Corporate Exec Survey Results
Recent Features
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.
19th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Challenged by Tight Labor Market, Energy Availability
Consultants responding to our survey say economic conditions are affecting their clients’ expansion/investment plans, with labor and energy availability and costs of prime concern.
37th Annual Corporate Survey: Economic Pressures Exerting Greatest Effect on Decision-Makers
Companies looking to grow are facing an historically tight labor market and rising costs, but their plans to invest may be buoyed by recent government legislation.
36th Annual Corporate Survey: Executives Focus on Labor, Energy, Shipping Costs
A tight labor market, supply chain challenges, and rising costs have resulted in some surprising changes in corporate respondents’ location priorities.
18th Annual Consultants Survey: Access to Major Markets and Skilled Labor Are Clients’ Primary Concerns
Supply chain considerations, the shortage of skilled workers, and a lack of industrial space are top of mind for their clients, according to consultants responding to our annual survey.
35th Annual Corporate Survey: Effects of Global Pandemic Reflected in Executives’ Site and Facility Plans
As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our corporate readers’ location plans and priorities as they increased their resiliency efforts.
17th Annual Consultants Survey: Consultants Are Optimistic About the Year Ahead
Those responding to the Consultants Survey express optimism about their clients’ plans for the year ahead while acknowledging their increased focus on costs and logistics going forward.
34th Annual Corporate Survey & the 16th Annual Consultants Survey
Plans for new and expanded facilities among the smaller firms (in terms of employment numbers) responding to our Corporate Survey are not as robust as those of larger firms that employ consultants to help in location analysis and site decisions.
Editor’s Note: The Future Is Now
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.
Companies Are Recalibrating Their Priorities
In recent years many companies have been propelled to recalibrate priorities for their location strategies and resulting real estate footprints. The top site selection factors for occupiers today include the following:
Federal Legislation Affects Companies’ Investment Plans
Companies looking to grow are facing an historically tight labor market and rising costs, but their plans to invest may be buoyed by recent government legislation.
Corporate Decision-Makers Face a Challenging Environment
The rankings clearly reflect the impact of geopolitical and economic instability, as well as technology.
Labor Related Factors Are Key
Companies are searching for the right balance of labor — at all skill levels — that can satisfy their needs not only now but also into the future.
Energy Costs Come to the Forefront
The shift away from carbon-emitting fuels and the unexpected spikes in natural gas pricing in 2022 have made industrial customers increasingly sensitive to energy costs in their location decisions.
Editor's Note: Cautious Optimism for 2023
Although manufacturers are facing a challenging year, many are optimistic that lessons learned during the pandemic will help them weather whatever lies ahead.
Editor's Note: Speed of Change Will Accelerate in 2022
Companies have met the challenges over the last two difficult years but will now need to adjust their plans and priorities over the course of 2022 in order to succeed.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Labor Costs and Availability Go Hand in Hand
The pandemic shook up what workers want and expect from a job.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Respondents Take a Conservative Approach
These survey results are appropriately conservative, given the unprecedented challenges that enterprises have faced over the past two.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Supply Chain Factors Take on Added Significance
The major supply chain disruptions experienced in 2021 are reflected in the survey results.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Small to Mid-Size Companies Focus on Costs
Costs, accessibility, and taxes all ranked higher in importance than quality of life to the small to mid-size companies responding to the Corporate Survey.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Pandemic-Induced Impacts Have Profound Effect on Decision-Makers
Labor costs, inbound/outbound shipping costs, and raw materials availability, in particular, have significantly increased in priority.
36th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Corporate Sensitivity to Ongoing Operating Costs
The survey results underscore current corporate anxiety around rising costs, especially as more firms consider domestic investment.
Editor's Note: The Pandemic as a Catalyst for Change
The results of our 35th annual Corporate Survey and 17th annual Consultants Survey reflect changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a temporary and/or permanent transition to remote work and an increase in the importance of quality of life.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Reflects Rapidly Changing Real Estate Environment
The Corporate Survey results reflect recent trends including the COVID-19 pandemic’s exposure of vulnerabilities in the supply chain that are also affecting the real estate environment.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Realignment of Supply Chains and Automation Mitigate Risks
Companies are realigning their supply chains while also instituting automated processes, which makes them more sensitive to energy reliability and rates.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Has the Pandemic Affected the Ranking of Site Selection Factors?
While workforce quality and costs continue to be highly ranked factors, the current operating environment has caused companies to increase their emphasis on logistics/shipping costs.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Skilled Labor, Taxes & Incentives Still Paramount in the Location Decision
Companies recognize the importance of a location’s quality of life in in attracting the skilled labor that they need, and taxes and incentives continue to be a top criteria as well.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Pandemic Presents Occupiers with Challenges and Opportunities
Companies are re-evaluating their real estate strategies and accelerating the automation and digitization of processes.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Change in Site Selection Priorities and Plans Over the Short and Long Term
Training programs and quality of life are two factors that have seen a jump in importance over the 35-year course of the Corporate Survey; as of now, however, some short-term facility plans have been put on hold.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Labor Costs, Taxes/Incentives, Quality of Life Taking Priority
According to the survey results, companies have become increasingly cost-conscious and are also placing a higher value on quality of life and place.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Putting the Effects of a Turbulent Year into Perspective
It remains to be seen how supply-chain realignment, remote working, and potential tax changes will impact the location decision over time.
35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Staying Afloat During the Crisis but Dark Times Ahead?
Although the Corporate Survey reveals that most companies did not change their overall corporate real estate strategy during the past year, they now appear to be taking a more prudent approach when it comes to plans for new/expanded facilities.
