Two major corporate announcements last week will bring more than $1.5 billion in new investment and nearly 3,000 jobs to Pennsylvania, offering more signs that the Commonwealth is becoming more competitive for major economic development projects due to recent pro-growth, PA Chamber-led policy reforms.

Last Tuesday, Chobani announced plans to invest $1.2 billion to establish its first dairy manufacturing operation in Pennsylvania, creating 900 jobs in the Lehigh Valley.

The project represents the largest private-sector investment in Pennsylvania agriculture history and, when fully operational, is expected to create a new market for more than three billion pounds of Pennsylvania milk each year.

Then, on Thursday, Burlington Stores announced it will relocate its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Philadelphia. The retailer plans to invest $370 million in a new headquarters at Schuylkill Yards and create at least 2,000 jobs over the next five years.

The announcements come as Pennsylvania lawmakers are making a concerted effort to address some of the longstanding challenges that have made it harder for the state to compete for new investment.

For example, for decades Pennsylvania had one of the highest corporate tax rates in the nation and a slow and complex permitting process that employers frequently cited as a barrier to investment. However, recent reforms spearheaded by the PA Chamber have put Pennsylvania on a more competitive path.

In 2022, the PA Chamber helped lead a bipartisan effort to cut Pennsylvania’s 9.99 percent Corporate Net Income Tax — then the second-highest rate in the nation — in half over nine years. The rate is now 7.49 percent and remains on track to reach 4.99 percent in 2031.

The Commonwealth has also taken significant steps to modernize its permitting process. Bipartisan reforms enacted through the 2024-25 and 2025-26 state budgets created and then expanded the SPEED program, allowing qualified third-party professionals to assist with certain permit reviews while establishing clearer timelines and greater transparency. The law also provided for “deemed approved” policies for certain permits no acted on in a timely manner. The PA Chamber worked with lawmakers, the governor’s office, labor, and other stakeholders to advance those reforms.

Lawmakers also improved Pennsylvania’s treatment of Net Operating Losses, gradually raising the deduction cap to 80 percent and addressing a significant tax disadvantage for startups and growing businesses.

These changes are part of a broader effort to make Pennsylvania a better place to invest, build, and create jobs. And there are signs that the Commonwealth’s competitive position is improving.

Site Selection Magazine ranked the state’s business climate 11th in the nation in 2025, up seven spots from the previous year. CNBC ranked Pennsylvania 13th in the nation for business in 2026, its highest position in 15 years. Moody’s Analytics has also highlighted Pennsylvania’s economic performance, noting that the state is the only state in the Northeast with a growing economy.