Skilled Labor / STEM
Recent Features
Where Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies Get Stuck Scaling Their Real Estate—and How to Move Forward
Biotech firms face delays in programming, permitting, and infrastructure as they scale from lab to production.
AI Isn’t Killing Jobs—It’s Reshaping Hiring
AI isn’t eliminating jobs—at least not yet. But it is quietly reshaping how companies hire, and where those jobs show up.
How AI Is Reshaping the Way Communities Compete for Investment
Why earned media—not websites—is becoming the front door to site selection.
Where Workforce Capacity Is Being Built — and Where It’s Being Deployed
Introducing the Area Development State Talent Pipeline Ranking.
40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey Results
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.
Last Word: When Incentives Lead, Projects Follow—Often in the Wrong Direction
Why chasing the biggest package can derail site selection decisions before they begin.
What Companies Need from Modern Manufacturing Sites
Capital, infrastructure, power and workforce now define competitive manufacturing locations.
Advanced Manufacturing Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Different Location Strategy
Why companies expanding today must rethink labor, sites, and operational resilience.
Strategic Industries at the Crossroads: Defense, Aerospace, and Maritime Enter 2026
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.
The Workforce Bottleneck in America’s Manufacturing Revival
As investment surges, a thinning workforce forces companies to rethink where—and how—they build in America.
The Skilled Trades Are Ready for a Digital Future
AI is freeing skilled tradespeople to focus on craftsmanship, safety, and growth as labor pressures intensify.
Navigating Generational Differences in Location and Workplace Strategy
Workforce demographics are reshaping how and where companies design and locate their offices.
Why People Now Drive Place Strategy
Companies nowadays must understand how people live, work, and connect to the workplace.
The Office Is Back but Is the Portfolio Strategy Aligned?
Reestablishing the value of the office has driven trends in workplace investment and location strategy
If a Site Sounds Too Good to Be True…
Learn how to separate marketing spin from real-world readiness when evaluating community proposals.
America’s Aerospace Reboot
Once dominated by legacy clusters, aerospace site selection is evolving rapidly as companies prioritize speed, workforce specialization, and strategic proximity.
Scoring the Site
How site selectors score locations — and what executives should know about the process.
What We’re Getting Wrong About Gen Z’s Future in the Skilled Trades
Employers must modernize their training programs if they want to attract and retain the next generation.
The Compliance Reckoning Is Here
New challenges—from automation to federal fallout—are testing how companies manage risk in incentive-backed projects
Site Selection Numbers vs. Reality
Why You Should Question Every Stat in a Site Proposal.
Workforce Is the New Incentive in Life Sciences
Companies choosing where to locate life sciences facilities are prioritizing talent pipelines and workforce adaptability.
Tariffs, Talent, and U.S. Expansion
International executives reveal what’s driving their U.S. site decisions amid policy changes and workforce pressure
Contributed Content
Wisconsin is a Rising Force in Biohealth and Biopharma Manufacturing
With research strength, manufacturing depth, and a statewide workforce strategy, Wisconsin is positioning itself as a destination for biohealth and biopharma growth.
Editor's Note: A Higher Bar for Winning Projects
Projects are still advancing—but fewer are clearing internal hurdles. As assumptions around cost, timing, and delivery get tested, only the deals that stand up to full internal scrutiny are moving forward.
21st Annual Shovel Awards: The Projects of the Year
The investments that stood apart for their scale, strategic significance, and economic impact — from advanced manufacturing and life sciences to headquarters expansions and AI-powered data centers.
First Person: UCB's $2 Billion Bet on Gwinnett County
For Philippe Mantelet, a $2 billion biologics facility represents more than a capital investment. In this interview, he outlines how UCB approaches site selection — balancing speed, infrastructure, talent, and long-term certainty — to make decisions that hold up well beyond the initial buildout.
Contributed Content
How Ohio Is Powering America’s Next Industrial Wave
With surging demand, business-friendly legislation and billions in investment, Ohio is building the energy infrastructure that factories, data centers and advanced manufacturers need to grow.
Editor's Note: Raising the Bar on Readiness
Contributed Content
Montgomery County, Maryland: A Global Hub for Growth and Innovation
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.
Contributed Content
How Georgia Power’s Proprietary Tools and Data Analytics Are Reshaping Site Selection in Georgia
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.
Contributed Content
Life Sciences Successes Validate Virginia’s Partnership-Focused Economic Development Model
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.
Editor's Note: The Year Site Selection Grew Up
Energy availability takes center stage as companies compete for grid capacity and rethink growth strategies
Contributed Content
Strategy Driven Location Decisions
How aligning operations with regional strengths drives better long-term performance than cost-focused site selection.
Contributed Content
Montgomery County, Maryland: A Launchpad for Innovation and Development
A top-tier workforce and major developments position the county as a leading destination for modern industry.
First Person: Filter King’s Expansion Playbook
CEO Rick Hoskins explains how the fast-growing air filter company selects its sites, scales its labor-heavy operation, and maintains speed-to-customer across multiple U.S. regions.
Building the Nation's First AI-Ready Workforce
“Charm City” is forging technology partnerships to build an AI workforce equipped to serve every industry.
