Site Selection

Facility Planning

Workforce Development

Business+Place

AD Editorial Board

Bill Luttrell

Senior Locations Strategist, Werner Global Logistics, Werner Enterprises
Bradley Migdal

Senior Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Brian Corde

Managing Partner, Atlas Insight
Christine Bustamante

National Co-Leader, Global Location and Expansion Services, State and Local Tax, KPMG LLP
Dan Levine

Practice Leader, Location Strategies and Economic Development, Oxford Economics, Inc.
Dan White

Senior Economist, Moody's Analytics
Dean J. Uminski, CEcD

Principal, Crowe Horwath
Dennis Cuneo

Managing Partner , Fisher & Phillips
Eric Stavriotis

Senior Vice President, CBRE, Inc.
Gregory Burkart

Managing Director and Practice Leader, Site Selection & Business Incentive Advisory Services, Duff & Phelps, LLC
Jamie Lominack

Corporate Real Estate Manager, Michelin North America
John Morris

SIOR, Industrial Services Lead for the Americas, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Josh Bays

Principal, Site Selection Group, LLC
Les Cranmer

Senior Managing Director, Savills Studley
Marc Beauchamp

Vice President & Partner, The CAI Global Group
Michael McDermott

Consulting Manager, Global Business Consulting, Cushman & Wakefield
Minah Hall

Managing Director, True Partners Consulting LLC
Scott Kupperman

Founder, Kupperman Location Solutions
Scott Redabaugh

Managing Director, JLL
Stephen Gray

CEO, Gray Construction
Thomas J. Stringer, Esq.

Managing Director & Practice Leader, Site Selection and Business Incentives Group, BDO USA
Tim Feemster

Managing Principal, Foremost Quality Logistics

June/July 2009 Editors Note: The Next Wave

Needless to say, the effects of the economic downturn have been widespread, hurting consumers and the companies they support across a broad range of industry sectors.

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine

June/July 09

Needless to say, the effects of the economic downturn have been widespread, hurting consumers and the companies they support across a broad range of industry sectors. Yet some of the projects that began in 2008 have stayed on course. This month, we honor 11 states - Tennessee, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina - that helped bring these high-value investments - both domestic and foreign - as well as well-paying jobs to their communities in our 4th Annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards report (See page 19.)

We also take a close look at the renewable energy sector in this issue in our "Clean Energy, Green Economy" special report. Renewable energy companies - be they wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, biomass, etc. - and the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) involved in making the parts for these firms hold the promise of restoring U.S. economic growth. This is the next "wave" of technology.

Sixteen states have taken the lead in funding for renewable energy projects, which are extremely capital-intensive, through tax and production incentives, rebates, grants, and loans. Further details on these programs - as well as a presentation that highlights many of the alternative energy OEMs and displays clusters of growth throughout the United States - can be found on our website at www.areadevelopment.com/
alternative-energy. The presentation will continue to evolve as new information is received and the alternative energy industry matures.

Although we're not out of the woods yet with regard to the recession, an early June Federal Reserve snapshot of economic conditions found that five out of the Fed's 12 regions indicate the "downward trend is showing signs of moderating." This is consistent with observations made by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke that the recession - which started in December 2007 and is now the longest since World War II - is loosening its strong hold on the economy.

Other analysts at the National Association for Business Economics also predict the recession will end this year, although the recovery is not likely to be smooth. Of course, companies will not be in rush to start hiring until they feel certain that economic growth is sustainable. Nevertheless, the projects and job growth reported in our special Shovel Awards and Renewable Energy reports in this issue present some glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been a bleak economic picture.