EB-5 Jobs Across the US

Communities across the country are using EB-5 investments to fuel job growth, build vital infrastructure and diversify local economies. The following is only a sampling of the thousands of valuable projects made possible by EB-5 nationwide:

Mid-Atlantic

Maryland

About $40 million in EB-5 investment helped double the capacity and modernize the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal and paved the way for the installation of four “super post-Panamax” cranes, the largest container cranes in the world. The upgrades make Baltimore one of only two ports on the east coast able to accommodate the increased traffic of larger ships and shipping containers traveling to the U.S. after the Panama Canal expansion. The construction and economic impact of the port expansion is expected to create 5,700 jobs including 2,700 permanent full-time opportunities.

In an effort to add some character to Baltimore’s collection of hotels, developers are conducting a top-to-bottom renovation of the historic former home to the first Baltimore YMCA to bring a Hotel Indigo to the city. Shaffin Jetha, the developer, said, “If you look at Baltimore hotel stock, we are very branded and very cookie-cutter, and there is a need for less cookie-cutter.” This Intercontinental Group franchise will create at least 120 new jobs for Baltimore.

Developers are looking to EB-5 to build new facilities to meet the growing demands of the University of Maryland. In its College Park campus, international investors are helping bring 238 new units of much needed graduate student housing for University of Maryland students. The “Metropolitan” will also bring 4,500 square feet of retail space to the growing university campus. $16.5 million of the $63 million needed to break ground will come from EB-5 financing, which will create at least 330 jobs.

EB-5 financing will also help bring a four-diamond luxury hotel directly across from the University of Maryland’s “Main Gate.” With 297 guest rooms and luxury amenities, including restaurants and an Elizabeth Arden “Red Door” spa, the hotel will be a boon to the College Park community.

A 1960s-era, vacant office building – previously a Bank of America – in downtown Baltimore is being converted into a Class A residential and retail property near the Inner Harbor. Across the street from Mercy Hospital, and a few blocks from Johns Hopkins Hospital, the project is ideally situated in close proximity to the city’s largest employers. 225 North Calvert has been designed to accommodate and appeal to the recent influx of young professionals whose population in downtown Baltimore has been quickly increasing. The building has modern comforts and amenities that appeal to millennials, which have long been available in Class A apartment buildings in Washington, D.C., but are a new addition to the city of Baltimore as it continues to be revitalized through new development. A total of 936 jobs are expected to be created as a result of 225 North Calvert.

North Carolina

The Port of Wilmington, NC built a 102,000 square foot cold storage facility using EB-5 investments that is making the state a more competitive destination for agricultural importers. A North Carolina Port Authority spokesperson said, “This (cold storage) facility is expected to generate substantial savings to the state’s agriculture industry by reducing logistics costs to and from ports…Once constructed, this facility would enable the state’s farmers to use the state’s ports, as opposed to neighboring facilities in Norfolk, Va., Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C.” The assistant director of marketing for the NC department of agriculture said: “It’s a piece of the cold supply chain logistics that’s never been there…People pay attention when you put in that type of capital infrastructure investment.”

Washington D.C.

Constructed in 1881, the O Street Market was one of Washington, D.C.’s three original outdoor farmer’s markets. In recent decades, the Market, like the surrounding Shaw neighborhood, fell into disrepair. With the help of EB-5 financing alongside HUD loans and private investment, City Market at O Street was preserved and converted into a thriving mixed-use development consisting of the largest supermarket in the district and additional retail, three residential buildings, a hotel, a senior housing facility, an underground parking garage, and outdoor public space. A total of 3,384 jobs were created.

While it is now one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the District, the Anacostia riverfront in Washington, D.C. had long been neglected. The relocation of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to the Navy Yard in 1995 sparked initial development of the area, and in 2007 the U.S. Department of Transportation followed suit by establishing its new headquarters in the Capitol Riverfront. EB-5 financing is currently being used to develop Riverfront at the Navy Yard, a multi-family residential and retail development that is expected to create more than 850 jobs, and has added to the momentum of the now-booming waterfront construction.

The site of The Beatles’ first U.S. concert, the Uline Arena/Washington Coliseum and its surrounding neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. fell into disrepair after civil unrest in the 1960s, and the iconic building was relegated to serving as a trash transfer station. Saved from demolition by the D.C. Preservation League, and officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, the Coliseum/Uline Arena is now undergoing another transformation. The Coliseum is being redeveloped into 174,000 square feet of Class A, creative loft office space, and 70,000 square feet of retail space in the heart of the newly-transitioning NoMa neighborhood. A total of 1,023 jobs are expected to be created. National retailer REI signed a long-term lease to occupy the majority of the retail space for its fifth flagship store in the country, while office tenants include Netherlands-based creative co-working company, Spaces. The developer of the project, Douglas Development Corporation, will be moving its corporate headquarters to the Coliseum upon its opening.

Midwest

Illinois

EB-5 investment is building urban memory care facilities in Chicago that specialize in treating patients with Alzheimer’s or long-term mental illness. The regional center worked with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to identify targeted employment areas and conducted a market study to determine need among the senior population in different neighborhoods. Each project will employ about 50-80 staff.

Michigan

In Auburn Hills, MI a new company called Alte is radically improving the fuel economy of commercial vehicles. Alte’s hybrid battery and gas-power powertrains can provide a range of 30 miles using just an inexpensive rechargeable battery, and a smaller 10 gallon gas tank can carry trucks and vans another 270 miles, improving fuel economy by up to 200 percent. EB-5 investments account for roughly half of the manufacturing costs. The project was estimated to create about 305 direct and 1,200 indirect jobs and helped Alte hit their ambitious $123 million sales goal in 2012.

Coherix Inc., a global supplier of high-speed, high-definition 3D visualization and inspection solutions for manufacturing, will receive a total of $10 million in EB-5 investment for improvements to their own manufacturing processes. The company has technical centers in Europe and the Asia Pacific Region, serving companies such as Intel, Amkor, BorgWarner, Ford, Honda, Allison, Chrysler, General Motors, Micron, Infineon, John Deere, Volvo and Aisin. These investments will bring 200 much-needed jobs to Detroit.

Green Box NA, a Wisconsin producer of recycled products, will use EB-5 financing to construct two new waste processing facilities in Detroit and Cheboygan, Michigan. The new facilities will reclaim 100% of over 500 tons daily of organic solid waste, mostly commercial material like scrap paper from the restaurant industry in and around Detroit. Every day, the material will be recycled into bath, facial, napkin and towel tissue products as well as 12 megawatts of electricity, 48,000 gallons of biofuels and diesel and oil fuel pellets and 38 tons soil amendment products– all without any waste-water discharge, and without any waste material going to landfills. The energy products will likely be sold to neighboring state utilities. These two facilities are expected to create about 331 jobs in total, nearly triple the minimum job creation requirement of the program.

Ohio

Cleveland-based University Hospitals recently underwent a massive expansion and renovation effort that added state-of-the art Ahuja Medical Center and the new Seidman Cancer Center. A total of $60 million in EB-5 financing helped bring an estimated 3,400 direct and indirect jobs to the city from the construction and operation of a new outpost of one of America’s premier hospital systems.

The first phase of the massive Flats East Bank project was completed with a total of $45 million in EB-5 investment contributing at least 1,000 new jobs to the Cleveland community. The project includes the first new residential apartments in Cleveland built since the recession and acres of commercial spaces, which are already 76% leased. This project is enlivening the community and ensuring the rental market remains competitive in Ohio.

In Cleveland, a new multi-use commercial and residential property is estimated to create at least 1,663 jobs after its construction funded in part by EB-5 investments.

A brand new multifamily apartment complex and car wash in Columbus will use about $10 million in EB-5 financing to create 555 direct and indirect jobs in the community.

Northeast

Massachusetts

A disused clothing factory in Boston’s Allston neighborhood is now a thriving music studio. The studio created nearly 80 jobs and is now a needed resource for students and local musicians.

New York

Three World War II-era machine shops in Brooklyn, NY were turned into state of the art green industrial complexes thanks to EB-5 investment. A green manufacturing center is creating nearly 300 jobs. According to former New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, “The Brooklyn Navy Yard is an economic success story if there ever was one, and this investment in green manufacturing is more great news for the Navy Yard and for New York City’s economy.”

South

Florida

Miami Mayor Regalado and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez recently announced new municipal government initiatives to use EB-5 investments to build hundreds of new affordable housing units in Miami. The Liberty Square Revitalization project is attracting $74 million in investments towards building mixed income residential and commercial property that is expected to create at least $285 million in economic output and 2,290 jobs in the process. Mayor Regalado has said that nearly half the calls and visits his office receives are about the poor condition and availability of affordable housing in the city. “[EB-5 funding is] a solid investment,” according to Mayor Regalado and it is helping to, “market Miami to the world.”

Kentucky

In Hickman, Kentucky Riverine Fisheries is using EB-5 investment to restore a carp farm that will generate a new seafood preparation and packaging facility that is projected to bring 318 harvest and manufacturing jobs and reduce the amount of Asian carp overtaking the river and waterways. Riverine intends to launch operations of a 121-person seafood preparation and packaging business and a 21-person commercial fishing business, with a primary focus on the Asian carp breed.

EB-5 investors will help developers transform a 19th century building into the Guthrie-Coke Lofts: a mixed-use development including retail space, office space and urban residential lofts.  Located in heart of downtown Louisville, KY, this project will revive the surrounding area, creating an exciting new neighborhood called the Clay Commons district.

Louisiana

A Hollywood movie producer is moving south and using EB-5 funding to build a 262,000 square foot movie studio in New Orleans, LA. Designed to be the largest studio in the region, this $63.5 million dollar project will be a state-of-the-art motion picture back lot sparking new entertainment investments in New Orleans and bringing the vibrancy of a unique American city to audiences around the world.

South Carolina

Proterra used EB-5 funding to move the manufacturing of their innovative zero-emission battery powered buses to Greenville, South Carolina creating around 1,300 jobs in the process. The buses are assembled in South Carolina using almost all American parts and, by their ability to fully charge in under 10 minutes, are changing the way city officials think about their transportation systems. In 2012, the White House and U.S. Department of Transportation called Proterra a “champion of change” for their unwavering commitment to transportation innovation, and a former Tesla executive now runs the company.

Texas

EB-5 funding will help break ground on a $241 million government-subsidized utility-scale wind energy farm in Castro County, Texas. Built on 32,800 acres of land, these wind turbines will connect to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to provide an additional 150 megawatts of electricity to a grid serving 24 million customers and create about 947 jobs in the process.

West

California

EB-5 Regional Centers are sprouting small businesses throughout the country, including in West Oakland, CA where a new, healthy, supermarket will create 80 jobs. The market will be about 20,000 square feet, larger than a Trader Joe’s but smaller than Safeway, and feature locally sourced foods and an in-house nutritionist.

EB-5 funding helped bolster hotel and hospitality industry development after the 2008 financial crisis. The chief development officer at Marriott said the EB-5 program “creates liquidity in a relatively illiquid market.” Marriott’s new 377-room hotel in Los Angeles is estimated to generate over 4,240 direct and indirect jobs by 2016 by boosting revenue for Staples Center sport and entertainment events. Since 2008, Hilton, Hyatt and Starwood Hotels and Resorts have relied on EB-5 regional centers to fund some of their biggest projects nationwide.

Over $87 million in EB-5 funding will help San Francisco complete its largest ever development project. Through a public-private partnership, the City and County of San Francisco are working closely with the Lennar Corporation to transform Hunters Point Shipyard, a 495-acre disused de-commissioned Navy base along San Francisco’s southeast waterfront, into a new community featuring over 10,000 square feet of retail space, 25 acres of public parks and open space and 1,400 more homes for residents. The project has already created over 1,933 full time jobs and will create around 4,200 total jobs once completed. The community will be the first in Northern California to be powered entirely by water and solar energy generation.

$47.5 million in EB-5 investments fund film and television productions that would otherwise relocate elsewhere due to financial incentives like film tax credits available in other cities. The investments, organized through the Los Angeles Film Regional Center, have created at least 950 jobs for Los Angeles and protected the city’s identity as a destination for entertainment production.

The LA Economic Development Council has used EB-5 financing to help create at least 200,000 healthcare-related jobs in Long Beach. International investors helped Molina Healthcare respond to the increased demand brought by the Affordable Care Act. The company knew it would need to hire at least 1,500 to 2,000 new employees nationwide by 2018 and their old headquarters in Long Beach would not be big enough. The city worked closely with Molina Healthcare to identify $35 million in EB-5 financing that helped renovate the old Long Beach Press Telegram and Meeker-Baker buildings into their new headquarters.

EB-5 financing played a role in opening a 30,000 square foot startup incubator called Runway. Sharing office space with Twitter’s headquarters, Runway is an opportunity for some of the most promising startups to work in a shared space and learn from some of the industry’s best.

The Kor Group is redeveloping and redesigning the historic Renoir Hotel in San Francisco’s mid-market neighborhood using $40,000,000 in EB-5 investments. The project will be operated by Marriott, create at least 400 jobs and be one of a handful of new hotels coming to a supply-constrained hotel market in downtown San Francisco.

In the heart of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California, just one mile from the Mineta San Jose International Airport, EB-5 financing was used to develop the dual-branded Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites Hotels by Marriott. Given Silicon Valley’s booming technology industry, as well as the significant expansion of the San Jose airport and addition of numerous international flights starting in 2011, the demand for lodging in the area far outpaced the supply. The San Jose Marriott Hotels now benefit this previously under-served market, and have created over 1,200 jobs.

Colorado

Colorado’s resort communities are using EB-5 financing to create jobs and expand their offerings. Aspen’s Dancing Bear Resort expansion will create 1,502 permanent jobs and nearly triple the resort’s revenue over time.

Developers also used EB-5 financing to fund the Solaris Residences, a $380 million expansion of new retail and residential space in Vail.

According to the Denver Post, there are a huge variety of EB-5 projects ongoing in Colorado, including biomass-fuels facility, a metals-purification plant, an assisted-living center and a senior living center.

Community proposals for how to reimagine a large public space in Boulder, CO feature over $20 million in EB-5 financing to bring their visions for the community into reality. Jeff Haley, the manager for parks and planning for the city, said, “[There is] overwhelming support from the community and city council to implement improvements to realize Boulder’s Civic Area potential to transform into a place for community inclusiveness and activity.”

Nevada

International investments through the EB-5 program may be used to finance Tesla’s new 10 million square foot “gigafactory” battery plant in Nevada. The company recently announced its decision to build the plant in Nevada and will contribute $2 billion towards the project. The remaining 60% of the cost will come from outside sources, potentially including EB-5 financing. This project will ultimately create about 6,500 jobs, and reinvigorate Nevada’s mineral mining industry. Tesla also expects the new facility will make their cars and batteries more accessible at a lower price point.

A new Hampton Inn will employ at least 20 people and give a much-needed boost to the local economy in Elko, NV by indirectly creating another 300 jobs.

An assisted living and memory care center will use EB-5 financing to open its doors in Fernley, Nevada. Over half of the project cost will come from EB-5 funding and its construction and operation are estimated to create at least 99 jobs on completion.

Utah

EB-5 funding has been used to build 13 charter schools in Utah, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Each school costs about $6.5 million, which means just a handful of international investors are needed to provide the low-cost equity developers need to access the loans for the upfront project costs. With more than 1 million students on charter school waiting lists nationwide, EFA’s program could be a model for cities looking to develop more schools in neighborhoods with the highest need.

The recently completed Canyon Park Technology Center created over 1.25 million square feet of office space for technology companies that has created over 740 jobs in Orem, Utah. A home décor company called Wayfair was one of the first to occupy the Canyon Park office space and is expected to create over 500 new jobs over the next three years. Canyon Park is also home to a startup incubator program called BoomStartup that provides seed capital and mentorship for web and software entrepreneurs in Utah.

Investors contributed $2 million to help fund the construction of a 42,000 square foot research laboratory now leased by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This relatively small investment created 60 new jobs in the state and continues to ensure the safety of the products on our store shelves nearly 23 years after it was built.

Just $1.4 million in EB-5 equity helped build a 100,000 square foot office complex for the U.S. Forest Service. The office has created 500 jobs since it was built and is still in use today.