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

Major Moves $3.85 billion. "It is the single-biggest step that we will ever take," Gov. Mitch Daniels says of the Indiana Toll Road lease, explaining that Indiana is the only state to solve its transportation-funding shortfall and will now have a major competitive advantage. "Every area of the state will see a record amount of construction," he explains.

The governor unveiled plans for the lease proceeds in a 10-year highway construction program that includes dozens of projects around the state and increases new road construction from $213 million in 2006 to $431 million in 2008 and $775 million by 2010. Major projects include the extension of Interstate 69 from Indianapolis to Evansville, upgrading the Hoosier Heartland Highway from Lafayette to Logansport and U.S. 31 from South Bend to Indianapolis and building new bridges across the Ohio River at Madison and from Clark County to Louisville.

Alternative Fuels $711 million. "Agribusiness is a core element of our economic comeback plan, and renewable energy production is the lead item in the agricultural component of our strategy," says Daniels. New facilities have been announced in the past year to produce biodiesel from the state's soybean crop and ethanol from its corn.

The small town of Claypool in northern Indiana will be home to the world's largest biodiesel plant, being built by Louis Dreyfus Agriculture Industries LLC. The project includes an investment of $135 million and is expected to create 85 new jobs producing up to 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per day or more than 80 million gallons per year. An integrated on-site soybean processing plant will provide about 260,000 metric tons of soybean oil for the biodiesel production.

New ethanol plants announced in the past year include a $141 million project in Cass County by Midwestern grain producers The Andersons, Indiana Bio-Energy's $125 million investment in Wells County and a $104 million plant m Tipton that is planned by ASAlliances Biofuels. Rush Renewable Energy LLC is investing $81 million to build an ethanol plant in Rush County and Central Indiana Ethanol is building a $53 million plant in Grant County.

A different type of alternative fuel plant is being built in DeKalb County, where ForeverGreen Enterprises plans to spend $72 million constructing a hydrogen plant. While most hydrogen plants use natural gas, the company plans to break down waste materials into their basic elements to extract hydrogen.

Alcoa, Newburgh $330 million. Another major investment related to energy is Alcoa's commitment of approximately $330 million at its Warrick Power Plant in Newburgh. The project includes upgrades to the power plant that will improve its environmental performance and increase its production of electricity generated from coal. The power plant includes four units placed in service between 1960 and 1970 and all will have new scrubbers installed as Alcoa takes steps to make sure it generates enough electricity for its aluminum operations.

Toyota, Lafayette $230 million. In Lafayette, the big economic-development news is Toyota's announcement that it will produce its popular Camry model at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant. The new manufacturing operations are expected to create 1,000 new jobs as $230 million is invested in the plant to start production m the early part of 2007.

"Toyota and Subaru are tremendous corporate citizens who have been pillars of our economy in Indiana for years. We are enormously proud to be the first state with Toyota vehicle production in two different plants," says Daniels, who visited Toyota headquarters during his economic-development mission to Asia last August and returns to Japan on another economic-development mission this month.

FedEx, Indianapolis $214 million. Another major investment of dollars and jobs is taking place at the Indianapolis International Airport where freight carrier FedEx is increasing its cargo operations. FedEx plans to invest $214 million as it adds 600,000 square feet of new space for cargo handling and adds 800 new jobs over the next two years.

When completed, the expansion will be able to handle 99,000 packages per hour arriving at the airport from around the world on more than 90 daily flights. The facility, which opened in 1988, will increase its overall full- and part-time employment to 5,000 and continue to be central to the company's worldwide operations. "International is growing very fast," said Robert Palmer, head of the FedEx Indianapolis hub. "It's flushing more cargo through the entire system."

Pfizer, Terre Haute $170 million. Terre Haute is looking forward to 450 new jobs from growth in Pfizer's manufacturing operations in the city The drug company is expanding to produce Exubera, the first inhalable form of insulin for controlling type 1 and type 2 diabetes in adults that was approved by the FDA in January

Pfizer's 2,000-acre site in Terre Haute has been m operation since 1948 and currently employs about 350 people. Construction of the state-of-the-art Exubera facility began in 1999, with investment to date around $160 million and approximately $170 million in new capital investment by 2009.

"Thanks to so many people here, we have the opportunity to stamp yet another innovative, life-giving medicine 'Made In Indiana," says Jeff Kindler, vice chairman of Pfizer.

Sysco, Hamlet $80 million. The northern Indiana town of Hamlet expects 500 new jobs from a 700,000-square-foot distribution center being built in Starke County for SYSCO Corp., North America's largest foodservice marketer and distributor. A 320-acre project near the intersection of U.S. 35 and U.S. 30 will include freezer, refrigeration, dry storage and office space and also includes a truck maintenance facility. When completed, the $80 million projects will supply products to SYSCO facilities across the Midwest.

Summit Logistics, Clarksville--$67 million. Approximately 300 new jobs are expected from the $67 million expansion of Summit Logistics in Clark County The trucking company based in Clarksville is building a state-of-the-art terminal to handle its growing fleet of more than 460 trucks and 900 trailers.

Keihin IPT, Greenfield $60 million. Some 70 new jobs will be created in Greenfield as Keihin IPT, a supplier of fuel injectors, throttle bodies and intake manifolds to Honda of America, invests up to $60 million to produce its new Variable Cylinder Management System. The system is designed to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and will include $5 million to expand the company's existing manufacturing facility and up to $55 million in new. equipment.

CertainTeed, Terre Haute $55 million. Terre Haute is also looking forward to 145 new jobs from a manufacturing facility being built by CertainTeed Corp., a leading North American producer of building products. The company is spending $55 million to build a 300,000-square-foot facility on a 115-acre parcel in the Vigo County Industrial Park that should be completed by mid-2007.

Shoe Carnival, Evansville $40 million. Evansville-based footwear retailer Shoe Carnival, which recently announced record sales and profit in the first quarter of 2006, will invest $40 million in a new and larger distribution center in northern Vanderburgh County. The 410,000-square-foot facility will double the size of its existing facility and create 150 new jobs.

The company, which has tripled the number of its stores in the last 10 years, is also building a new corporate headquarters on the east side of Evansville.

O'Reilly Auto Parts, Brownsburg $25 million, A 400,000-square-foot distribution center for O'Reilly Auto Parts will bring 500 jobs to Brownsburg as part of a $25 million project. O'Reilly is one of the largest specialty auto parts retailers in the U.S. and the new distribution center will serve more than 200 retail locations in the Midwest.