Rural opportunity in the new wave of onshoring
A steady shift toward onshoring is changing how and where companies build, manufacture, and distribute. What began as a response to pandemic-era supply chain disruptions is evolving into a more deliberate, long-term strategy for domestic growth.
Onshoring describes the return of business operations from overseas to the United States. As Eric Lord, Vice President at Atwell, explains, the pandemic exposed just how fragile global supply chains had become.
“Covid exposed some challenges,” he says. “All of a sudden, we lost access to products readily available on our shelves because we had no control over the logistics or the manufacturing of those goods.”
Onshoring offered something simpler: reliability.
“After Covid, we saw a ton of growth in the logistics space. A lot of major retailers built warehouses to store their goods and get them to customers more quickly,” says Lord. “And with onshoring today, there’s more control over the process when goods are made here.”
Now, approaching 2026, onshoring is increasingly characterized by manufacturing and industrial operations. It’s a sector shift fortified by legislation, tariffs, and tax incentives, and it’s dependent on access to large tracts of land. The demand for land, focused largely in rural America, is bringing opportunities for infrastructure renewal and economic development.
For Jim Lowe, Vice President at Atwell, rural site development is nothing new. Throughout his 35-plus years of land development and engineering experience, the scale and complexity of industrial needs have always trended upwards. Onshoring incentives may have accelerated demand, but the fundamentals remain consistent when it comes to readying the land.
Whether companies are relocating their operations from overseas, or simply expanding their U.S. footprint in rural areas, Lowe and Lord both emphasize the regional economic opportunities that rural manufacturing can bring as they discuss Atwell’s approach to effective land development projects.
Onshoring’s ripple effect: manufacturing, industrial, and rural land development
Today, onshoring has become less about reaction and more about resilience. The shift toward advanced manufacturing and industrial operations in rural settings brings new opportunities for employment and economic growth.
“When companies come to a state, the employment in the region goes through the roof,” says Lord. “All the surrounding properties develop.”
The effects ripple outward. Jobs draw people. People build homes. Homes attract services. Tax revenues rise, and with them, a sense of renewal that can shape entire regions. The infrastructure upgrades that coincide with onshoring and industrial investment can serve as a catalyst, jump-starting rural economies toward sustainable development.
Rural sites offer what dense urban areas cannot: land. Many large-scale manufacturing and industrial operations require hundreds to thousands of acres for their facilities. It’s not always a single, standalone plant, either—Atwell has helped developers master plan industrial parks populated by multiple smaller-scale tenants.
While rural areas offer large quantities of land, they also present a challenge: infrastructure. Selecting a site that balances acreage with access is critical. Additionally, community engagement early in the process can help to understand the local perception of growth and development.
The real factors in rural site selection
Location matters, but proximity is everything. Without the existing scale of utilities and logistics necessary to operate—or even construct—a large facility or industrial park, companies rely on firms like Atwell for development solutions and integration with larger utility networks.
“Manufacturing is a lot different than residential or commercial development,” Lowe explains. “You’re looking at truck access, proximity to rail or highways, coordination with other facilities, and the ability to meet power and water demands.”
Lowe notes that site development can require miles of transmission line extensions, new substations, sewer and water piping, and reliable transportation networks for heavy construction equipment to access the site. Site selection, therefore, goes far beyond space needs alone. It involves careful analysis of accessibility and distance to established energy and water corridors. Heavy industrial operations may also require river access for sufficient cooling.
Finding the right site is a strategic balance in resource alignment that Atwell regularly helps clients to navigate. “We start by looking at a client’s power needs,” Lowe says. “From there, we can leverage our relationships with major energy providers across the nation to identify where large-scale power is planned or already available.”
Data-driven tools for rural site development
Utility companies play a pivotal role. Their early involvement allows Atwell to identify viable sites before a client even begins design. We partner with our clients and energy providers, water utilities, and local stakeholders to bring together diverse datasets that inform sustainable site selection.
Integrating this data with the help of various utilities and public GIS resources, we’re able to create sophisticated models with layered spatial data, producing a “heat map” of potential sites. These visual tools help clients see where infrastructure capacity, transportation access, and environmental conditions align for optimal site development. From there, we guide clients through a comprehensive due diligence process to assess feasibility.
“We want to give manufacturers a full picture of what it will take to build and operate a rural facility,” Lowe says. For international clients bringing production to the U.S. for the first time, or for companies expanding their footprint, Atwell’s program management team can oversee the entire process, from zoning and permitting to bidding and construction management.
Lowe adds that each individual project is tailored to the client and the site: “Heavy manufacturing, light manufacturing, industrial parks each come with different needs. We always start by getting a firm grasp on what those are, and what needs to happen,” he says.
Atwell has led rural site development for a range of clients, including everything from manufacturers producing polysilicon for solar panels, to name-brand sporting goods. The approach and the level of investment is project specific, which is why data, coordination, and relationships are critical to making informed decisions.
Partnerships that shape possibility
Relationships are also key to funding strategies for land development and onshoring projects. Given the scale of infrastructure required, collaboration with government agencies can help get projects off the ground. The long-term return on investment for both private and public entities can shape entire regional economies.
“We’ve helped companies and governments work together to make projects happen that wouldn’t have been possible,” Lowe says, “but the real return comes in jobs and long-term tax revenue. When a plant opens, housing, commercial, and logistics follow. The surrounding communities flourish.”
One of the ways governments can support economic growth is through public-private partnerships (P3s). Atwell works with lobbyists in each state to advocate for our clients and establish P3 relationships. These relationships make large projects feasible by reducing the upfront capital impact on companies looking to build in a rural area. They can do this through tax abatements, expedited permitting, shared financing, or direct investment in public infrastructure surrounding the project.
Economic development agencies have recognized the long-term impact bringing large employers to their communities, and they frequently collaborate with companies to make it feasible. Public involvement thus helps lay the foundation, while private investment builds on it for a cycle of reinvestment that supports entire regions. Atwell helps bring them together.
A client-focused approach to onshoring
As onshoring reshapes America’s industrial landscape, rural communities face opportunity for investment, infrastructure, and economic growth. Manufacturers are increasingly incentivized to operate within the U.S., and the natural destination for this wave of onshoring is in rural America.
Whether companies are onshoring their manufacturing and industrial operations, or simply expanding their U.S. footprint, the results can transform regions with lasting economic and community benefits. Onshoring will continue to evolve as infrastructure and advanced facilities develop. Atwell’s approach relies on the fundamentals of client service, technical expertise, and extensive relationships that have helped clients and communities achieve shared goals for decades.
As the onshoring movement continues, Atwell remains focused on helping clients build the foundations of thriving communities.
