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GE Appliances to Invest More Than $3 Billion in US Operations, Including Kentucky

William Attardi on August 21, 2025

GE Appliances announced it will invest more than $3 billion over the next five years in its U.S. operations. With its global headquarters in Louisville, GE Appliances said Wednesday the first phase of investments will begin at plants in Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. As part of the investment, the company plans to expand its air conditioning and water heating portfolio, increase product production and “further modernize” 11 manufacturing plants in the U.S. That is expected to create 800 new jobs. GE Appliances to invest more than $3 billion in US operations, including Kentucky

Hitachi Energy Invests $106 Million In Its US Transformer Supply Chain

William Attardi on August 21, 2025

Hitachi Energy plans to invest $106 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Alamo, Tenn., creating 100 jobs to become the second-largest employer in Crockett County. The expansion will expand the company’s capacity to produce transformer components, supporting energy infrastructure and grid modernization, says Steve McKinney, head of transformers for Hitachi Energy in North America. Hitachi Energy invests $106 million in its US transformer supply chain | Latitude Media

Trump Sets 100% Chip Tariffs Unless Firms Invest in U.S.

William Attardi on August 7, 2025

President Trump said he would impose roughly 100% tariffs on all chips coming into the U.S. but exempt tech companies that have promised to manufacture domestically, a big win for Apple and other electronics firms worried about new trade challenges. Trump’s announcement came at an event trumpeting a new $100 billion investment pledge from Apple. The company has increased its commitments in the U.S. but stopped short of moving iPhone production to the U.S. as Trump wants. The company’s $100 billion promise adds to a $500 billion, four-year commitment Apple made in February that repackaged much of Apple’s existing spending plans in the U.S. Nearly every major tech firm has promised to put more into their U.S. operations, resulting in over $2 trillion in new pledges in the past seven months. f16AjRmObp1pmp4xDQAH-WSJNewsPaper-8-7-2025.pdf

U.S. Reaches Trade Deal with Europe

William Attardi on July 27, 2025

The European Union and the United States agreed on Sunday to a broad-brush trade deal that sets a 15 percent tariff on most goods, including cars. In addition:

  • The European Union had agreed to purchase $750 billion of American energy
  • EU to increase its investment in the United States by more than $600 billion above current levels.
  • EU would buy military equipment
  • No tariffs would be imposed on some goods.

The agreement will “rebalance, but enable trade on both sides,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission said. The European Union last year accounted for nearly $610 billion of the $3.3 trillion in goods imported by the United States.

U.S. Reaches Trade Deal With Europe – The New York Times

Trump Announces ‘Massive’ Trade Deal with Japan with 15% Tariffs by Lim Hui Jie

William Attardi on July 23, 2025

President Donald Trump on Tuesday stateside announced that he had made the “largest Deal ever” with Japan, that involves “reciprocal” tariffs of 15% on the country’s exports to the U.S.

  • Trump said that Japan will invest $550 billion into the United States, adding that the U.S. will “receive 90% of the Profits.”
  • He also said Japan will “open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things.”
  • The U.S. president added that the deal would also create “Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs.”  Trump announces ‘massive’ trade deal with Japan with 15% tariffs

Schneider Electric to Invest Over $700 Million in the U.S.

William Attardi on March 26, 2025

 The company’s investments support the country’s focus on bolstering the nation’s energy infrastructure to power AI growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen energy security. The investment is the largest planned single capital expenditure commitment by Schneider Electric in its 135+ year history. It includes manufacturing expansions and job growth, reflecting the company’s robust customer demand for solutions to increase energy efficiency, scale industrial automation, and deliver a more reliable grid. Coupled with previous investments in 2023 and 2024 to strengthen its North American supply chain, Schneider Electric’s latest U.S. planned investment will surpass $1 billion so far this decade. This new planned investment is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs and help Schneider Electric continue to play a leading role in shaping a more innovative, affordable, and energy-efficient future in the U.S. Schneider Electric to Invest Over $700 Million in the U.S. – tEDmag 

Hitachi Energy Commits $250M to Address Transformer Shortage

William Attardi on March 10, 2025

Electricity demand associated with artificial intelligence and data center development mean “the need for transformers has surged beyond initial projections,” Hitachi Energy said. Hitachi Energy on Monday announced a $250 million investment to expand global production of critical components for electrical transformers, including “enhancing production capacity at the company’s transformer factories in Virginia, Missouri, and Mississippi.” Power management company Eaton announced in February that it will invest $340 million to increase U.S. production of its three-phase transformers. Production and hiring is expected to begin in 2027 at the company’s production facility in Jonesville, South Carolina. Hitachi Energy commits $250M to address transformer shortage | Utility Dive

Name, Image Likeness (NIL) – NIL legislation has transformed the college sports landscape. The Supreme Court, NCAA, and student-athletes all played a role in the new compensation rules. NCAA long argued that amateurs are understood as those who do not profit off of their athletic performance and college sports fans and consumers demanded amateur play on the collegiate level. That argument was denied by the Supreme Court. Student-athletes can now be paid for their autograph, developing their own merchandise, promoting products or services, and event appearances due to their personal celebrity. Now, athletes are starting their own brands, endorsing brands, and becoming their own brands. While the Supreme Court and NCAA passed Name, Image, and Likeness into affect, schools still have their own specificities around the new rule. One of the most important hurdles for student-athletes now is to use these guidelines properly. That is to say athletes must understand how the state they play in or school they attend may affect the way they can utilize now-legal NIL rules. Rules on school logo restrictions, what products may or may not be sponsored, as well as other guidelines, differ from state and school. Athletes are also expected to inform universities of NIL deals and contracts they decide to engage in. Social media and personal branding are now more important than ever. And this is just the beginning.