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Features

August 1, 2002

Broadband: The Next Utility

B roadband Internet access is rapidly being perceived by governments and business as an essential utility which will soon be as important as water or electricity to economic development. Cities or regions that embrace this concept and make this new utility widely available are variously described as being “intelligent, smart or wired.”       […]

August 1, 2002

Big Blue’s Big Investment in a Smart City

TAMPA — IBM didn’t have to turn to its Deep Blue supercomputer to find the answer for this site location decision. It really wasn’t that complicated.         “The Tampa Bay Area has been a long-time focus IBM. We have many clients in this area and more than 1,300 employees involved in the […]

August 1, 2002

Introducing The Competitiveness Institute

The mission of The Competitiveness Institute is to improve the living standards and local competitiveness of regions across the world by enhancing cluster-based development initiatives.         Our focus is primarily on regional clusters – geographic groupings of firms in the same or closely related industries. The Institute’s members are active in 38 […]

August 1, 2002

2002 Global Infrastructure Report

P hil Condit, chairman and CEO of The Boeing Co., knows a thing or two about the importance of infrastructure to economic development. After all, without the airports and transport systems providing access to them, his global, multi-billion dollar aerospace company wouldn’t be around.         “Economic growth follows infrastructure,” Condit told members […]

June 1, 2002

Real Estate Services, Site Selection Magazine, July 2002

Grubb & Ellis Growth in Services and Affiliates Inspires Investment Real estate investment firm Kojaian Ventures, based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has agreed to stake $15.2 million on the growing fortunes of real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis, a measure that would grant Kojaian the voting power of a majority stockholder. The investment will […]

June 1, 2002

Joe Moravec: Man on a Mission, Site Selection Magazine, July 2002

J oe Moravec, commissioner of the Public Buildings Service of the U.S. General Services Administration, recently sat down with Site Selection’s Director of Publishing Ron Starner for an interview on the changing role of GSA and how the agency’s new direction will impact corporate America.         The linchpin of Moravec’s strategy is […]

June 1, 2002

High

W hen Concept Inc. went looking in 1988 for a site to manufacture arthroscopic medical devices, the company found what it needed in Largo, Fla., a town in the Tampa Bay Area on the Gulf of Mexico.         Today, the US$256 million-a-year company known as Linvatec employs 1,100 workers and occupies 235,000 […]

June 1, 2002

Is Your Outsourcing Contract Paying Off?

N ine out of 10 CFOs based in the U.S. believe that using outside resources to perform non-core functions increases shareholder value.1 Yet fewer than two out of 10 have empirically measured the return on investment (ROI) of their outsourcing initiatives. Those who have measured ROI report an average of 17 percent savings.     […]

June 1, 2002

European Facilites: Fallout from the Fallback

T he queues were shorter, but the destinations more varied.         That is one conclusion to draw from the annual “European Investment Monitor” report from Ernst & Young. European new facilities and expansions dropped 12 percent in 2001, but it was a good year nonetheless for “gatecrashers, EU (European Union) accession countries […]

June 1, 2002

R&D Parks With an Edge

E merging industry clusters in such high-tech fields as life sciences and software engineering are driving demand for a new breed of business park. But more than futuristic laboratory and office space is required to catch the attention of industry players seeking suitable locations in which to research and develop tomorrow’s systems and services. The […]

June 1, 2002

Tax Burdens Are Relative

S ite seekers evaluating California locations have used, for some time, the Kosmont Cost of Doing Business Survey, among other tools. Kosmont Realty Corp., Los Angeles, has gathered cost information on hundreds of communities in The Golden State.         This research has now been expanded to include 22 markets outside California, giving […]

June 1, 2002

Editor’s View: Leadership, Among Other Things

I ‘ve saved this space to recognize some outstanding individuals in the corporate real estate profession — the seven winners of this year’s Site Selection Corporate Real Estate Leadership Awards, which were presented at the CoreNet Global Summit this past May, in Salt Lake City. With their permission, we will spotlight the work they do […]

June 1, 2002

World Reports, Site Selection Magazine, July 2002

From Site Selection magazine, July 2002 WORLD REPORTS   | SOUTH KOREA | MEXICO | AUSTRIA | PORTUGAL | SINGAPORE | SCOTLAND | Incheon Stakes Its Claim as Intelligent City In the first-ever U.S.-South Korean real estate joint venture, The Gale Co. has been tapped as a partner in developing the US$12.5-billion New Songdo Intelligent […]

May 1, 2002

Top Ten Economic Development Groups for 2001

 W hy did Pfizer invest $600 million into a facility expansion in Ann Arbor, Mich.? Why did Citicorp Credit Service decide to add 2,100 jobs to its work force in Florence, Ky.? And why did Ford Motor Co. announce that it will invest $375 million into an expanded manufacturing plant in Norfolk, Va.?     […]

May 1, 2002

2001 Top Groups Honorable Mentions

Site Selection recognizes 12 more economic development agencies for their successful efforts to attract business expansion activity. The groups mentioned here scored well in the same areas the Top Groups did — capital investment and new jobs created overall and on a per capital basis. Arkansas Dept. of Economic Development, Little Rock, Ark.www.1-800-ARKANSAS.com     […]

May 1, 2002

An Eco

The new Conway Eco-Site project involves several elements: A small, privately maintained nature preserve, the Mockernut Botanical Garden. A family residential compound in a quiet rural area surrounded by magnificent vegetation. A private library and research facility away from distractions and interruptions. A farm for growing vegetables and fruit — and later, a greenhouse. A […]

May 1, 2002

Site Seekers Get a New Portal

 C orporate site selectors have a new tool to use in their next business location search. It’s the revamped Development Alliance web site, the product of a partnership between the International Economic Development Council and Conway Data Inc., publisher of Site Selection magazine.         Launched in early 2001, www.developmentalliance.com is the corporate […]

May 1, 2002

Our Mission: To Analyze, Interpret, Educate and Lead

 D o you sometimes think that you receive too much information? In his excellent 1999 book, How the News Makes Us Dumb: The Death of Wisdom in an Information Society, historian C. John Sommerville laments the loss of truly wise people in an era in which meaningless daily news consumes us, and in which we […]

May 1, 2002

Call Centers: India Answers the Call

 I n an economic downturn, inexpensive, capable labor becomes even more important. India has both and offers call center site selectors the added bonus of a workforce dedicated to making a career within the call center industry.         “India offers a workforce of highly-dedicated, well-educated, English-speaking professionals, and the infrastructure needed to […]

May 1, 2002

Who’s Keeping Score?

 I f you’re not keeping score, then you’re just practicing, goes the adage. More and more economic development groups are realizing how true that is as they evaluate their performance relative to other locations. The heated Governor’s Cup contest covered in our March issue is testament to that. But other measures are emerging that can […]

May 1, 2002

Utilities’ Role in Economic Development: Getting Plugged In

 W hen national electronics retailer Best Buy needed to place a regional distribution center in the Southeast, the Georgia Center for Site Selection played a pivotal role.         What’s unique about the GCSS? It’s operated by a utility cooperative association — the Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC) in Atlanta. The center helps […]

May 1, 2002

Corporate Real Estate Performance Ratios: How Does Your Organization Stack Up?

 M ost Fortune 1,000 companies view corporate real estate as a strategic asset. This means it plays a primary role, along with human resources, technology and information, in helping the company achieve its long-run goals and objectives. In 1993, the International Development Research Council’s (IDRC) first Corporate Real Estate 2000 Program report said, “We have […]

May 1, 2002

Johnson Controls U.S.A. Office Occupancy Costs Index, 4th Quarter 2001

Welcome to the 4th Quarter 2001 Johnson Controls USA Office Occupancy Costs Index, which provides a snapshot guide to the cost of providing and operating property and facility management services in the USA.         This cost index briefing is published twice a year and has become a powerful and dynamic business reference […]