exclusives
Recent Features
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
The findings from Area Development’s annual surveys provide a comprehensive look at how decision-makers are navigating the current landscape and what factors are shaping their investment plans.
2024's Leading Metro Locations: U.S. Cities on the Rise Amid an Economic Reshuffling
Area Development’s 2024 Leading Metro Locations report reveals shifting dynamics in America’s cities.
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
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.
19th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Economic growth shines at the Area Development Shovel Awards, with states like South Carolina and Louisiana leading the charge. Discover which regions are driving innovation and sustainability in industries from automotive to green technology.
38th Annual Corporate Survey: Are Unrealized Predictions of an Economic Slump Leading Small to Mid-Size Companies to Put Off Expansion Plans?
Small and mid-size firms — which account for most of our Corporate Survey respondents — are holding their plans for new and expanded facilities in check despite economic news being better than what had been predicted.
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.
2023's Leading Metro Locations: Hotspots of Economic Growth
The leading metro areas are those poised for long-term growth and are often hubs of high-tech industry, where workers may benefit from an affordable cost of living.
2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors
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.
EV and Semiconductor Projects Stand Out in States Receiving Area Development’s 18th Annual Shovel Awards
With concerns about climate change now supplanting pandemic fears, projects to produce EVs — and the semiconductors used by vehicles and other high-tech goods — come to the forefront in this year’s Shovel Awards report.
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.
2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth
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.
Area Development’s 17th Annual Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts — First Two Platinum Shovels Awarded
Area Development’s annual Shovel Awards highlight the nation’s swift post-pandemic economic recovery in 2021 with many projects being initiated that represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of new jobs.
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.
2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
Although 2020’s global pandemic resulted in some projects being stalled or canceled, the annual Shovel Awards recognize many other new and expanded facilities plans that are on track and expected to created thousands of jobs and billions in investment.
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.
2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts
While the current COVID-19 crisis may put some development on “pause,” our annual Shovel Awards recognize states that garnered large job-creating and investment projects over the course of the previous year.
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.
2019 Leading Metro Locations: Pacific and South-Atlantic Metros Dominate the List
Metro areas that are hotbeds of technology lead the pack, joined by others showing manufacturing prowess, which has a large economic ripple effect.
FDI Surges Ahead in Canada
Canada continues to be a premier investment destination and is dedicated to protecting its key industries, investing in innovation, and developing its workforce.
2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recipients Garnered Large Job-Creating and Investment Projects in Diverse Industries
While e-commerce was creating thousands of jobs across the nation last year, high-profile, diverse projects in the manufacturing, information technology, financial services, energy, and other sectors were also making news.
33rd Annual Corporate Survey & the 15th Annual Consultants Survey
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.
Canada Remains A Premier Investment Destination
Despite the uncertain investment environment brought about by renegotiation of NAFTA and new U.S.-imposed tariffs, Canada continues to promote FDI by maintaining an open economy, investing in its workforce, and engaging in regional trade partnerships.
2018 Leading Metro Locations: Pacific and Mountain Metros Dominate the List
The 2018 Leading Metro Locations reflect the nation’s overall economic growth as the country enjoys the second-longest economic expansion on record, with many small and mid-size metros exhibiting economic strength.
2018 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize States’ Efforts to Attract High-Value Investment & Large Job-Creating Projects
More than 200 projects across multiple states brought with them the promise -- in total -- of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment.
32nd Annual Corporate Survey & the 14th Annual Consultants Survey
Although the U.S. economy is strong, there may still be some hesitancy in investment decisions brought about by an uncertain legislative environment.
The 2021 Top States for Doing Business Reflect Their Locational Advantages
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.
2020 Top States for Doing Business Showcase Their Pro-Business Environments
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.
2019 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Sixth Year in a Row
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.
A Site Selector’s Checklist for Locating in the U.S.
From choosing a property to recruiting workers to navigating tax and regulatory considerations, challenges will occur — but with the right strategy and the help of an EDO, they can be mitigated.
2018 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fifth Year in a Row
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.
2017 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fourth Year in a Row
The top-ranked states have committed to adding value as economic development leaders and problem-solvers, characteristics that are recognized by consultants to industry.
Leading Locations for 2017: West Coast "Tech" Cities Top List, Smaller MSA's Show Workforce Chops
It’s not surprising to see larger MSAs at the top of the list due to their economic diversity and advantages of scale. But, mid-size and small cities built upon clusters that are in high demand, and where a prime workforce exists, can also be economic powerhouses.
