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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

U.S. Regional Reports

2020 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2020)

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. More

Regional Report: Manufacturing Drives Growth in the Southern States

Tom Gresham (Q1 2020)

Big-picture data provides evidence of a regional economy on the rise, with manufacturing as the centerpiece of its growth. More

Regional Report: Technology and Natural Resources Fuel Pacific States’ Economies

Tom Gresham (Q1 2020)

Located at the epicenter of the nation’s tech industry, the Pacific region also benefits from a wealth of agricultural and natural resources as well as its locational advantages. More

Regional Report: The Plains States Leverage Their Synergies

Tom Gresham (Q1 2020)

Growth and collaboration mark the economic development picture in the Plains States, which have joined forces to compete against other more populous regions. More

Regional Report: Healthy Growth Marks Florida’s Economy

Tom Gresham (Q4 2019)

Companies in diverse industries are attracted to Florida’s low taxes and extensive international ties. More

Regional Report: Kentucky Continues to Break Records in 2019

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q4 2019)

Low business costs are drawing businesses to Kentucky, as the state also tries to equalize opportunity in its rural areas through Opportunity Zone incentives. More

Regional Report: Positive Signs for the Mississippi Economy

Tom Gresham (Q4 2019)

Businesses in Mississippi benefit from customized training programs and enhanced incentives, as well as the state’s investments in infrastructure. More

Regional Report: Population and GDP Grow in South Carolina

Tom Gresham (Q4 2019)

South Carolina’s business-friendly environment is drawing new businesses that can take advantage of its longstanding workforce training program to fulfill their needs. 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

Regional Report: Energy and Infrastructure Lead the Way in Louisiana

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2019)

Through its infrastructure upgrades and workforce development initiatives, Louisiana is drawing investment from both traditional and advanced technology companies. More

Regional Report: Georgia - An International Business Destination

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2019)

Foreign direct investment and global trade have had a huge impact on economic development in the state of Georgia. More

Regional Report: Arkansas Making Strides in Manufacturing and Technology

Tom Gresham (Q3 2019)

Although its GDP growth has been sluggish, Arkansas boasts a low cost of doing business and of living. More

Regional Report: Building Economic Momentum in Oklahoma

Tom Gresham (Q3 2019)

Oklahoma seeks to capitalize on recent growth by continuing to diversify its economy, upgrading its educational system, and strengthening its brand. More

2019 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards: Recipients Garnered Large Job-Creating and Investment Projects in Diverse Industries

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2019)

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. 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

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

Texas Today: Where Businesses Succeed

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2018)

The state of Texas continues to gain accolades for its pro-business environment, which is sustained by its skilled workforce, low taxes, favorable regulatory environment, and deal-closing funds among other attributes. More

Retaking the Rust Belt

Rich Forslund, Executive Vice President, Colliers International (Q2 2018)

Across the Midwest, new life is being breathed into old industrial facilities that are becoming home to IoT incubators, office space, and other mixed-use development. More

2017 Top States Commentary: Availability of Existing Talent Should Also Be Taken into Account

Brian Corde, Managing Partner, Atlas Insight (Q3 2017)

Shovel-ready sites, speed of permitting, and workforce development programs put the South in the lead, but taking availability of existing talent into account may have place more populous states higher in the rankings. More

2017 Top States Commentary: Leading States Show a Bi-Partisan Focus on Economic Development

Gregory Burkart, Managing Director and City Leader, Site Selection & Incentives Advisory , Duff & Phelps, LLC (Q3 2017)

The Top States rankings reflect the practicality of working real projects in these states because their economic development organizations work hard to win and locate projects. More

2017 Top States Commentary: Cooperative and Responsive State Government Influences the Effectiveness of a Deal

Eric Stavriotis, Senior Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE, Inc. and Gabe Kennedy, Research Intern, CBRE (Q3 2017)

Shovel-ready sites, in concert with a cooperative state government and fast permitting time, have created an ideal project backdrop in the southern markets. More

2017 Top States for Doing Business: Georgia Ranks #1 Fourth Year in a Row

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2017)

The top-ranked states have committed to adding value as economic development leaders and problem-solvers, characteristics that are recognized by consultants to industry. More

Special Investment Report: Infrastructure Investment, Educational Resources Support Florida’s Diverse and Growing Economy

Karen Thuermer, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2017)

Florida has a dynamic and diverse economy that spans a wide range of industries and employs some 8.5 million people. More

Texas: Attracting Large and Small Companies Through Innovative Initiatives

Dan Emerson, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2017)

State and local leaders are continuing to drive economic growth in Texas through pro-business policies and workforce training initiatives. More

Regional Report: Varied Sectors Riding the High-Tech Wave in the Pacific States

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

From high-tech to clean-tech to tourism, the Pacific States are seeing economic expansion, although it’s uneven throughout the region. More

Regional Report: A Slow, But Steady Pace of Economic Growth for the New England States

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Although growth had been lagging in the New England States, they’re now catching up to the rest of the nation in terms of economic recovery. More

Regional Report: Midwest Economy Buffeted by the Winds of Change

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

There have been ups and downs in the world of Midwest auto manufacturing, but the region has also shown growth in the technology, agribusiness, and logistics/distribution sectors. More

Regional Report: Meeting Economic Challenges Head On in the Southwest

Dale D. Buss, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Although the energy-industry recession has hit the Southwest region hard, economic diversification has drawn corporate locations and expansions in the high-tech, financial services, and data center sectors. More

Regional Report: Manufacturing Success Stories Continue in the South

Dale D. Buss, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Growth in manufacturing is driving the economies of the Southern States, while they grapple with the challenges of diversification. More

Regional Report: South Atlantic Region Ranks High for Business Investment

Dale D. Buss, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

With its well-established infrastructure, leading workforce-development programs, and right-to-work states, the South Atlantic region continues to attract advanced technology companies. More

Regional Report: New Investments and Job Creation Are Keeping the Mid-Atlantic’s Economy Growing

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Unemployment rates across the region are mixed, but companies in a variety of industry sectors have pledged investments and the creation of new jobs. More

Location Notebook: Indiana Workforce Initiatives Attract and Retain Industry

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Indiana is meeting its workforce challenges, while drawing upon its infrastructure and other strengths to attract business. More

Regional Report: High-Tech and Clean-Tech Companies Driving Growth in the Mountain States

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Although their economies have been traditionally resource-based, the Mountain States also have flourishing high-tech and alternative-energy sectors. More

Regional Report: Industrial Diversification Creates Stable, Sustainable Economies in the Plains

Mark Crawford, Staff Editor, Area Development (Directory 2017)

Efforts to diversify their economies have helped the Plains States to weather the downturn in the oil and gas industry. More

Where Should Aerospace Companies Invest? Evaluating Aerospace Manufacturing Hubs

Scott Thompson, U.S. Aerospace & Defense , PwC (Q3 2016)

For executives considering where to build a future plant or R&D facility, the United States ranks first globally for the scope and size of its aerospace manufacturing sector. In terms of the state rankings, Arizona jumped to first place, which bumped Florida down to second. More

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