Top prizes: major economic-development headlines of the past year.

• Author: McKimmie, Kathy
• Position: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Company overview

BP in Whiting, $3 billion. "In capital investment this is the largest we've had, and more construction workers will be hired for this project than to build the new Indiana Stadium and Convention Center," Gov. Mitch Daniels said at the September 2006 announcement of BP'S expansion of its Whiting facility. The $3 billion investment is expected to create 2,500 jobs during peak times of the three-year construction phase beginning this year, with up to 80 full-time employees when the project is complete in 2011.

The replacement processing units and enhancements to existing refinery units will mean converting its light crude processing capability to heavy crude oil from Canada, adding 1.7 million gallons per day of gasoline and diesel fuel. The refinery currently produces about 4.5 billion gallons of transportation fuels each year, enough to supply more than 5 million vehicles. After the new investment, it will be able to supply about 6 million automobiles.

Honda plant in Greensburg, $550 million. Months of speculation came to an end last June when Honda, the governor's office and local officials announced Greensburg was selected as the site for Honda's newest North American automotive assembly plant, creating 2,000 new jobs and bringing a $550 million investment. Now under construction, the million-square-foot plant on 1,700 acres will begin mass production of fuel-efficient, four-cylinder vehicles in fall 2008. Annual production capacity will be 200,000 vehicles per year.

Poet in Portland, Alexandria and North Manchester, $410 million total. A major layer in the state's burgeoning biofuels segment is Poet, a South Dakota-based company known as Broin until March. It is the largest dry mill ethanol producer in the United States. Its three new Indiana facilities have investments of $105 million (Alexandria), $130 million (North Manchester) and $175 million (Portland), with employment levels at 40 each. The first to open will be Portland, this fall, then Alexandria in spring 2008 and North Manchester in fall 2008.

Nestle in Anderson, $359 million. In July 2006, Nestle USA announced its plans to build a $359 million, 880,000-square-foot factory and distribution center on a 190-acre site adjacent to the Flagship Enterprise Center along Interstate 69 in Anderson. It will produce its Nesquik ready-to-drink and Coffee-mate liquid products. The combined facility will initially employ nearly 300 and is expected to open in the spring of 2008, although it...