Critical Site Selection Factor #1: Highway Access Affects the Bottom Line
Access to a high-quality highway infrastructure will improve a company’s profitability.
Archive
All Past Issues →
Cover Story
Critical Site Selection Factor #2: Occupancy & Construction Costs On The Rise
Occupancy and construction costs are escalating, with variations among and even within local markets.
Critical Site Selection Factor #3: Available Land Becoming Scarcer
Market conditions are tight, but some states are certifying large sites as shovel-ready in order to make sure they have an inventory on hand.
Critical Site Selection Factor #4: Available Buildings Needed for Expedited Timetables
Locating in an existing building will save a company time and money.
Critical Site Selection Factor #6: Labor Costs Vary by Project & Location
Labor costs are usually manufacturers biggest cost factor, but the rise of e-commerce has made these costs more important for distribution centers as well.
Critical Site Selection Factor #5: Availability of Skilled Labor Always a Top Priority
Matching skills with employer needs is critical to the location decision.
Critical Site Selection Factor #7: Right-To-Work State Often the First Factor in the Location Decision
Manufacturers often will not consider a state that’s non–right-to-work, but today that rules out about half the country.
Critical Site Selection Factor #8: Proximity To Major Markets Provides Access To Customers & Workforce Talent
Today’s expectations of next-day delivery make proximity to markets critical, but it also helps in recruiting workforce talent.
Critical Site Selection Factor #9: Energy Availability & Costs Leading Companies To Reshore
Competitively priced energy is having a transformative effect on the U.S. economy.
Critical Site Selection Factor #10: Corporate Tax Rate Takes a Big Bite
The tax rate varies, depending on location and type of facility, and the tax laws are in constant flux.
Features
Companies Diversify Shallow Economies While Building New Markets
The New Markets Tax Credit program has helped companies to establish and expand their businesses, while bolstering the distressed economies of their chosen locations.
ADA 25 Years Later: It’s All About Education for Industrial Facility Owners
A lot has changed since the act was passed in 1990, with building owners and designers becoming more educated and understanding the spirit of the law.
The Next Generation of Live, Work, Play
Thinking “outside the box,” how can rural America outcompete big cities for top talent? Be cool and be unique.
Advanced Manufacturing Changing the Economic Landscape
Across the country, states and localities are working with manufacturers to create and grow outposts for advanced manufacturing.
Incentives for Advanced Manufacturing: Out of Step with the Times
Automation and other process improvements have drastically reduced the number of workers needed to achieve a given level of productivity. Have state governments that use tax breaks and other inducements to attract industrial projects updated their incentives to reflect these changing times? Conversations with site selection consultants and state officials paint a varied picture.
Life Sciences Hub Cities Come With Big Price Tags — and Big Returns
The pressure to innovate means the right locations are worth their rising rents and labor costs.
Departments
First Person: Skills for a Successful Career in the 21st Century
One of Area Development’s staff editors recently interviewed Nigel Dessau, author of Become a 21st Century Executive: Breaking Away From the Pack. Dessau has more than 25 years experience in marketing and sales support in both the U.S. and Europe, having previously held positions at ADCLARO, AMD, and Sun Microsystems.
In Focus: Co-Working Spaces Shaping a New Generation of Emerging Urban Landscapes
A new, alternative workspace is emerging where freelancers, entrepreneurs, contract workers, and small businesses collaborate and create a business community — a space where professionals reserve a desk, room, or “hot seat” at a table without the fixed financial strings attached.
Front Line
Part-Timers (By Choice) Diversify the Workforce
There is a growing population of workers who, by choice, prefer to work part-time hours. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figure cited by Bloomberg, six million Americans are choosing to work part time — an increase of about 12 percent since 2007.
Walmart’s “Made in USA” Program Encourages Reshoring
This year Walmart partnered with the Reshoring Initiative to help companies manufacture more consumer products in the U.S. The mission of the Reshoring Initiative is to bring good, well-paying manufacturing jobs back to the United States by assisting companies to more accurately assess their total cost of offshoring, and shift collective thinking from “offshoring is cheaper” to “local reduces the total cost of ownership.”
Exclusive Online Content
In Focus: Funding Solar Projects for Commercial Facilities
Although companies can reap huge savings from installing solar energy, they may need to employ some creative strategies in order to secure project financing and must also consider the real estate available for such an installation.
In Focus: Leveraging Applications Experts and Tools for Effective HVAC Systems
Given the complexity of HVAC systems, their impact on performance, and the investment required, leveraging the expertise of HVAC manufacturer applications can be a critical enhancement.
