https://www.areadevelopment.com/archive/q1-2026/ Area Development Online Current Issue Feed Copyright 2026 Halcyon Business Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved A roundup of programs—and the consultants who know what they’re worth. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/what-does-site-readiness-really-mean.shtml Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:29:37 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/what-does-site-readiness-really-mean.shtml83 AI is reshaping site strategy. This episode explores compressing “Time to First Token,” power-first location decisions, and the execution discipline executives need as data centers scale, faster than real estate cycles. https://www.areadevelopment.com/podcasts/q1-2026/the-evolving-landscape-of-ai-infrastructure.shtml Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 EST podcasts/q1-2026/the-evolving-landscape-of-ai-infrastructure.shtml66 Why chasing the biggest package can derail site selection decisions before they begin. https://www.areadevelopment.com/taxesIncentives/q1-2026/when-incentives-lead-projects-follow-often-in-the-wrong-direction.shtml Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:12:06 EST taxesIncentives/q1-2026/when-incentives-lead-projects-follow-often-in-the-wrong-direction.shtml95 https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/raising-the-bar-on-readiness.shtml Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:36:46 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/raising-the-bar-on-readiness.shtml75 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/Corporate-Consultants-Survey-Results/q1-2026/40th-annual-corporate-22nd-annual-consultants-survey-results.shtml Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:44:11 EST Corporate-Consultants-Survey-Results/q1-2026/40th-annual-corporate-22nd-annual-consultants-survey-results.shtml111 A new build model overlaps site work and fabrication to accelerate AI infrastructure delivery. https://www.areadevelopment.com/data-centers/q1-2026/jll-infrapartners-bet-prefab-can-cut-ai-data-center-timelines-by-up-to-22-months.shtml Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:46:49 EST data-centers/q1-2026/jll-infrapartners-bet-prefab-can-cut-ai-data-center-timelines-by-up-to-22-months.shtml107 How Michigan’s Site Readiness Strategy is De-Risking Investment. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/beyond-shovel-ready-how-michigans-site-readiness-strategy-is-derisking-investment.shtml Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:43:04 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/beyond-shovel-ready-how-michigans-site-readiness-strategy-is-derisking-investment.shtml114 Introducing the Area Development State Talent Pipeline Ranking. https://www.areadevelopment.com/skilled-workforce-STEM/q1-2026/where-workforce-capacity-is-being-built--and-where-its-being-deployed.shtml Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:46:58 EST skilled-workforce-STEM/q1-2026/where-workforce-capacity-is-being-built--and-where-its-being-deployed.shtml106 What corporate site selection teams must understand before committing long-term capital. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/forestry-and-related-products-why-location-mistakes-are-so-hard-to-undo.shtml Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:46:05 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/forestry-and-related-products-why-location-mistakes-are-so-hard-to-undo.shtml118 How North Dakota’s stranded natural gas can drive AI. https://www.areadevelopment.com/energy/q1-2026/when-natural-gas-cant-move-compute-can.shtml Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:32:16 EST energy/q1-2026/when-natural-gas-cant-move-compute-can.shtml59 How a factory went from an idea to operational in about two years. https://www.areadevelopment.com/construction-project-planning/q1-2026/phillip-morris-international-starting-building-before-plans-.shtml Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:45:44 EST construction-project-planning/q1-2026/phillip-morris-international-starting-building-before-plans-.shtml104 As site scarcity shifts corporate decisions from parcels to people, execution—not assets—is becoming the real differentiator. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/dont-lose-by-winning.shtml Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:27:41 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/dont-lose-by-winning.shtml67 In today’s economic development landscape, power availability is no longer an item on a checklist — it's often the entire list. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/potential-energy-why-power-availability-is-driving-site-selection.shtml Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:23:07 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/potential-energy-why-power-availability-is-driving-site-selection.shtml98 JobsOhio’s SiteOhio program is designed to give companies certainty on timelines, infrastructure, and due diligence before a project even begins. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/speed-to-site-how-ohio-is-removing-barriers-to-major-investments.shtml Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:24:24 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/speed-to-site-how-ohio-is-removing-barriers-to-major-investments.shtml97 Kentucky’s Product Development Initiative is translating preparation into performance. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/laying-the-groundwork-for-success-kentuckys-speed-to-market-initiatives-are-fueling-future-economic-growth.shtml Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:48:28 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/laying-the-groundwork-for-success-kentuckys-speed-to-market-initiatives-are-fueling-future-economic-growth.shtml139 A central U.S. location delivering cost stability, logistics reach and industry-focused workforce development. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/oklahomas-competitive-edge-low-cost-high-performance.shtml Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:50:26 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/oklahomas-competitive-edge-low-cost-high-performance.shtml85 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/an-innovative-delicious-solution-to-an-invasive-threat.shtml Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:38:51 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/an-innovative-delicious-solution-to-an-invasive-threat.shtml87 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/montgomery-county-maryland-a-global-hub-for-growth-and-innovation.shtml Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:43:15 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/montgomery-county-maryland-a-global-hub-for-growth-and-innovation.shtml98 From advanced testing infrastructure at Arnold Air Force Base to new manufacturing expansions in Morristown and Murfreesboro, Tennessee is aligning workforce, research and site readiness to support the next generation of aerospace and defense investment. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/tennessees-aerospace-defense-sector-is-scaling-with-precision.shtml Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:09:11 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/tennessees-aerospace-defense-sector-is-scaling-with-precision.shtml94 New nuclear innovation, forward-looking energy policy and workforce alignment position Kansas as a scalable partner for next-generation data center investment. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/plugging-into-kansas-power-policies-and-people-will-propel-data-centers.shtml Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:35:40 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/plugging-into-kansas-power-policies-and-people-will-propel-data-centers.shtml104 The Court blocks the administration’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs, but alternative legal pathways — and political will — suggest trade duties will remain embedded in the operating environment. https://www.areadevelopment.com/business-climate/q1-2026/tariffs-after-supreme-court-detour-not-a-dead-end.shtml Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:46:06 EST business-climate/q1-2026/tariffs-after-supreme-court-detour-not-a-dead-end.shtml80 Capital, infrastructure, power and workforce now define competitive manufacturing locations. https://www.areadevelopment.com/manufacturing-industrial/q1-2026/what-companies-need-from-modern-manufacturing-sites.shtml Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:13:14 EST manufacturing-industrial/q1-2026/what-companies-need-from-modern-manufacturing-sites.shtml90 Why companies expanding today must rethink labor, sites, and operational resilience. https://www.areadevelopment.com/advanced-manufacturing/q1-2026/advanced-manufacturing-isnt-a-buzzword-its-a-different-location-strategy.shtml Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:02:50 EST advanced-manufacturing/q1-2026/advanced-manufacturing-isnt-a-buzzword-its-a-different-location-strategy.shtml109 New research shows how economic development leadership is shifting beyond deals and incentives. https://www.areadevelopment.com/economic-development/q1-2026/economic-developer-role-shifting-from-deal-making-to-systems-stewardship.shtml Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:09:10 EST economic-development/q1-2026/economic-developer-role-shifting-from-deal-making-to-systems-stewardship.shtml107 For first-time foreign investors, confidence — not incentives — has become the gating factor. https://www.areadevelopment.com/BusinessGlobalization/q1-2026/why-uncertainty-not-demand-is-slowing-foreign-investment-in-the-us.shtml Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:33:55 EST BusinessGlobalization/q1-2026/why-uncertainty-not-demand-is-slowing-foreign-investment-in-the-us.shtml102 Discover how the OBBBA creates a short-lived opportunity for modular developers to accelerate deductions, leverage restored bonus depreciation, and meet tight 2026 energy-incentive deadlines. https://www.areadevelopment.com/taxesIncentives/q1-2026/capitalizing-on-the-obbba-before-the-2026-cliff.shtml Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:30:19 EST taxesIncentives/q1-2026/capitalizing-on-the-obbba-before-the-2026-cliff.shtml77 Demand is a given. Power, timelines, and execution are not — and that’s where 2026 decisions are getting made. https://www.areadevelopment.com/data-centers/q1-2026/2026-data-center-outlook-what-actually-changes-next.shtml Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:42:19 EST data-centers/q1-2026/2026-data-center-outlook-what-actually-changes-next.shtml78 How ownership restrictions are complicating industrial site selection. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/when-property-law-becomes-a-location-constraint.shtml Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:05:30 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/when-property-law-becomes-a-location-constraint.shtml94 How federal capital, private investment, and place are quietly reshaping U.S. manufacturing. https://www.areadevelopment.com/advanced-manufacturing/q1-2026/industries-of-the-future-arent-speculative-anymore.shtml Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:50:28 EST advanced-manufacturing/q1-2026/industries-of-the-future-arent-speculative-anymore.shtml87 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/how-georgia-powers-proprietary-tools-and-data-analytics-are-reshaping-site-selection-in-georgia.shtml Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:02:54 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/how-georgia-powers-proprietary-tools-and-data-analytics-are-reshaping-site-selection-in-georgia.shtml128 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-real-differentiator-for-2026-site-selection-projects.shtml Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:39:22 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-real-differentiator-for-2026-site-selection-projects.shtml103 As industrial policy accelerated, the gap between ambition and execution widened: supply chain security, workforce clearance, and infrastructure bottlenecks revealed the unforgiving realities of building strategic industries at home. https://www.areadevelopment.com/economic-analysis/q1-2026/strategic-industries-at-crossroads-defense-aerospace-and-maritime-enter-2026.shtml Tue, 06 Jan 2026 20:45:39 EST economic-analysis/q1-2026/strategic-industries-at-crossroads-defense-aerospace-and-maritime-enter-2026.shtml108 Smarter expansion begins with smarter location decisions — especially as automation, sustainability, and supply chain risk redefine the packaging industry. https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:12:16 EST corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml118 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. https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q1-2026/life-sciences-successes-validate-virginias-partnership-focused-economic-development-model.shtml Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:21:46 EST ContributedContent/q1-2026/life-sciences-successes-validate-virginias-partnership-focused-economic-development-model.shtml122