Influencers: who moved (and still moves) big-footprint Amazon projects in Delaware

​​Ordered by practical influence on siting, speed, and entitlements

​

1.  Matt Meyer — County Executive (2017–Jan. 2025), now Governor (2025– )

 

Policy lever: Jobs Now fast-track in New Castle County: parallel agency review, compressed timelines for “job-rich” projects; Boxwood/Blue-Diamond–type logistics builds clearly benefited from this playbook. As governor, Meyer now controls statewide levers (budget, cabinet, grants) that touch port, roads, and workforce. New Castle County, Spotlight Delaware

​

2.  Jack Markell — Governor (2009–2017)

Deal maker: Put Delaware back on Amazon’s radar with Middletown (2012): state-level courting plus municipal green lights for a ~1M+ sq-ft FC and ~850 jobs. Cemented the “Delaware is fast and cooperative” brand Amazon would reuse later. State of Delaware News

 

3.  Chris Coons — U.S. Senator (2010– )

Federal grease: Consistent closer on federal dollars that ease logistics friction—e.g., $13.4M RAISE grant for Wilmington/Christina River bridges (2025) and the $50M Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) award for the Edgemoor expansion (2023). Those dollars strengthen the whole down-river freight grid Amazon depends on. coons.senate.gov, State of Delaware News

​

4.  Pamela J. Scott — Land-Use Counsel (Saul Ewing)

Entitlements whisperer: Delaware’s most connected land-use attorney, steered nearly every major Amazon rezoning across three counties. #1 - ranked zoning/land-use attorney in Delaware; long track record guiding large, complex applications through staff, P&Z, and councils. Her MO: pre-filing huddles to solve traffic/buffer/code issues before the clock starts, then tightly managed hearing presentations. Chambers and Partners, Saul Ewing LLP

​

5.  Marcus Henry — New Castle County Executive (2025– ), former Econ Dev & Policy Director

One-stop concierge: The county’s long-time concierge for big projects—organizing pre-application meetings, aligning Land Use/DelDOT/Fire Marshal, and now setting the countywide agenda as Executive. As Meyer’s econ-dev lead, coordinated agencies and investors during Jobs Now years; as Executive, now controls the county levers directly (budgets, appointments, Land Use GM). Continuity = fewer surprises for large tenants. One accountable point of contact lowers friction and protects schedules on complex builds. New Castle County

​

Regional advocacy beyond NCC (update):

• Kent County (Smyrna/US-13 corridor logistics wave, 2023): In April 2023, Kent County rewrote parts of its warehouse siting rules while large logistics projects advanced along the Smyrna/Route 13 corridor. Contemporary coverage documents the policy shift and regional coordination context that benefited big-box distribution users (Amazon among the rumored/target tenants). That reporting establishes the climate in which inter-county economic-development officials—Henry included—were urging speed and predictability for job-heavy logistics projects. Spotlight Delaware

• Sussex County (Bridgeville 1M-sq-ft fulfillment center approvals, 2024): The Bridgeville rezoning/conditional-use approvals moved through P&Z and Council in early 2024; Council minutes and packets confirm the timing and actions. Those files and meeting videos show a steady stream of pro-growth testimony and correspondence from business and government stakeholders. Sussex County media site, sussexcountyde.gov

​​

Why it matters (same through-line): Henry’s value-add across county lines is the same as inside NCC—one phone call to convene DelDOT, planning staff, and political principals, and a willingness to put a government seal on “jobs-now” timelines. That makes Council members in neighboring counties more comfortable that the infrastructure and workforce pieces will arrive on schedule.

​

6.  Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez — Secretary of State (2025– ); former NCC Economic Development Director and Land Use GM; Chair, Diamond State Port Corporation (state owner of the Port of Wilmington)

Levers:​ Port power. As Chair of the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC), she steers strategy for the Port of Wilmington and the Edgemoor expansion with operator Enstructure—critical for cold-chain and container capacity that underpins mega-logistics site selection. Edgemoor expansion site—ground zero for Delaware’s container future. That puts her at the table on berth capacity, timelines, operator performance (now Enstructure), and litigation fixes—critical freight inputs for Amazon’s network design. Diamond State Port Corporation, Delaware Business Times, WHYY, Delaware Prosperity

​​

• Airport lever (ILG). The Wilmington/New Castle Airport is in a multiyear upgrade cycle under DRBA: terminal expansion ($9.8M, 2024 groundbreaking; slated late-2025), plus parking expansion, de-icing pad, Taxiway B improvements, and other airside projects in the 2025 DRBA Capital Improvement Program. These are the kinds of capacity adds that position ILG for heavier freight and corporate activity. drba.net, drba.net​​

  • Near-airport logistics (rumor/attributed). A $100M warehouse near Wilmington Airport is being developed by Stoltz Real Estate Partners, which has publicly targeted Amazon as the tenant (no Amazon announcement). Then there is the persistent building of a bridge rumor. Delaware Business Times

​​

• Zoning muscle. As NCC Land Use General Manager, she led the 2024 NCC2050 comprehensive-plan implementation with a widely reported mass-rezoning map (~87 parcels) to align zoning with the comp plan in one vote by Council—an attempt to pre-clear predictable sites and reducing case-by-case friction for code-compliant industrial. New Castle County, Ballotpedia

​​

Why it matters: Few officials hold both front-end dealmaking (econ dev) and back-end entitlement (land use) experience, then scale that influence statewide (corporations, DSPC). Pair that with ILG and port upgrades, and you have a single portfolio that aligns freight capacity + by-right sites + schedule discipline—exactly what accelerates large, compliant projects.

​

7.  Alan Levin — Secretary, Delaware Economic Development Office (2009–2015)
 

Early-era closer: DEDO director during Amazon’s Middletown expansion; publicly confirmed state incentive applications and quarterbacked “Team Delaware” courting in the Markell years—setting the template for later Amazon deals. WHYY, Shelf Awareness

 

8.  John Carney — Governor (2017–Jan. 2025)

 

Continuity & cover: Backed the 2020 Strategic Fund package for Boxwood and stood up the public narrative for big-ticket logistics builds. Executive support matters when neighbors and legislators are split. Delaware Public Meda

​

9.  Kurt Foreman — President & CEO, Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP)
 

Front-end hunter: The state’s business-recruitment shop chief; presented Amazon’s 2020 Boxwood case to the Council on Development Finance alongside Amazon’s Holly Sullivan and Brian Kenner. Delaware Public Media​

 

10.  Richard Hall — New Castle County Land Use GM (2017–2023)

 

Code steward: Oversaw the staff that interprets the Unified Development Code and issues key sign-offs; under Meyer, his shop executed the Jobs Now cadence that kept mega-warehouses on schedule. State of Delaware News, Delaware Public Media

​

11.  DelDOT leadership — Nicole Majeski (Secretary, 2021–2024); Shanté Hastings (Secretary, 2025– )

Roads & permits: Warehouse feasibility = highway geometry, signalization, and access permits. Majeski’s tenure prioritized freight safety/capacity; Hastings (a career engineer and former deputy) now runs the shop—crucial for turn lanes, ramp fixes, and traffic mitigation conditions. Delaware Business Times, CivicLive

​

12.  Kenneth L. Branner Jr. — Mayor of Middletown (longtime)

Town green light: Ran point on annexation/approvals that let the 2012 Amazon FC land quickly; Middletown’s pro-growth stance remains a model for municipal speed. State of Delaware News

​

13.  Jamie Whitehouse — Sussex County Planning & Zoning Director (2018–2024)
 

Hearing runway: Managed the staff reports and calendars that moved the Bridgeville FC through P&Z to Council—where timing and conditions often decide outcomes. Facebook

​

14.  Council on Development Finance (CDF) — Delaware Economic Development Authority

The checkbook: Unanimously approved $4.5M in Strategic Fund grants for Amazon’s Boxwood FC in Feb. 2020 (jobs & fit-out). Incentives don’t build the warehouse—but they close the spreadsheet. Public Meetings Delaware, Delaware Public Media

​

15.  Holly Sullivan — Amazon, Global Economic Development

Inside closer: Amazon’s point on site-selection economics; presented the Boxwood case to CDF, fielding questions on jobs, fit-out, and timelines. Delaware Public Media

​

16.  Shawn M. Tucker — Land-Use Counsel (Barnes & Thornburg); former NCC Land Use GM

Code translator: Ex-county land-use chief turned private-sector advocate; known for landing large approvals “in short order.” Shows up on major industrial files and adjacent testimony that shapes conditions. Baker McKenzie, Delaware Business Times

​

Why this list matters: Amazon follows certainty. In Delaware, certainty comes from (1) predictable state money and federal grants that de-risk freight, (2) county and town staffs that keep industrial by-right by right, and (3) experienced counsel who pre-solve the fights. The people above—elected, appointed, and private—are the ones who have kept those gears meshed.