Where CapEx lands in America isn't about incentives anymore – it's about velocity
Elon Musk kicked-off 2026 announcing xAI would invest more than $20 billion in a data center in Southaven, Mississippi.
Why Mississippi? "Insane execution speed,” Musk said in the press release.
Governor Tate Reeves didn't miss the moment, posting on X:
If there's one through-line from every conversation I've had over the past few months – with governors, site selectors, and economic development chiefs – it's this:
Michelle Comerford of Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., and chair of the influential Site Selectors Guild, put it plainly when we sat down to discuss 2026's biggest site selection trends:
Michelle Comerford is the Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader at Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., one of the largest, most highly regarded site selection and incentives advisory firms in North America. BLS & Co. helps manage the complexities associated with finding optimal location and securing incentives to support new ventures. Michelle has recently been published in fDi Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Trade & Industry Development, Supply & Demand Chain Executive, among others.