Far more than mere providers of electricity and natural gas, Site Selection?s 1998 top utility companies proved a valuable asset
for companies locating and expanding in their service areas last year.
Electricity is, well, electricity, right? It?s pretty
much the same stuff, whether you plug in your computer or coffeepot in
Mississippi or Manitoba.
True enough. But electricity providers — those generating and
distributing the power that turns the wheels of commerce — can be as
different as New York City (pop. 7.4 million) and New Brockton, Ala. (pop.
1,204) when it comes to the site selection resources they offer expanding
firms.
Armed with large, experienced staffs, cutting-edge technology tools and a
clear mandate from upper management, the upper echelon of utility
economic development departments is truly a valuable resource for site-
seeking companies. In fact, hundreds of companies electrified their real
estate and facilities plans last year with decidedly powerful support from Site Selection?s 1998 top utility companies (see chart).
To pick the top 10 from among the many electric and gas utilities active in
economic development, Site Selection employed a dual approach.
We surveyed the utility companies themselves, asking them to report on
their facility-location and economic development accomplishments during
the past year. Then we conducted personal interviews with a number of
leading site selection consultants, asking them which utility companies?
economic development departments — in their opinion — are particularly
effective in serving corporate expansion needs.
The profiles below, covering utilities from Pennsylvania to Georgia and
Nebraska to Virginia, are the result of that analysis. Site-seeking firms will
find valuable partners in these organizations: Site Selection?s 1998
top 10 utility companies.
