Invest WindsorEssex helped to support around $400 million in investments across the region in 2025.
Chief Executive Officer Gordon Orr says the figure includes investment from local start-ups, expansions, and foreign direct investment in Windsor-Essex, which translated into 961 new jobs across the region.
Orr says one of the major investments in 2025 includes the Minth Group, which is investing $297 million and creating 1,099 jobs in a site along County Road 42 near Windsor Airport.
“Some of the smaller announcements are still very significant because, of course, the backbone of Windsor-Essex County is the small- to medium-sized business. Convoy Technologies in Tecumseh, they announced a $17 million, 18,000 square foot facility, employing 35 to 50 people,” he says.
2025 started with U.S. President Donald Trump launching a global trade war by imposing tariffs on multiple countries, including Canada, although several industries and sectors were not impacted due to provisions under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). That trade deal is up for renegotiation this year.
Orr says considering some of the confusion and chaos coming out of the White House, there was a lot of uncertainty when it came to investments and even discretionary spending.
“When you’re a little uncertain of your job or outlook and the money coming in, you have to make sure of cuts. It has been a challenging time without question, but at the same time, there have been a number of success stories,” he says.
Orr says one thing they tried to focus on was the long-term and engaging with ecosystem partners, along with market diversification.
He says their investment and attraction team always looks at manufacturing and automotive, but they’re not stopping there as they look for new investments in 2026.
“We have certainly dived right into the defence sector, agritech. There are a number of sectors, conferences, and trade shows we’re attending. We’re keeping the doors open with our trade commissioners,” he says. “There are a lot of good conversations and files in the pipeline, and we continue to work and try to seal those deals.”
