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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Top States for Business

Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence

Andy Greiner,  Editor, Area Development (Q3 2024)

Certain states just have the right ingredients for attracting and nurturing business growth. The 2024 Top States for Doing Business rankings are in, and guess what? The Southern states are shining bright once again. More

2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2023)

The states considered the best locations for doing business according to an expert panel of location consultants are the highest performers in more than a dozen categories upon which companies make their site selection decisions. More

2023 Top States Workforce Development Programs

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2023)

Having a workforce with the right skills is an integral part of being a Top State for Doing Business — that’s why training programs are so important. More

Editor’s Note: Workforce Stats Paint a More Optimistic Picture, Although Challenges Remain

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q3 2023)

Industry is still being challenged by low unemployment and the e-commerce surge among other concerns but is continuing to spend on new facilities and “to think outside the box” when it comes to fulfilling workforce needs. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Southern and Midwest States Provide Businesses with Important Resources

Ben Worrell , Principal, McGuire Sponsel and Emily Poole, Senior Consultant, McGuire Sponsel (Q3 2023)

Access to training programs as well as incentives for automation are helping companies meet their workforce needs in the top-ranked states. More

2023 Top States Commentary: The Importance of Speed to Market

Christopher D. Lloyd, Senior Vice President and Director, Infrastructure and Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2023)

A balanced regulatory, permitting, and cost structure allows companies to get up and running and get their products to market quickly. More

2023 Top States Commentary: A Sustained Focus on Positive Business Climate Makes the Difference

Kim Williams Davis, Director, Quest Site Solutions (Q3 2023)

Multiple agencies in the top-ranked states have developed, implemented, and maintained programs facilitating capital investment and job creation. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Top-20 States Demonstrate Success in Winning Projects

Larry Gigerich, Executive Managing Director , Ginovus (Q3 2023)

The top ranked states are leveraging their assets and positioning themselves for future economic development success. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Site-Readiness Programs Position a State for Success

Larry Gigerich, Executive Managing Director , Ginovus (Q3 2023)

Significant due diligence gives site selectors the confidence to move forward on development. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Top-Ranked States Have What It Takes to Win Mega Projects

Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors (Q3 2023)

Training programs, water and real estate availability, and competitive utility rates are among the factors helping the top states to land billion dollar EV and semiconductor projects. More

2022 Top States Workforce Development Programs

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2022)

Companies across industry sectors are having trouble finding all the talent they need, which makes workforce development programs even more vital as a location factor. More

2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2022)

The "Top States" report looks at some of the places ripe for successfully growing and doing business based on the views of our expert panel of consultants. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Site Selection – When You Are Good, You Win!

Bradley Migdal, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q3 2022)

The states that consistently rank as “top states” understand what companies are looking for in a location and have a plan that responds to the economy of the future. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Education, Training, and Quality of Life Reflected in State Rankings

Jeff Pappas, Managing Director, Mohr Partners (Q3 2022)

It’s not surprising that states ranking in the top five spots have strong educational and workforce training systems as well as high quality of life. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Georgia’s Logistics & Infrastructure Attributes Contribute to Its No. 1 Ranking

John Boyd, Principal, The Boyd Company, Inc. (Q3 2022)

Its logistical strengths and supply-chain technology leadership are among the reasons consultants ranked Georgia as the No. 1 state for doing business. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Responsiveness to Projects Big — and Small — Lands a Core Group of States on Top

W. Ford Graham, Senior Vice President, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2022)

States that embrace site-readiness initiatives and understand workforce training are among those considered top states for doing business. More

The 2021 Top States for Doing Business Reflect Their Locational Advantages

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2021)

Despite the economic uncertainty of the last year, plenty of companies continue to grow, and with growth comes the need to expand and explore new locations. The “Top States” in which to locate represent the general views of our expert panel of site consultants, with Georgia ranking #1 for the eighth year in a row. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Pandemic Accelerates Pre-Existing State Trends

Eric Stavriotis, Vice Chairman, CBRE (Q3 2021)

Pro-business tax structures, responsive state governments, workforce training programs, and site-readiness programs are allowing top-ranked states to hold their positions. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Location Strategies Altered by the Pandemic, But Not Results

Les Cranmer, Senior Managing Director, Savills  (Q3 2021)

Although both the location advisors and economic developers have had limited project experiences during this past year, the 2021 results align with what we have seen in past years. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Commonalities Shared by the Top-Ranked States

Scott Kupperman, Founder, Kupperman Location Solutions (Q3 2021)

Responsive economic developers, clearly defined property solutions, and minimization of risk and cost put states on consultants’ top-10 list. More

2021 Top States Commentary: A Look Behind the Rankings

Benton Blaine, Vice President, Infrastructure & Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2021)

While the top states overall remain consistent year-over-year, a deep dive into the data shows some interesting movement in the rankings. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Auto Industry Projects Driving Top-Ranked States

Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors (Q3 2021)

Their pro-business environments — with skilled labor, top workforce training programs, competitive utility rates, fast permitting processes, and more — have propelled states across the South to be ranked highly for auto-related and other projects. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Top Ranked States Hold Their Positions

Daniel Oney, Managing Director, Newmark (Q3 2021)

Despite increasing competition between states because of rising wages and a lack of ready-to-go sites, the top ranked states have remained consistent year over year. More

2020 Top States for Doing Business Showcase Their Pro-Business Environments

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2020)

Despite changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the states across the South seem to have all their ducks in a row when it comes to attracting business. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Best-in-Class Responsiveness

Jacob Everett , Founder, Corsa Strategies (Q3 2020)

Effective collaboration with and responsiveness from state/regional/local economic developers is highly valued by consultants and business leaders alike. More

2020 Top States Commentary: A Premium on Skills and Training

Chris Schastok, Vice President, Economic Incentives Group (EIG), CBRE and Eric Stavriotis, Vice Chairman, CBRE (Q3 2020)

States having competitive labor markets also have highly regarded training programs. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Partnering, Innovating, and Listening!

Bradley Migdal, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q3 2020)

The top ranked states continue to innovate and, importantly, they listen in order to adopt policies that reflect changes in the business world. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Lower Business Costs, Decreasing Regulations

Leslie Wagner, Senior Principal, Ginovus (Q3 2020)

A hyper focus on creating business-friendly environments with less burdensome regulations has helped several states move up in the rankings. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Long-Term Economic Development Policies-Constants in a Changing World

Christopher D. Lloyd, Senior Vice President and Director, Infrastructure and Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2020)

Companies making expansion and relocation decisions seek consistent and predictable economic development policies, an attribute responsible for the same states receiving a top rank over many years. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Workforce Training, Utility Partners, and Incentive Programs

Bob Cook, Senior Vice President, Latin America, Site Selection Group, LLC (Q3 2020)

Having strong utility partners, along with outstanding workforce training programs and incentive programs, has led to top rankings for the Southeast States. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Investment in Workforce Training and Site-Readiness

Jason Hamman, President and Founder, The Hamman Consulting Group (Q3 2020)

While workforce training is a paramount concern, investing in site-readiness is also critical to meeting client needs and is an attribute of the top ranked states. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Significant Port Access

Walter Kemmsies, Ph.D., Managing Director, Economist and Chief Strategist, U.S. Ports, Airports and Global Infrastructure Group, JLL (Q3 2020)

Access to fast-growing word trade is important to industry, and three of the top five ranked states claim significant ports. More

2019 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Sixth Year in a Row

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2019)

The top-ranked states have landed on the radar of today’s site selection consultants because of their low business costs, generous incentive programs, and competitive labor environments, among other probusiness advantages. More

2019 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: Southern States Continue to Lead the Pack; Midwest Gains Ground

Lindsey Cannon, Director, Quest Site Solutions (Q3 2019)

Although strong economic development teams and business-friendly policies have helped to draw companies to the Southern States, all states must continue to adapt to the changing site selection environment. More

2019 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: Long-Term Perspective Shows Southern States as “Go-To” Places for Business

Les Cranmer, Senior Managing Director, Savills  and Art M. Wegfahrt, Corporate Managing Director, Savills (Q3 2019)

It can be said that shared reasoning garnered through client collaboration, as well as recent experience gained through working on location projects with the various states, validates the results of the most recent Top States survey. More

2019 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: States with Improved Economic Development Policies Rise to the Top

Amy Gerber, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q3 2019)

Once implemented, changes in economic development policies take many years to achieve the desired results, but the survey rankings show that such changes are having the desired effect. More

2018 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fifth Year in a Row

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2018)

Competitive labor environments and leading workforce development programs, low taxes and utility costs, favorable regulatory environments, and cooperative state governments are among the top-ranked states’ pro-business attributes. More

2018 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: Can Trailing States Catch the Southern Coastal States Leading the Pack?

Von Hatley, Managing Director, Jones Walker Consulting, LLC (Q3 2018)

Those states not rated highly by the responding consultants have an opportunity to create policy to get on the leader board, but the implementation timeline must be longer than any incumbent political administration in order to achieve meaningful results. More

2018 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: Southern States Continue Their Domination

Tracy King Sharp, Chief Operating Officer, Boyette Strategic Advisors (Q3 2018)

Favorable business tax climates and competitive labor environments — as well as aggressive utility economic development programs — have helped the Southern States to come out on top. More

2018 Top States for Doing Business Commentary: Importance of Addressing the Skill Labor Shortage

Alexander Frei, Senior Vice President, CBRE (Q3 2018)

Elite workforce development programs are helping to offset any skills shortages due to tight labor market conditions. More

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