Business Globalization
Recent Features
Tariffs After the Supreme Court: A Detour, Not a Dead End
The Court blocks the administration’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, but alternative legal pathways — and political will — suggest trade duties will remain embedded in the operating environment.
40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey Results
For decades, the bedrock question of corporate site selection was some version of the same calculation: where can we do this most cheaply? That era is not simply fading. According to the results of Area Development's 2026 Annual Survey of Site Selection Consultants, it has ended. Welcome to the new era of operational certainty.
Why Uncertainty — Not Demand — Is Slowing Foreign Investment in the U.S.
For first-time foreign investors, confidence — not incentives — has become the gating factor.
When Property Law Becomes a Location Constraint
How ownership restrictions are complicating industrial site selection.
In Focus: Korea’s Blueprint for Sustainable U.S. Expansion
Why advanced manufacturers are treating site selection as a long-term business strategy, not a transaction.
Preparing for the Next USMCA Shake-Up
Business leaders should brace for potential costs and disruptions as North America’s free trade deal heads for review.
Last Word: Smart Executives Are Paying Attention to Rural Opportunity Zones
The permanent extension of Opportunity Zones under the 2025 OBBBA creates a rare opening for business leaders to shape where federal investment flows — and rural America may hold the strongest opportunities for long-term strategic growth.
Rethinking Auto Site Strategy in the Age of Tariffs and Powertrain Shifts
As EV momentum slows and tariffs rise, automotive companies are reworking supply chains, production plans, and location strategies to adapt to a rapidly changing market.
The Compliance Reckoning Is Here
New challenges—from automation to federal fallout—are testing how companies manage risk in incentive-backed projects
Supply Chain Whiplash Reshapes CRE
Power, ports, and unpredictability are pushing manufacturers to rethink their entire real estate approach.
How Canada Stays Competitive
As trade tensions mount, Canada’s supply chain reboot aims to retain foreign investment and reduce risk exposure.
Tariffs, Talent, and U.S. Expansion
International executives reveal what’s driving their U.S. site decisions amid policy changes and workforce pressure
Reshoring Reality Check from Construction
How tariffs and economic incentives are influencing FDI and location decisions.
Manufacturing’s New Risk Game for Site Selection
Companies face growing challenges as tariffs, political shifts, and trade policies disrupt location strategies.
Why Cold Storage May Defy the Tariff Crunch
Food related projects remain resilient as tariff pressures shake other sectors of commercial real estate
The New Math Behind Mexico and U.S. Manufacturing Decisions
Rising wages, grid strain, and policy shifts are changing the calculus for manufacturers in North America.
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
The findings from Area Development’s annual surveys provide a comprehensive look at how decision-makers are navigating the current landscape and what factors are shaping their investment plans.
U.S. Tariff Outlook: Key Signals to Watch in 2025
How economic developers, manufacturers, and policymakers can prepare for potential trade shifts.
A Tale of Two Industrial Winds
Shifting supply chains, evolving trade policies, and new investment trends are reshaping the industrial real estate landscape.
The Battle to Break China’s Rare Earth Supply Chain Dominance
U.S. faces challenges in reducing reliance on China for rare earths.
Foreign Direct Investment in Canada – Grace Under Pressure
Foreign Direct Investment in Canada faces new challenges and opportunities as the country navigates economic shifts and evolving investment strategies in key sectors like electric vehicles, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Hydrogen Industry in Canada: A Global Leader in the Clean Energy Revolution
Hydrogen is transforming clean energy, with Canada leading through innovative production methods, diverse applications, and strong government support, driving future growth and sustainability.
Why You Need to Know the Three GEOs of FDI
Exploring the forces affecting Foreign Direct Investment into the United States and how it is affecting current site selection processes.
38th Annual Corporate Survey: Are Unrealized Predictions of an Economic Slump Leading Small to Mid-Size Companies to Put Off Expansion Plans?
Small and mid-size firms — which account for most of our Corporate Survey respondents — are holding their plans for new and expanded facilities in check despite economic news being better than what had been predicted.
20th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Prioritize Access to Skilled Labor, Responsive State & Local Government
The responding consultants say economic pressures are creating the biggest potential impact for their clients’ location and expansion plans, with finding available skilled labor being the most important concern.
Navigating the Dynamic Landscape of Logistics in Mexico
Companies considering nearshoring operations to Mexico will find a resilient and interconnected logistics network to handle their import and export processes.
Contributed Content
The Partnerships Driving Virginia’s Biopharma Success
Virginia is pairing industry investment, academic partnerships and workforce development to build a resilient biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem.
Navigating Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign-Trade Zones and Manufacturing in a Volatile Market
As tariff uncertainty and industrial policy shifts reshape investment strategies, manufacturers are leaning on tools such as foreign-trade zones, accelerated workforce partnerships and vertically integrated facilities to manage risk and maintain momentum in U.S. site selection decisions.
Around the Horn: Advanced Manufacturing’s Next Move
JLL recently launched an Advanced Manufacturing group to meet the moment, and Area Development spoke with group leaders Greg Matter, Vice Chair, Industrials, and Meaghan Elwell, Division President of Global Industrials, to get their real estate playbook for the new era. This conversation has been edited for space and style.
First Person: René Buck, President & CEO, BCI Global
As founder and CEO of BCI Global, René Buck has led site selection projects and supply chain projects across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. We caught up with Buck to talk about the evolution of site selection, the impact of tariffs and geopolitics, and the advice he’s giving manufacturing executives right now.
Around the Horn: North America’s Trade Tensions
Charlie Smith, managing director of geopolitical strategy at Newmark Global Strategy discusses the current trade tensions across North America and their implications with his colleagues, managing director Carlos Sanchez (based in Mexico) and senior managing director Gregg Wassmansdorf (based in Canada).
Skilled Labor, Ample Energy, and Speed to Market Take Priority
A location’s labor availability; responsive, pro-business local partners; and ability to support a large energy user are often the main drivers of the site selection decision.
Site Selection Evolves
Corporate respondents prioritize workforce talent, environmental factors, and permitting/regulatory ease in their location and expansion decisions.
Manufacturing Projects Dominate the Deal Flow
The volume of manufacturing projects across the nation is rising, while office activity has been slow to recover from the pandemic.
Consultants Survey Reflects Shift in Ranking of Site Selection Factors
A responsive state and local government, incentives offerings, and site readiness now outweigh costs in the location decision.
Contributed Content
Tennessee Tops for FDI from Korea
South Korea’s longstanding relationship with Tennessee is based on honesty, trust, and following through.
