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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Corporate Exec Survey Results

Editor's Note: The Pandemic as a Catalyst for Change

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Reflects Rapidly Changing Real Estate Environment

Ann Marie Woessner-Collins, Managing Director, Savills (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Realignment of Supply Chains and Automation Mitigate Risks

Monty Turner, Senior Vice President, Location Strategy, Colliers Site Selection (Q1 2021)

Companies are realigning their supply chains while also instituting automated processes, which makes them more sensitive to energy reliability and rates. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Has the Pandemic Affected the Ranking of Site Selection Factors?

James Blair, Managing Director, Navigator Consulting (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Skilled Labor, Taxes & Incentives Still Paramount in the Location Decision

Steven Tozier, Executive Director, Ernst & Young LLP (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Pandemic Presents Occupiers with Challenges and Opportunities

Eric Stavriotis, Executive Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE (Q1 2021)

Companies are re-evaluating their real estate strategies and accelerating the automation and digitization of processes. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Change in Site Selection Priorities and Plans Over the Short and Long Term

Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Corporate Survey: Effects of Global Pandemic Reflected in Executives’ Site and Facility Plans

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2021)

As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our corporate readers’ location plans and priorities as they increased their resiliency efforts. More

17th Annual Consultants Survey: Consultants Are Optimistic About the Year Ahead

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2021)

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. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Labor Costs, Taxes/Incentives, Quality of Life Taking Priority

Chris Volney, Senior Director, Labor Analytics, CBRE (Q1 2021)

According to the survey results, companies have become increasingly cost-conscious and are also placing a higher value on quality of life and place. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Putting the Effects of a Turbulent Year into Perspective

H. Robert Boehringer, III, Managing Director, Global Location & Expansion Services, KPMG (Q1 2021)

It remains to be seen how supply-chain realignment, remote working, and potential tax changes will impact the location decision over time. More

35th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Staying Afloat During the Crisis but Dark Times Ahead?

Marc Beauchamp, President & CEO, CAI Global (Q1 2021)

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. More

34th Annual Corporate Survey & the 16th Annual Consultants Survey

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2020)

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. More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Results Reveal Challenges In Today’s Industrial Market

Eric Stavriotis, Executive Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE (Q1 2020)

This year’s Corporate Survey results echo the continued strong demand we are seeing in the U.S. industrial sector, as well as the continuing “war for talent.” More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Search for Skilled Labor to Operate — and Build — the Facility Continues

Bradley Migdal, Senior Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. (Q1 2020)

A shortage of skilled workers to not only operate a facility but also to build one is driving up construction and occupancy costs. More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Workforce Availability Affecting Corporate Strategies, Global Location Decisions

Jacob Everett , Credit & Incentives Practice, McGuire Sponsel (Q1 2020)

With a tight labor market, companies will to attempt to reduce the amount of human resources required to expand their footprints and output. More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Top Criteria Remain Logistics and Labor

Bill Luttrell, Director of Corporate Real Estate, Werner Enterprises, Inc. (Q1 2020)

With 80 percent of U.S. communities served exclusively by trucks, highway access remains just as critical as accessibility to skilled labor. More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Robust Information Needed to Satisfy Site Selection Demands

Courtney Dunbar, Site Selection & Economic Development Leader, Burns & McDonnell (Q1 2020)

Companies are utilizing advancements in pre-capital planning to select sites to fit their labor force and logistical needs as well as to design their facilities. More

34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Corporate Survey Respondents Give Training Programs Short Shrift

Chris Schwinden, Vice President, Site Selection Group (Q1 2020)

Considering the importance of access to skilled labor at a reasonable cost, why don’t corporate executives give more importance to training and technical programs? More

33rd Annual Corporate Survey & the 15th Annual Consultants Survey

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2019)

Our survey Results indicate that despite an uncertain operating environment and continuing concerns about the availability of skilled labor, plans for new and expanded facilities still are on the horizon. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Corporate Strategy and Analysis Critical to Optimizing Site Selection

Kate Crowley, Principal,  Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (Q1 2019)

In light of the new tax code, corporate tax liability and state and local incentives to reduce that liability have taken on increased importance in the site selection process. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Corporate Survey Reflects the “Mid-Cap Movement”

Eric Stavriotis, Executive Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE (Q1 2019)

Mid-cap companies are poised to grow significantly in the next five years, representing a healthy sign for the overall economy as well as diversification for the markets in which they choose to grow. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: The Effects of Tax Cuts, Tariffs, and a Skilled Labor Shortage on Facility Plans

Amy Gerber, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q1 2019)

While the long-term effects of recent tax cuts and increased tariffs on facility plans remain to be seen, difficulty in finding a workforce with the required skill sets is a continuing problem. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: The Role of Public Policymakers and the Private Market in Location Projects

David J. Robinson, Principal, The Montrose Group, LLC (Q1 2019)

Public policymakers and the private market help to address the cost of doing business at a particular site with an attractive tax policy and affordable energy costs, in addition to providing a qualified labor pool. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: New Versus Old Economy: Different Hotspots, Different Strategies

Dan Levine, Practice Leader, Location Strategies and Economic Development, Oxford Economics, Inc. (Q1 2019)

Although manufacturing and technology companies often have divergent needs and cluster in varied geographic locations, both are having trouble finding the workforce they require. More

33rd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Labor — Availability, Costs, and Access to the Workplace — Is Paramount

Brian Corde, Managing Partner, Atlas Insight (Q1 2019)

Finding and retaining top talent at an affordable cost remain top of mind for executives making location and expansion decisions. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Corporate Survey Rankings Weighted Toward Manufacturing Functions

Les Cranmer, Senior Managing Director, Savills  and Art M. Wegfahrt, Corporate Managing Director, Savills (Q1 2018)

Recognizing that the respondents are heavily weighted with manufacturing functions, the top location factors make a great deal of sense. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Investment Decisions - A Complex Evaluation in an Uncertain Environment

Marc Beauchamp, President & CEO, CAI Global (Q1 2018)

The Corporate Survey results illustrate a level of uncertainty by investors — a clear indication of how challenging the investment project decision-making process has become. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: 2018 - A Decisive Year for Corporate Investment in the U.S.

Dan Breen, Executive Vice President, Location Economics, JLL and Jubal Smith, Managing Director, Location Economics, JLL (Q1 2018)

In response to a limited supply of quality sites, tight labor pools, and a rapidly-shifting economic policy environment, businesses must move quickly and strategically. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Managing the EDO Investment Portfolio to Maximize Job Growth

Von Hatley, Managing Director, Jones Walker Consulting, LLC (Q1 2018)

The investment conversation has to start somewhere, and when companies are seeking new locations, the conversation begins with site inventory. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Loosening the Reins on Pent-Up Capital

Thomas J. Stringer, Esq., Managing Director & Practice Leader, Site Selection and Business Incentives Group, BDO USA (Q1 2018)

Last year saw an increase in capital investment, which has continued through the first quarter of 2018. More

32nd Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Labor Is Paramount

Doug Rasmussen, President & CEO, Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners (Q1 2018)

A community that does not have the adequate labor profile is devastating to a project’s success in that location. More

32nd Annual Corporate Survey & the 14th Annual Consultants Survey

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2018)

Although the U.S. economy is strong, there may still be some hesitancy in investment decisions brought about by an uncertain legislative environment. More

13th Annual Consultants Survey: Confidence in U.S. Economy, Concern Over Proposed Trump Policies

Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine (Q1 2017)

The responding consultants are confident that economic conditions under the Trump administration will be favorable to their clients moving ahead with new facilities plans, but also believe potential penalties for moving offshore will affect those plans. In fact, nearly two thirds believe there will be financial inducements to reshore operations. And 100 percent say finding skilled labor is the number-one priority. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Highway Access, Labor Skills and Costs Remain Primary Concerns

Don Moss, Partner, Colliers International and Grant Miller, Partner, Colliers International (Q1 2017)

Our findings align with those of the Corporate Survey; not only are highway access and labor skills and costs of the utmost importance in siting new facilities, but so are permitting and regulatory issues. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Economic Incentives Necessary to Mitigate Increasing Project Costs

Bradley Migdal, Senior Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. (Q1 2017)

The lack of available buildings in certain markets, as well as rising rental and labor costs, has made expansions more expensive than ever and heightened the need for economic incentives in order to make projects a reality. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Factor Rankings Borne Out By Location Decisions in Kentucky

Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (Q1 2017)

The factors considered most important when making a location decision have been cited by many of the corporate executives who have made the decision to locate or expand facilities in Kentucky. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Highway Accessibility Tops List of Corporate Site Selection Factors

Charles L. Ruby, Director, Deloitte Tax LLP (Q1 2017)

Communities with good highway accessibility and top-notch talent will continue to emphasize their unique quality of life as a differentiator to both attract and retain employers and employees alike. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: U.S. Will Remain a Prime Area of Expansion

Christopher Steele, Global COO and North American President, Investment Consulting Associates (ICA) (Q1 2017)

While a favorable reaction to the Trump administration’s policies may result in the U.S. being a prime area for corporate expansion, proposed protectionist measures could cause corporate investors to hold off on making decisions until the dust settles. More

31st Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Political Risk Comes to the United States

Dan Levine, Practice Leader, Location Strategies and Economic Development, Oxford Economics, Inc. (Q1 2017)

International site selection is already changing in response to our new era of presidential tweeting. To last year’s rankings must now be added the challenges presented by major shifts in federal policies and tactics. More

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