The AI Arms Race Comes to Your Backyard
The race to build AI infrastructure is no longer just a technology story — it’s a geopolitical one.
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Site Selection
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Government Policy / Business Climate
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Around the Horn: North America’s Trade Tensions
Charlie Smith, managing director of geopolitical strategy at Newmark Global Strategy discusses the current trade tensions across North America and their implications with his colleagues, managing director Carlos Sanchez (based in Mexico) and senior managing director Gregg Wassmansdorf (based in Canada).
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Tariffs After the Supreme Court: A Detour, Not a Dead End
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.
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Preparing for the Next USMCA Shake-Up
Business leaders should brace for potential costs and disruptions as North America’s free trade deal heads for review.
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Logistics / Infrastructure
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Optimizing Your Rail-Served Transportation Network: Strategy Before Steel
Infrastructure can power your supply chain—but only when planned with foresight.
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The Quest for Logistics Supremacy
With supply chain pressures mounting, America’s logistics network is being rebuilt from the ground up and states are competing for the infrastructure edge by investing in ports, air cargo, and cold storage.
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Around the Horn: A Discussion About the Cost, Sustainability, and Innovation in Rail Infrastructure for Modern Supply Chains
A discussion with JC Renshaw (Savills), Joe Dunlap (Legacy Investing) and Matt Powers (OnPace Partners), about the state of rail infrastructure for site selectors.
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The Battle to Break China’s Rare Earth Supply Chain Dominance
U.S. faces challenges in reducing reliance on China for rare earths.
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Site Selection Factors / Strategy
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Transparency and Infrastructure Foresight as Competitive Advantages
Even well-positioned projects can falter when critical details emerge late.
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How AI Is Reshaping the Way Communities Compete for Investment
Why earned media—not websites—is becoming the front door to site selection.
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What Does “Site Readiness” Really Mean?
A roundup of programs—and the consultants who know what they’re worth.
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Editor's Note: Raising the Bar on Readiness
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Taxes / Incentives
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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.
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Capitalizing on the OBBBA Before the 2026 Cliff
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.
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The Compliance Reckoning Is Here
New challenges—from automation to federal fallout—are testing how companies manage risk in incentive-backed projects
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The Legal Limits of DEI in Incentives Agreements, Hiring, and Contracting
States and cities have tied incentives to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals — such as subcontracting targets or workforce composition — but a new executive order from the Trump administration and related lawsuits are raising the legal stakes. That raises new questions about what’s lawful and what’s not when it comes to DEI, affirmative action, and the use of contracting targets — and how that may impact your next location decision.
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Facility Planning
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Asset / Facility Management
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A Single Front Door for Corporate Investment in Fort Worth
Manufacturers and corporate real estate executives often talk about speed to market and clarity of process as deciding factors in site selection. Fort Worth is testing what happens when a city reorganizes itself around those principles.
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The Crucial Role of Hazardous Material Awareness in Manufacturing Facility Design
How to plan manufacturing facilities with safety in mind.
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Why Smaller May Be Better for Some Businesses
Although records have been set for massive industrial spaces, the market has been shifting to smaller buildings.
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First Person: Putting a Cyber Defense Plan in Place
To find out more about the current cyber threats companies are facing and their responses to such threats, Area Development’s staff writer, Lisa Bastian, interviewed Michael Morris, a managing director in Deloitte’s Cyber Detect & Respond practice.
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Construction / Project Planning
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JLL, InfraPartners Bet Prefab Can Cut AI Data Center Timelines by Up to 22 Months
A new build model overlaps site work and fabrication to accelerate AI infrastructure delivery.
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Phillip Morris International Starting Building Before Plans
How a factory went from an idea to operational in about two years.
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Who’s Liable When AI Builds?
Legal risks and the rise of the AI clause in construction contracts.
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Why Utilities Are Becoming Developers
The energy transition is reshaping real estate strategy as utilities and corporations compete for control of generation assets.
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Sustainable Development
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Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation: Building America's Future
From advanced nuclear to mass-timber logistics facilities and Atlanta’s next growth chapter, this podcast episode connects the dots on energy, workforce, and infrastructure decisions shaping competitive locations nationwide.
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Amazon’s First Mass Timber Delivery Station Tests the Future of Low-Carbon Logistics
In Elkhart, Indiana, a 171,000-square-foot “wood warehouse” built by Graycor may point the way toward a more sustainable model for industrial construction.
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Laying the Future’s Foundation in Rowen
Georgia’s newest innovation district bets big on climate-ready infrastructure and long-term planning.
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How Greeley, Colorado Is Using Aquifers to Future-Proof Its Economy
Faced with the prospect of building a massive $700 million surface reservoir, Greeley instead pursued something few communities have dared to try.
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Workforce Development
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Labor Costs / Organized Labor
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Where Workforce Capacity Is Being Built — and Where It’s Being Deployed
Introducing the Area Development State Talent Pipeline Ranking.
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What to Make of the Rising Trend of Salary Transparency in Job Descriptions
Salary transparency in job listings offers new insights into wages.
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What If the Longshoremen's Strike Had Persisted? Examining the Potential Economic Fallout
Could a prolonged strike have disrupted U.S. supply chains further?
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Impact of the Latest Minimum Wage Increases
The new year brings some significant changes that will impact employers who have entry-level workers, with 22 states raising their minimum wages effective January 1st.
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Skilled Labor / STEM
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Workplace Trends
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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
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Navigating Generational Differences in Location and Workplace Strategy
Workforce demographics are reshaping how and where companies design and locate their offices.
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Why People Now Drive Place Strategy
Companies nowadays must understand how people live, work, and connect to the workplace.
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Why Art Belongs in Industrial Spaces
Once dismissed as decorative, workplace art is now being embraced as a powerful tool for improving employee well-being, productivity, and a company’s public image.
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Business+Place
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Annual Econdev Awards
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20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Two decades of dealmaking, diversification, and economic momentum — this year’s Shovel Awards celebrate the states digging deepest to build the future.
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Editor’s Note: Making Sense of the Shifts
If you’re reading this magazine, you’re likely grappling with questions that don’t have easy answers: Where will the next constraint show up? What will this election cycle do to capital flows? How do you build resilience without losing speed?
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The Newest Shovel Award—It's Green!
Louisiana leads with green, earning the first-ever Green Shovel for its commitment to renewable energy. The state's significant cleantech investments highlight a national shift toward sustainable development.
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19th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Economic growth shines at the Area Development Shovel Awards, with states like South Carolina and Louisiana leading the charge. Discover which regions are driving innovation and sustainability in industries from automotive to green technology.
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Frontline
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When Natural Gas Can’t Move, Compute Can
How North Dakota’s stranded natural gas can drive AI.
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New Tech Havens Bloom as Digitization Transforms U.S. Economy
The fluidity of digital innovation - and its lack of dependence on a traditional industrial infrastructure - means that tech havens are blooming in newer magnets where tech-savvy workers are prevalent, ranging from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Richmond, Virginia.
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Manhattan’s Old Ramps, New Logistics
In an undersupplied NYC market, a historic multistory facility shows why what seemed obsolete is now indispensable for last-mile distribution.
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Peek a Boo Data Centers
AI’s power hunger is pushing data centers underground, underwater—and soon into orbit—redefining cooling, reliability, and sustainable energy.
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Leading Metro Locations
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Leading Metro Locations 2025: Smaller Markets, Stronger Momentum
Smaller and mid-sized U.S. metros are outpacing big cities, leveraging workforce agility, affordability, and livability to redefine competitiveness and attract investment in 2025.
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2024's Leading Metro Locations Commentary: Kathy Mussio
Simply put, companies want to locate and expand in places where people want to move to and live.
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2024's Leading Metro Locations Methodology
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2024's Leading Metro Locations: U.S. Cities on the Rise Amid an Economic Reshuffling
Area Development’s 2024 Leading Metro Locations report reveals shifting dynamics in America’s cities.
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Top States for Business
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2025’s Top States for Business: How the Winners Are Outpacing the Rest
Speed, workforce alignment, and energy infrastructure now define the best states for doing business — not just incentives or tax breaks. Our exclusive rankings break down how the top performers are staying ahead in a tightening market.
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Editor’s Note: Thriving at the Intersection of Change
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Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Certain states just have the right ingredients for attracting and nurturing business growth. The 2024 Top States for Doing Business rankings are in, and guess what? The Southern states are shining bright once again.
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2022 Top States Workforce Development Programs
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.
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Property Markets
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Corporate HQ / Office
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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.
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Less Is More for Energy Industry Offices
Oil and gas industry consolidation will likely lead to increased demands for higher-quality offices in top locations.
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Beyond Square Footage: Mission-Driven Differentiation Helps Buildings Stand Out in Battle for HQs
Companies prioritize values and mission when choosing modern headquarters locations.
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Bright Spots of the Office Sector
The post-pandemic remote working trend has resulted in “emerging” or “other” metros performing better than the more established tech markets.
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Data Centers
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Around the Horn: Data Center Supply Chains — What's Next?
Area Development magazine caught up with its Q2 guest editors, Ford Graham and Steven Pearce from McGuireWoods consulting, to talk about their reporting on data center supply chains. We also invited Ermengarde Jabir Director of Economic Research at Moody’s to join the discussion.
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2026 Data Center Outlook: What Actually Changes Next
Demand is a given. Power, timelines, and execution are not — and that’s where 2026 decisions are getting made.
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Data Centers in 2025: When Power Became the Gatekeeper
The era of easy expansion is over—success now depends on early alignment among utilities, governments, and capital.
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From Silicon to Server: Mapping the Data Center Supply Chain
How suppliers and innovators have powered the explosive growth of America’s data center infrastructure.
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DCs / Warehousing
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The Cold Chain Sector Recalibration
A surge of new supply, aging legacy facilities, and shifting operator strategies are creating a widening divide between modern, efficient assets and obsolete space across the nation’s cold storage footprint.
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Rewriting the Rules of Warehouse ROI
Embedding automation into leases may offer companies a smarter way to balance risk, cost and productivity.
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Gaining Community Approval for Your Next Big-Box Project
Partnerships with local economic developers and other community stakeholders are key to a company getting approval to site a big-box distribution center.
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In Focus: Demand for Industrial Land Surges
The exponential growth of e-commerce has, in turn, accelerated the need for both warehouse and data center space.
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Manufacturing / Industrial
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Beyond Shovel-Ready
How Michigan’s Site Readiness Strategy is De-Risking Investment.
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What Companies Need from Modern Manufacturing Sites
Capital, infrastructure, power and workforce now define competitive manufacturing locations.
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Tariff Shockwaves Hit the Industrial Sector
How rising tariffs, weak sentiment, and slowing e-commerce are shifting warehouse vacancy rates across major U.S. markets.
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A New Course for U.S. Shipbuilding
Maritime Prosperity Zones could reshape shipbuilding and repair across the U.S. — if defined and used wisely.
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Departments
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Contributed Content
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Laying the Groundwork for Success: Kentucky’s Speed-to-Market Initiatives Are Fueling Future Economic Growth
Kentucky’s Product Development Initiative is translating preparation into performance.
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Speed to Site: How Ohio Is Removing Barriers to Major Investments
JobsOhio’s SiteOhio program is designed to give companies certainty on timelines, infrastructure, and due diligence before a project even begins.
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Tennessee’s Aerospace & Defense Sector Is Scaling with Precision
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.
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Potential Energy: Why Power Availability is Driving Site Selection
In today’s economic development landscape, power availability is no longer an item on a checklist — it's often the entire list.
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Last Word
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Last Word: Don’t Lose by Winning
As site scarcity shifts corporate decisions from parcels to people, execution—not assets—is becoming the real differentiator.
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Last Word: Smart Executives Are Paying Attention to Rural Opportunity Zones
The permanent extension of Opportunity Zones under the 2025 OBBBA creates a rare opening for business leaders to shape where federal investment flows — and rural America may hold the strongest opportunities for long-term strategic growth.
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Last Word: Time for States to Shine
With federal action slowing and market forces accelerating, private firms are finding that the most effective policy responses—on issues like energy, housing, and workforce—are coming from state and local governments with the agility to act.
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Rebuilding the Industrial Base Requires a Commitment to Ecosystem Formation
A return to American manufacturing demands more than factories — it requires coordinated, community-wide ecosystem development
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Podcasts
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Navigating Foreign Direct Investment, Foreign-Trade Zones and Manufacturing in a Volatile Market
As tariff uncertainty and industrial policy shifts reshape investment strategies, manufacturers are leaning on tools such as foreign-trade zones, accelerated workforce partnerships and vertically integrated facilities to manage risk and maintain momentum in U.S. site selection decisions.
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The Evolving Landscape of AI Infrastructure
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.
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Around the Horn: Advanced Manufacturing’s Next Move
JLL recently launched an Advanced Manufacturing group to meet the moment, and Area Development spoke with group leaders Greg Matter, Vice Chair, Industrials, and Meaghan Elwell, Division President of Global Industrials, to get their real estate playbook for the new era. This conversation has been edited for space and style.
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Viewpoint
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Electrons Are the New Gatekeepers
As grid capacity tightens, manufacturers must treat energy as a core site selection filter.
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A Final Note: An Editorial Transition at Area Development
The means by which information is delivered has, of course, changed over the last three decades, but Area Development will continue to provide our readers with what they require to make informed site and facility planning decisions.
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Editor’s Note: Electric Power Demands Key to Location Decisions
The consumption of electricity is only predicted to increase as the digital transformation of industry continues and, consequently, access to electricity has become a dominant site selection factor.
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Editor’s Note: The Worker Shortage - A New Reality
With a worker shortage that seems destined to persist, employers are turning to AI/automation and upskilling, while also realizing that comprehensive immigration reform is necessary to fill gaps in the labor force.
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Podcast
Magazine
Past Issues
Receive quarterly issues of Area Development Magazine at no charge for qualified executives and consultants to industry.
Exclusive Research
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Corporate Exec Survey Results
40th Annual Corporate and 22nd Annual Consultant Site Selection Survey Results
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Leading Metro Locations
Leading Metro Locations 2025: Smaller Markets, Stronger Momentum
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Top States for Business
2025’s Top States for Business: How the Winners Are Outpacing the Rest
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Annual Econdev Awards
20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards