IndyCar drivers are Carpenter, Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen.
ECR will quickly enter its fifteenth season of racing underneath the path of its 4 homeowners, who’re all Indiana businessmen: Carpenter, Ted Gelov, Tony George and Stuart Reed. Gelov, proprietor of Heartland Food Products Group, joined the group previous to the 2015 season. Heartland FPG can be headquartered in Hamilton County. The agency is finest identified for its Splenda and Java House Coffee manufacturers.
“Establishing ECR’s permanent home at Grand Park is a defining moment for our organization,” stated Gelov. “This new headquarters will not only serve as the foundation for our racing operations and technical development, but also as a place where fans can truly connect with our team, our partners and the sport of IndyCar. As a longtime Hamilton County resident and business owner, I’m proud to invest in this community and help bring a new level of energy, innovation and opportunity to Westfield.” — Ron Starner
Meta’s 1-GW information middle growth finding on the LEAP Innovation District in Lebanon, Indiana, will complete $10 billion in native information middle and group infrastructure.
Rendering courtesy of Meta
Another LEAP Forward in Lebanon
A30-minute drive northwest of Indianapolis is town of Lebanon, conveniently seated alongside I-65. The Indiana city of almost 18,000 noticed the groundbreaking of a brand new information middle from Meta in early February this yr on the LEAP Innovation District, which provides megasite, superior manufacturing, mixed-use and company campus area on an SSI-certified web site.
The facility will ship over 1 gigawatt (GW) of capability and can handle AI workloads and assist the corporate’s core merchandise. The scale of the huge Meta undertaking will present elevated capability and suppleness, facilitating using expertise with greater bandwidth, lowered latency and extra reliability.
The information middle growth is a $10 billion funding within the Boone County group and native information infrastructure and can generate 300 operational jobs as soon as full and over 4,000 jobs throughout the development phrase.
It’s one among Meta’s largest tasks up to now and the second web site within the Hoosier State. The firm is dedicated to offering the local people “grant programs, multiyear donations for energy affordability and ongoing investments in public infrastructure.” More than $120 million might be invested by Meta in crucial water infrastructure and public enhancements like roads, transmission traces and utility upgrades, based on an organization press launch.
Meta covers your complete value of power utilized by their information facilities, working carefully with utilities to plan power utilization years forward of time. The firm will present $1 million yearly to the Boone REMC Community Fund over the following 20 years, supporting direct help with power payments and emergency water utility help via The Caring Center, a Lebanon-based not-for-profit group serving households and people going through meals and housing insecurity. Meta can even apply its Community Action Grants programming to the county quickly, which gives funding for faculties, nonprofits and native organizations.
The tech juggernaut can be dedicated to sustainable operations. The information middle in Lebanon is positioned to satisfy LEED Gold certification when up and working. The facility will leverage a “a water-efficient closed-loop, liquid-cooled system that recirculates the same water and will use zero water for a majority of the year.”
Meta is matching 100% of the brand new undertaking’s power use with clear power and also will restore 100% of water consumed on the Lebanon web site via a decade-long partnership with Arable, which is able to restore 200 million gallons of water yearly and supply irrigation expertise to unbiased farmers in Indiana’s Upper Wabash River Basin.
Meta will not be the one massive firm finding within the LEAP Innovation District. In May of final yr, Eli Lilly broke floor on The Lilly Medicine Foundry within the LEAP District. The $4.5 billion facility, half of a bigger $13 billion funding within the space by Lilly, will mix analysis, course of and drug growth, manufacturing and different tech improvements at a single web site, the place the manufacturing of molecular therapies, together with small molecules, biologics and cutting-edge therapeutics (genetic medicines), will happen.
The facility is predicted to launch its first merchandise in 2027 and can present an investigative medication provide for scientific analysis trials. Alzheimer’s illness and continual ache are two circumstances that may be handled by the therapies deliberate to be made on the Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon.
The Foundry will span 1.2 million sq. ft. and generate greater than 500 extremely expert, full-time jobs as soon as full and a pair of,000 development roles throughout build-out. — Kelly Barraza