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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

U.S. Regional Reports

2023's Leading Metro Locations: Hotspots of Economic Growth

Area Development Research Desk and Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q4 2023)

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. More

2023 Top States Workforce Development Programs

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2023)

Having a workforce with the right skills is an integral part of being a Top State for Doing Business — that’s why training programs are so important. More

2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2023)

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. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Southern and Midwest States Provide Businesses with Important Resources

Ben Worrell , Principal, McGuire Sponsel and Emily Poole, Senior Consultant, McGuire Sponsel (Q3 2023)

Access to training programs as well as incentives for automation are helping companies meet their workforce needs in the top-ranked states. More

2023 Top States Commentary: The Importance of Speed to Market

Christopher D. Lloyd, Senior Vice President and Director, Infrastructure and Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2023)

A balanced regulatory, permitting, and cost structure allows companies to get up and running and get their products to market quickly. More

2023 Top States Commentary: A Sustained Focus on Positive Business Climate Makes the Difference

Kim Williams Davis, Director, Quest Site Solutions (Q3 2023)

Multiple agencies in the top-ranked states have developed, implemented, and maintained programs facilitating capital investment and job creation. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Top-20 States Demonstrate Success in Winning Projects

Larry Gigerich, Executive Managing Director , Ginovus (Q3 2023)

The top ranked states are leveraging their assets and positioning themselves for future economic development success. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Site-Readiness Programs Position a State for Success

Larry Gigerich, Executive Managing Director , Ginovus (Q3 2023)

Significant due diligence gives site selectors the confidence to move forward on development. More

2023 Top States Commentary: Top-Ranked States Have What It Takes to Win Mega Projects

Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors (Q3 2023)

Training programs, water and real estate availability, and competitive utility rates are among the factors helping the top states to land billion dollar EV and semiconductor projects. More

Charging Up the Electric Vehicle and Battery Sector

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2023)

More than half a dozen of this year’s Project of the Year awards are related to EVs or the batteries that will power them. More

Boosting Semiconductor Manufacturing in America

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2023)

Often referred to as “fabs,” the plants producing semiconductors are all big-money investments promising big job counts. More

EV and Semiconductor Projects Stand Out in States Receiving Area Development’s 18th Annual Shovel Awards

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2023)

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. More

2022 Top States Workforce Development Programs

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2022)

Companies across industry sectors are having trouble finding all the talent they need, which makes workforce development programs even more vital as a location factor. More

2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2022)

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. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Site Selection – When You Are Good, You Win!

Bradley Migdal, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q3 2022)

The states that consistently rank as “top states” understand what companies are looking for in a location and have a plan that responds to the economy of the future. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Education, Training, and Quality of Life Reflected in State Rankings

Jeff Pappas, Managing Director, Mohr Partners (Q3 2022)

It’s not surprising that states ranking in the top five spots have strong educational and workforce training systems as well as high quality of life. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Georgia’s Logistics & Infrastructure Attributes Contribute to Its No. 1 Ranking

John Boyd, Principal, The Boyd Company, Inc. (Q3 2022)

Its logistical strengths and supply-chain technology leadership are among the reasons consultants ranked Georgia as the No. 1 state for doing business. More

2022 Top States Commentary: Responsiveness to Projects Big — and Small — Lands a Core Group of States on Top

W. Ford Graham, Senior Vice President, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2022)

States that embrace site-readiness initiatives and understand workforce training are among those considered top states for doing business. More

Area Development’s 17th Annual Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts — First Two Platinum Shovels Awarded

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

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. More

Louisiana: Global Challenges Create Opportunities

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2022)

Louisiana has stepped up the development of environmentally friendly technologies, water management, and coastal protection, while also tapping its strong resources in healthcare, life sciences, aeronautics, and traditional economic sectors. More

The 2021 Top States for Doing Business Reflect Their Locational Advantages

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2021)

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. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Pandemic Accelerates Pre-Existing State Trends

Eric Stavriotis, Vice Chairman, CBRE (Q3 2021)

Pro-business tax structures, responsive state governments, workforce training programs, and site-readiness programs are allowing top-ranked states to hold their positions. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Location Strategies Altered by the Pandemic, But Not Results

Les Cranmer, Senior Managing Director, Savills  (Q3 2021)

Although both the location advisors and economic developers have had limited project experiences during this past year, the 2021 results align with what we have seen in past years. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Commonalities Shared by the Top-Ranked States

Scott Kupperman, Founder, Kupperman Location Solutions (Q3 2021)

Responsive economic developers, clearly defined property solutions, and minimization of risk and cost put states on consultants’ top-10 list. More

2021 Top States Commentary: A Look Behind the Rankings

Benton Blaine, Vice President, Infrastructure & Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2021)

While the top states overall remain consistent year-over-year, a deep dive into the data shows some interesting movement in the rankings. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Auto Industry Projects Driving Top-Ranked States

Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors (Q3 2021)

Their pro-business environments — with skilled labor, top workforce training programs, competitive utility rates, fast permitting processes, and more — have propelled states across the South to be ranked highly for auto-related and other projects. More

2021 Top States Commentary: Top Ranked States Hold Their Positions

Daniel Oney, Managing Director, Newmark (Q3 2021)

Despite increasing competition between states because of rising wages and a lack of ready-to-go sites, the top ranked states have remained consistent year over year. More

2021 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Recognize State and Local Economic Development Efforts

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q2 2021)

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. More

Regional Report: Southeast Ports Expand Capacity

Tom Gresham (Q1 2021)

Southeastern U.S. ports are pursuing aggressive infrastructure expansion projects to accommodate larger vessels and more cargo. More

Another Look at Rural Economies

Drew Repp, Content Manager, Emsi (Q4 2020)

Some communities are doing well, some are turning things around, some still have an uphill battle ahead of them. And this points to perhaps the biggest problem with our approach to rural economies: we lump all rural places into the singular “rural America” bucket. More

2020 Top States for Doing Business Showcase Their Pro-Business Environments

Steve Kaelble, Staff Editor, Area Development (Q3 2020)

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. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Best-in-Class Responsiveness

Jacob Everett , Founder, Corsa Strategies (Q3 2020)

Effective collaboration with and responsiveness from state/regional/local economic developers is highly valued by consultants and business leaders alike. More

2020 Top States Commentary: A Premium on Skills and Training

Chris Schastok, Vice President, Economic Incentives Group (EIG), CBRE, Inc. and Eric Stavriotis, Vice Chairman, CBRE (Q3 2020)

States having competitive labor markets also have highly regarded training programs. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Partnering, Innovating, and Listening!

Bradley Migdal, Executive Managing Director, Business Incentives Practice, Cushman & Wakefield (Q3 2020)

The top ranked states continue to innovate and, importantly, they listen in order to adopt policies that reflect changes in the business world. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Lower Business Costs, Decreasing Regulations

Leslie Wagner, Senior Principal, Ginovus (Q3 2020)

A hyper focus on creating business-friendly environments with less burdensome regulations has helped several states move up in the rankings. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Long-Term Economic Development Policies-Constants in a Changing World

Christopher D. Lloyd, Senior Vice President and Director, Infrastructure and Economic Development, McGuireWoods Consulting (Q3 2020)

Companies making expansion and relocation decisions seek consistent and predictable economic development policies, an attribute responsible for the same states receiving a top rank over many years. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Workforce Training, Utility Partners, and Incentive Programs

Bob Cook, Senior Vice President, Latin America, Site Selection Group, LLC (Q3 2020)

Having strong utility partners, along with outstanding workforce training programs and incentive programs, has led to top rankings for the Southeast States. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Investment in Workforce Training and Site-Readiness

Jason Hamman, President and Founder, The Hamman Consulting Group (Q3 2020)

While workforce training is a paramount concern, investing in site-readiness is also critical to meeting client needs and is an attribute of the top ranked states. More

2020 Top States Commentary: Significant Port Access

Walter Kemmsies, Ph.D., Managing Director, Economist and Chief Strategist, U.S. Ports, Airports and Global Infrastructure Group, JLL (Q3 2020)

Access to fast-growing word trade is important to industry, and three of the top five ranked states claim significant ports. More

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

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