This June, CNBC brought its cameras to a site CanAm helps finance. The network chose the Bellwether District as the backdrop for its live coverage of America’s Top States for Business 2026, broadcasting from the grounds throughout the day across Squawk Box, Squawk on the Street, The Exchange, and Closing Bell.
The crew came for an interview with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. The site gave them a story of its own: a former oil refinery being remade into a hub for e-commerce and life sciences. For CanAm and the investors who back our projects, the day put a national audience in front of a transformation we committed to early.
From Refinery to E-Commerce and Life Sciences
Standing on the site, CNBC Special Correspondent Scott Cohn framed the change plainly. “This used to be, for many years, a refinery. They are now redeveloping it into a center for e-commerce and life sciences,” he reported, adding that the approach was “starting to pay off big.”
The pace of that change is concrete. During the broadcast, Cohn pointed to a million-square-foot drinks packaging facility that had been permitted in just 30 days. That facility, leased by DrinkPak, is one of the tenants now reshaping what the site produces, with construction underway and companies committing to space at Bellwether.
Why It Matters to CanAm Investors
CanAm has committed more than $100 million in EB-5 capital to the Bellwether District’s redevelopment. What drew us was evidence rather than promise: committed partners, active construction, and a development team delivering on its timeline. The district is projected to create roughly 19,000 jobs over the next decade, the kind of measurable, job-creating impact that sits at the heart of the EB-5 program.
A day of live coverage does not create that progress; it recognizes it. CanAm committed capital to Bellwether because the fundamentals were already in motion. For prospective investors, the project shows the standard CanAm applies before it commits. For our current investors, it is a clear view of their capital at work behind development substantial enough to earn a national audience.
A Model State Leaders Point To
Governor Shapiro used Bellwether to illustrate Pennsylvania’s broader economic strategy. “Bellwether is a great example of what we’re doing here in Pennsylvania,” he said during the broadcast, “converting old sites that weren’t generating economically, moving quickly… and attracting world-renowned businesses to set up shop right here in Pennsylvania when they could choose anywhere.”
That is the company Bellwether keeps: a project state leaders cite when they describe how they want development to work. CanAm’s investors are part of it, financing a piece of the redevelopment that turned a dormant industrial site back into a place where companies choose to build.
Invest in Projects That Matter
For over 20 years, CanAm has connected EB-5 investors with U.S. development projects of real economic consequence. With more than $4 billion raised from over 8,400 investors, over $2.5 billion already repaid, and a track record spanning 75-plus projects, CanAm pairs rigorous project selection with a commitment to investor outcomes. The Bellwether District is the latest example of what that standard looks like in practice.
