Site Selection
Recent Features
Why the C-Suite Should Focus on Incentives
As governments at all levels increase their use of incentives, companies must figure out how to best capitalize on these offerings to increase their competitive advantage.
Micro Factories of the Future
Today everything seems to be “micro-sizing,” including manufacturing. With companies scrutinizing all expenses — including the cost of factory floor square footage, equipment, and energy, some executives are finding that micro production might offer advantages.
How Companies Can Get the Utility Packages They Need
Energy availability is a vital factor in any site selection process. Making an energy decision is more than just cost per kilowatt-hour — a well-designed utility plan should also take into account grid capacity, rate structure, service/distribution, and related utilities, such as wastewater treatment.
Effective Manufacturing Construction Project Management: On Site, and On It
Dedicated 100 percent from design through start-up, an on-site owner’s representative solves problems and adds value by assuring coordination of trades and maintaining project focus.
Tesla’s New Battery Plant to Bring Electric Vehicles to the Masses
A comprehensive incentives package (pending legislative approval), proximity to natural resources and abundant renewable energy potential are significant factors that will improve Tesla’s odds of success in the “get things done state.”
Special Investment Report: Florida’s Eastern and Mid-Gulf Coasts
How many places in the world can claim to be on the cutting edge of both space and ocean transportation? It’s a striking illustration of the economic diversity you’ll find as you scan down the East Coast of Florida and then partway up the Gulf side.
Building Agility into the Supply Chain
With delivery speed now a competitive differentiator, companies must ensure they have a “shippable” delivery on hand.
Successfully Managing Construction Mega-Projects
Choosing the right project delivery strategy, managing risk, and developing specific policies and procedures will ensure a project is completed on time and within budget.
Five Tips for Meeting the Challenges of Fast-Track Facility Development
Constant communication — including real-time collaboration — between an owner, project developer, engineers, construction managers, etc. is key to fast-tracking a project.
In Focus: Five Features of Successful Business Relocations and Expansions
By looking beyond just cost factors, those charged with the location decision can also help the environment and reduce stress.
In Focus: Four Tips for Renewing Your Office Lease
Following these steps will help to ensure you get the best deal on your office renewal lease and offer peace of mind that you have done the research, understand your options, and selected the deal that’s best for your company.
Communities Enable “Disruptive” Advantage for Advanced Manufacturers
To attract and retain core manufacturing businesses in the twenty-first century, communities will have to offer significant workforce development support, combined with a business climate package that makes their companies competitive with producers that enjoy lower labor costs and more favorable taxation throughout the rest of the world.
The Regional Impact of Quality of Life on Entrepreneurial Decisions
One of the most often cited reasons for the location of a new business is quality of life, yet it is one of the areas policymakers most often overlook.
Quality, Speed, and Value Drive the Site Selection Process
A combination of design-build and precast building systems is helping to deliver high-performance facilities within shorter timeframes and at lower cost.
First Person: Aerospace Industry Focuses on Technological Growth and Job Retention
Jeff Troan, of Lockheed Martin, talks to staff writer Clare Goldsberry about economic development issues facing the aerospace industry including priorities when making location decisions and the value of incentives.
Texas Today 2014: A Magnet for Job Growth
Low taxes, smart regulation, and skilled workers - not to mention probusiness incentives — are among the reasons Texas is continuing to build on its huge and diverse economy.
Adapting to Growing Workforce Mobility Issues
Tomorrow’s workforce will not necessarily change space requirements but rather how that space is organized and utilized. Therefore, a shift has been made from strict workplace utilization into a more flexible occupancy measure.
Developing a Sustainable Facility
From using locally sourced materials during construction to utilizing renewable energy sources to distributing products by rail, each company is embarking on its unique path to sustainability.
The Production and Corporate Headquarters Connection
In many key sectors, the initial alignment of corporate and production operations has shaped regions and influenced the industrial landscape in a very permanent way.
In Focus: Tenants Must Plan for the Unimaginable
Business shifts are often unimaginable to the tenant at the beginning of a lease term, but planning for them is as important as negotiating any other element in the agreement.
Looking Beyond the Numbers When Assessing a Community
Those charged with the location decision should look for tangible evidence that the communities they are considering are taking an integrated approach to community development.
Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Business Climate Promotes Headquarters Growth
A development strategy touting its attractive quality of life as well as favorable business climate has made the Fort Lauderdale area a top choice for headquarters operations.
Low Costs + Skilled Workforce = A Perfect Fit
The site selection process has always been a complex balancing act of finding the “perfect” combination between the ideal physical location and the most qualified and available workforce, with the cost of doing business in each location tempering the two considerations.
Zero-Sum Labor - The C-Suite's Next Wicked Problem
The impending chronic shortage of qualified workers is causing employers to rethink their business models, locations, and role in their host communities.
Energy Innovation Boosts Foreign Direct Investment
International investors can avail themselves of incentives to develop conventional as well as non-conventional sources of energy and other innovative technologies.
The Southland Delivers a Solid Economic Performance
The southern states have embraced the transition from traditional to knowledge-based economies and work hard to attract new projects and the high-paying jobs that come with them.
In the Battle for Talent, Real Estate Leads the Tech Conversation at SXSW
Workplace strategy was a trending topic at the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference, as tech leaders are increasingly seeing the value that real estate can have in driving talent recruitment.
10th Annual Survey of Site Selection Consultants: Economy on a More Continuous Growth Track
Area Development asked the consultants who work with corporate clients to tell us about their clients’ facilities plans and priorities in making a location decision. Nearly half of the respondents believe the economy will achieve a more continuous growth track this year but, how will that affect their clients’ facility decisions?
28th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives: Availability of Skilled Labor New Top Priority
The results of our survey show a modest improvement in short-range new facility and expansion plans, as well as a realignment of site selection priorities with the availability of skilled labor being the number one concern, outranking highway accessibility and labor costs.
First Person: Foreign Investment Driving Uptick in Manufacturing Plant Construction
Stephen Gray, Gray Construction CEO, comments on manufacturing’s contribution to U.S. economic growth and the factors influencing the uptick in construction of domestic plants.
Quality of Place and Its Role in Corporate Location Decisions
As companies compete for talent, “place” is an asset that can be honed, improved, and marketed to potential employees.
Sustainability: The “Invisible Hand” Shapes Next-Generation Location Selection
Companies that view their location strategies through a “sustainability filter” are more likely to achieve competitive advantage and long-term stakeholder value.
U.S. Industrial Real Estate Outlook: Strong Performance Propels Industrial Sector into 2014
Growing demand for goods from consumers and businesses — and an apparently permanent shift in how people buy and how goods are shipped — has propelled the U.S. industrial real estate sector into its most positive position since before the Great Recession.
Primer: The Impact of Taxes & Incentives on Data Center Locations
Many states and communities are using incentives to lure data centers and establish clusters of these facilities, which, in turn, stand to benefit from tax breaks and cash grants for necessary infrastructure improvements.
In Focus: Solar Commercial Outdoor Lighting Benefits the Industrial Property Sector
Solar commercial outdoor lighting offers many advantages to owners and occupiers and is cost-effective now in many industrial property applications.
One Size Fits All: “Vested” for Large and Small Companies
Companies of all sizes are finding that negotiating and nurturing relationships with suppliers can provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Learn how the “Vested” model is lifting one small, Oregon-based contract manufacturer's ability to help bring its client’s products to market at scale.
