Area Development Homepage >> Viewpoint >>

First Person: Robert "Bob" Hess

Robert Hess, Executive Managing Director, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (Feb/Mar 08)

(page 2 of 2)

Did the governors or other high-ranking officials take active roles in helping to land the project?
Hess: The governors of Alabama and Louisiana and their state representatives traveled to Germany to see the operations of the company. This put substance, names and faces behind the commitments made to date, and provided the visibility and knowledge each governor needed to go back to the constituents and defend the investment in the project. These visits made the project more personal, established relationships, and allowed each side to come away with a feeling of whether they wanted to stay in the game or not. I would also say that the hospitality and camaraderie afforded these officials by the ThyssenKrupp organization in Duisburg, Germany, was first class, respectful, and in the spirit of partnership.

How specifically can government officials help the process?
Hess: With the ThyssenKrupp project, the performance of Team Alabama - from the governor all the way down to the local sanitary engineering department - was superb; it was aligned, positive, and responsive to the project's concerns and technical needs. It's very powerful if a governor is engaged in selling his state and constantly telling the marketplace, "We're open for business." Leadership and commitment mean everything when you're down to two finalists and the governor is calling you every day and asking, "What can I do to support you?"

What was it like to work with a German-based company in terms of cultural differences in how business is done in the two countries?
Hess: The company did not want to make this the "German" way in America. Instead, they wanted to develop a U.S. compatible process, and were always quite cautious about impressions, greetings, cultural differences, and how to do business here. The finalist states, I believe, were impressed with this approach and integrity in their actions.

Do you look at international site selection work differently now since this project?
Hess: Absolutely. It requires a whole other level of sophistication, sensitivity to cultural differences, commitment of time and energy, and an interest in thinking global and local all at the same time. One takeaway is that the world does not revolve around the United States. There is tremendous foreign direct investment occurring all over the world. And many countries have equal if not more focused business attraction programs from which economic developers and political leadership can learn.

How would you rate the ThyssenKrupp project in terms of giving you personal satisfaction?
Hess: Let's face it - you can't raise the bar any higher than this project. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve ThyssenKrupp; I don't know how to top this one!

<< Back Page1 2

Save/Share Article

About the Author

Robert Hess, Executive Managing Director, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Bob Hess leads the Consulting Group at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Global Corporate Services and is responsible for strategy development, quality assurance, and leading business development activities on a global basis. Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Hess was a Leading Partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Business Consulting Group based in Chicago and Founder of the firm’s Global Supply Chain Solutions consulting practice. Other past experience includes his role as a Lead Partner with Deloitte & Touche for 18 years in their Fantus Locations Strategies service line, a specialty consulting practice known for industry leading strategic facility planning, location strategy, site selection, and corporate real estate advisory services. Aside from his supply chain planning and facility location strategy core competencies, other strategy and operations experience includes distribution network optimization, manufacturing rationalization and consolidation, relocation feasibility, strategic cost reduction, large capital investment program management, commercial and industrial site evaluation and due diligence methods, detailed labor market/workforce analysis, and complex financial incentive negotiations. Hess earned his BA in Economic Geography/Urban and Regional Planning, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota - Duluth, and an MBA in Marketing Management from DePaul University in Chicago. He attended Northwestern University in Chicago completing Executive Development Programs in Global Supply Chain Management and Factory Physics/Lean Manufacturing, and recently attended MIT for Creative Problem Solving/System Dynamics.

More articles by Robert Hess

ASK AREA DEVELOPMENT

Have questions, comments or concerns about this article? Submit to Ask Area Development here and the author or an expert from our network of site selection and facility planning professionals will answer:

Privacy policy / GuidelinesArea Development will select a number of questions to answer each week. An Area Development representative will contact the submitting reader directly with feedback. Additionally, all submissions are eligible to appear online or in our print publication. If your question is selected for publication we will include and publish your first name, job title and industry only. The full identity of the submitting reader will not appear in published format.Area Development will not publish, share with any third parties, or use for marketing purposes any personal information submitted here without the express consent of the submitting reader.

News Items

Around The Web

Studies/Research

News Items

Around The Web

Studies/Research

Chile-based Crystal Lagoons To Open Headquarters In Miami, Florida

State Resource map

Click on any state for links to current state news and data, contact directory, corporate taxes, financial and business incentives, credits, grants and available buildings and sites

State Resource Sponsor