Site Selection Factors / Strategy
Recent Features
AI Isn’t Killing Jobs—It’s Reshaping Hiring
AI isn’t eliminating jobs—at least not yet. But it is quietly reshaping how companies hire, and where those jobs show up.
How AI Is Reshaping the Way Communities Compete for Investment
Why earned media—not websites—is becoming the front door to site selection.
What Does “Site Readiness” Really Mean?
A roundup of programs—and the consultants who know what they’re worth.
40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey Results
For decades, the bedrock question of corporate site selection was some version of the same calculation: where can we do this most cheaply? That era is not simply fading. According to the results of Area Development's 2026 Annual Survey of Site Selection Consultants, it has ended. Welcome to the new era of operational certainty.
Last Word: When Incentives Lead, Projects Follow—Often in the Wrong Direction
Why chasing the biggest package can derail site selection decisions before they begin.
Forestry and Related Products: Why Location Mistakes Are So Hard to Undo
What corporate site selection teams must understand before committing long-term capital.
Last Word: Don’t Lose by Winning
As site scarcity shifts corporate decisions from parcels to people, execution—not assets—is becoming the real differentiator.
What Companies Need from Modern Manufacturing Sites
Capital, infrastructure, power and workforce now define competitive manufacturing locations.
Advanced Manufacturing Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Different Location Strategy
Why companies expanding today must rethink labor, sites, and operational resilience.
Economic Developer Role Shifting from Deal-Making to Systems Stewardship
New research shows how economic development leadership is shifting beyond deals and incentives.
Why Uncertainty — Not Demand — Is Slowing Foreign Investment in the U.S.
For first-time foreign investors, confidence — not incentives — has become the gating factor.
2026 Data Center Outlook: What Actually Changes Next
Demand is a given. Power, timelines, and execution are not — and that’s where 2026 decisions are getting made.
When Property Law Becomes a Location Constraint
How ownership restrictions are complicating industrial site selection.
Industries of the Future Aren’t Speculative Anymore
How federal capital, private investment, and place are quietly reshaping U.S. manufacturing.
Speed Built In—The Real Differentiator for 2026 Site Selection Projects
After a year where “shovel ready” often unraveled under scrutiny, the forward play is fewer unknowns and faster paths to operation—because constraints decide the field before incentives do.
The Geography of Packaging: Why Location Strategy Matters More Than Ever
Smarter expansion begins with smarter location decisions — especially as automation, sustainability, and supply chain risk redefine the packaging industry.
In Focus: Korea’s Blueprint for Sustainable U.S. Expansion
Why advanced manufacturers are treating site selection as a long-term business strategy, not a transaction.
Why Industrial Developers Are Turning to On-Site Energy
Facilities facing interconnection bottlenecks are accelerating production by investing directly in resilient, on-site energy systems.
Leading Metro Locations 2025: Smaller Markets, Stronger Momentum
Smaller and mid-sized U.S. metros are outpacing big cities, leveraging workforce agility, affordability, and livability to redefine competitiveness and attract investment in 2025.
Data Centers in 2025: When Power Became the Gatekeeper
The era of easy expansion is over—success now depends on early alignment among utilities, governments, and capital.
A Single Front Door for Corporate Investment in Fort Worth
Manufacturers and corporate real estate executives often talk about speed to market and clarity of process as deciding factors in site selection. Fort Worth is testing what happens when a city reorganizes itself around those principles.
Navigating Generational Differences in Location and Workplace Strategy
Workforce demographics are reshaping how and where companies design and locate their offices.
Navigating Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign-Trade Zones and Manufacturing in a Volatile Market
As tariff uncertainty and industrial policy shifts reshape investment strategies, manufacturers are leaning on tools such as foreign-trade zones, accelerated workforce partnerships and vertically integrated facilities to manage risk and maintain momentum in U.S. site selection decisions.
Editor's Note: Raising the Bar on Readiness
Contributed Content
Laying the Groundwork for Success: Kentucky’s Speed-to-Market Initiatives Are Fueling Future Economic Growth
Kentucky’s Product Development Initiative is translating preparation into performance.
Contributed Content
Beyond Shovel-Ready
How Michigan’s Site Readiness Strategy is De-Risking Investment.
Contributed Content
Speed to Site: How Ohio Is Removing Barriers to Major Investments
JobsOhio’s SiteOhio program is designed to give companies certainty on timelines, infrastructure, and due diligence before a project even begins.
Contributed Content
Potential Energy: Why Power Availability is Driving Site Selection
In today’s economic development landscape, power availability is no longer an item on a checklist — it's often the entire list.
Contributed Content
Oklahoma’s Competitive Edge: Low Cost, High Performance
A central U.S. location delivering cost stability, logistics reach and industry-focused workforce development.
Contributed Content
An Innovative, Delicious Solution to an Invasive Threat
Virginia is transforming an invasive blue catfish population into an economic development opportunity, supporting seafood processing, rural job growth and environmental restoration along the Chesapeake Bay.
Contributed Content
Montgomery County, Maryland: A Global Hub for Growth and Innovation
Just outside Washington, D.C., Montgomery County pairs one of the nation’s most educated workforces with federal research assets, transit-connected development, and a deep life sciences cluster poised for its next phase of expansion.
Contributed Content
How Georgia Power’s Proprietary Tools and Data Analytics Are Reshaping Site Selection in Georgia
In today’s fast-moving business environment, site decisions increasingly hinge on the ability to turn complex data into actionable insights. Companies demand sites that can quickly meet operational, workforce, and infrastructure needs.
Contributed Content
Life Sciences Successes Validate Virginia’s Partnership-Focused Economic Development Model
Virginia’s life sciences surge in 2025 reflected years of coordinated workforce, education, and site readiness, attracting major investments from Lilly, AstraZeneca, and Merck through fast permitting and partnership-driven economic development.
Editor's Note: The Year Site Selection Grew Up
Energy availability takes center stage as companies compete for grid capacity and rethink growth strategies
Contributed Content
Strategy Driven Location Decisions
How aligning operations with regional strengths drives better long-term performance than cost-focused site selection.
How to Spot a Community That’s Ready for Your Investment
A Site Selector’s Guide for Separating the Real Partners From Pretenders.
