# Kentucky wins Area Development's Silver Shovel Award for second consecutive year **Published:** 2026-06-23T15:09:54.000Z **Source:** [Office of the Governor](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2775) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-wins-area-development-s-silver-shovel-award-for-second-consecutive-year Kentucky has earned the [Area Development Silver Shovel Award](https://www.areadevelopment.com/Gold-Shovel-Econdev-Awards/q2-2025/20th-annual-area-development-gold-and-silver-shovel-awards.shtml) for the second consecutive year, recognizing the commonwealth's success in attracting major economic development projects and job creation. The award comes as the state continues a historic economic growth trajectory under Gov. Andy Beshear's administration. [Area Development, a leading publication on site selection and facility planning, evaluates states annually based on job creation, capital investment, industry diversity, and overall economic strategy](https://www.areadevelopment.com/Gold-Shovel-Econdev-Awards/q2-2025/20th-annual-area-development-gold-and-silver-shovel-awards.shtml). Kentucky's 2025 recognition reflects [major battery manufacturing investments including Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing LLC's $711 million project and logistics growth with Kuehne + Nagel adding more than 350 jobs](https://www.areadevelopment.com/Gold-Shovel-Econdev-Awards/q2-2025/20th-annual-area-development-gold-and-silver-shovel-awards.shtml), alongside expansion in food and spirits production. The commonwealth has established itself as [the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States](https://governor.ky.gov/Priority/Pages/economy.aspx), driven by transformative projects including Ford Motor Co. and SK On's BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County, AESC's gigafactory in Warren County, and Toyota's investment in Scott County. [Since Beshear took office, his administration has announced more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $45 billion in announced investments and creating more than 68,000 jobs](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20260303_GovCupRankings). The recognition builds on Kentucky's broader national profile in economic development. [The commonwealth has held a top-five ranking in Site Selection magazine's Governor's Cup rankings during all six years of the Beshear administration](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20260303_GovCupRankings), and earlier this year [Kentucky placed 8th in Site Selection magazine's 2025 Global Groundwork Index for the fourth consecutive year](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20250309_GovCupRankings). Economic gains have translated to workforce improvements, with [Kentucky recording over 2 million jobs filled in 2023 for the first time in state history and maintaining that level since](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20260303_GovCupRankings). The state's budgetary position has also strengthened, with [Beshear's administration securing the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund in state history](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20260303_GovCupRankings). ## Sources - [Office of the Governor](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2775) - [20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards coverage detailing Kentucky's Silver Shovel recognition and major projects](https://www.areadevelopment.com/Gold-Shovel-Econdev-Awards/q2-2025/20th-annual-area-development-gold-and-silver-shovel-awards.shtml) - [Governor Beshear's office news on Kentucky's 2025 Governor's Cup ranking and economic development achievements](https://newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/Newsroom/NewsPage/20260303_GovCupRankings) - [Office of the Governor economic development page highlighting state achievements](https://governor.ky.gov/Priority/Pages/economy.aspx) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Office of the Governor, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2775.