< Previous6 M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG .ON L I N E E D I T I ONThe publishers believe that the information contained in this publication is accurate. However, the in formation is not war ranted, and neither Conway nor Missouri Partnership assumes any liability or responsibility for actual, consequential or incidental damages re sulting from inaccurate or erroneous information. PHONE: (770) 446-6996 • FAX: (770) 263-8825 • TOLL FREE: (800) 554-5686 email: editor@conway.com web: siteselection.com/cc/missouri Missouri Investment Guide is published annually by Conway, 6625 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 USA. PRINTED IN USA. ©2018 ConwayTAKE THIS GUIDE WITH YOUENJOYRead the digital edition on your tablet and phone. Click on links for even more information.SHAREShare the magazine on social media with your friends and community.LINKFeature the magazine on your blog, website or newsletters with a link or one of our easy-to-use tools.siteselection.com/cc/missouriSHARELINK CEO LAURA LYNE President & Publisher ADAM JONES-KELLEY Executive Vice President RONALD J. STARNER VP of Publications & Editor in Chief MARK AREND Managing Editor of Custom Content SAVANNAH KING Managing Editor ADAM BRUNS Senior Editor GARY DAUGHTERS Art Director SCOTT LARSEN Production Manager BOB GRAVLEE Lead Designers SEAN SCANTLAND, RICHARD NENOFF, NEGIN MOMTAZ Jr. Graphic Designer JONATHAN THERRELL Chief Analyst ESTHER CASHBAUGH Vice President of Sales CHARLES FITZGIBBON Vice President of Corporate Development PAUL TARRANTS Regional Director Custom Content MARGARET ROSE Regional Director Custom Content PAUL NEWMAN Marketing Manager STEPHANY GASPARD Circulation Manager JULIE CLARKE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TE AM Director of IT DAVID SODEN Webmaster BEN YAWN Database Administration Manager DANIEL BOYERMissouri’s elected leadership and economic development team are not content with high rankings.B U S IN ES S C L IM A T E O V E R V IE WMissouri’s elected leaders are big believers in the tenet that you can never do enough to improve your state’s overall business climate.Because of that, they recently announced a series of initiatives aimed squarely at strengthening the state’s economy and spurring job creation for Missouri workers.Missouri’s strategy includes reducing red tape, improving workforce training, tort reform and encouraging small businesses and entrepreneurs to start and grow in Missouri.by R O N S TA R N E R8 M I S S OU RI : M A K IN G . G R O W IN G . M O V IN G .B U S IN E S S CL IM A T EI N N O V A TO R SWith a single click, businesses can now find the perfect training solution to meet their needs. They can also access recruitment tools to connect with qualified candidates. Leggett and Platt and 3M were the first companies to enroll in the new program.The Department of Economic Development is also launching a statewide customer services platform that serves as a unified approach to supporting businesses in the state — making it easier for businesses to access the services they need. “We need to help more Missouri businesses grow and expand in Missouri,” said Rob Dixon, Director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “A well-organized effort between our state agency and our local partners will maintain and improve this area of job retention and growth — and show that we are serving and supporting businesses from a unified front.”Missouri adopted these changes in late 2017 even as the state was receiving high marks on several leading business climate indices.The Tax Foundation, for example, recently named Missouri the Fifth Best Corporate Income Tax State Tax for 2018 and Seventh Best Property Tax State, as well as the Seventh Best Unemployment Insurance Tax State.“We are a prime location for businesses,” says Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership. “Our business climate is improving. It has always been good; there has just been a lack of awareness.”With a low cost of living and a low cost of doing business, as well as one of the lowest business tax regimes in the country, Missouri seems to check all the boxes for site selectors.“Our central location is huge. Every class one railroad is here,” says Johnson. “The Mississippi and Missouri rivers converge here, and you can reach most of the U.S. within a day’s drive.”Many business leaders give Missouri a solid endorsement as well. “We have been very impressed with the business-friendly approach that the State of Missouri, Johnson County and the City of Warrensburg have provided,” said Bob Sasser of Dollar Tree.With regulatory reform, tax reform and a right-to-work referendum all on the docket for 2018, Dixon says Missouri is poised to become a top five state in overall business climate this year.“We are approaching economic development in a broad-based strategy,” he notes. “This leg of the stool is about creating new businesses. We must look at doing things in a different way. Innovation is one part of our broad strategy.” M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG . 9Image: Getty Images“We have been very impressed with the business-friendly approach that the State of Missouri, Johnson County and the City of Warrensburg have provided.”— Bob Sasser, Dollar TreeDixon: Cut red tape, streamline regulations, lower taxes, fund innovation and train workers.I NTER V I E W W I TH R O B D I X O Nby R O N S TA R N E R10 M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG .BUILD A BETTER BUSINESS CLIMATEBUILD A BETTER BUILD A BETTER Ho tImage: Adobe StockM I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG . 11Rob Dixon minces few words when outlining his goals for the Missouri Department of Economic Development: “We want to make Missouri the easiest state to do business, and we want to become the best economic development department in the Midwest.”If those sound like lofty ambitions for the director of the Missouri DED, then you don’t know Rob Dixon.A former intelligence analyst for the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan and Pakistan immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Dixon served his country with honor and distinction and was recognized for his performance and leadership in one of the most hostile places on earth.What is building a better business climate compared to that?In Dixon’s book, it’s serious business. “We are forward looking, and we are not content to stay where we are,” he says of the efforts to make Missouri a better destination for business. “We are reducing red tape through our No MO Red Tape initiative. By the time we are done, one third of every regulation on the books right now will be eliminated.”Dixon’s department has proposed eliminating more than 100 regulations on businesses in Missouri, and he notes that “we expect we will go further. We are also taking a hard look at how we are serving the business community in Missouri. We want to become the best economic development department in the Midwest.”For Dixon, that means taking a holistic approach to infrastructure, business climate, workforce DED last yearSource: Missouri DEDrepresenting65COMPANIESexpand or relocatehelpedMORE THAN 6,000NEW JOBSand$1 billionin CAPITAL INVESTMENTdevelopment, incentives, and tax and regulatory reform.“We are first and foremost focused on improving the overall business climate of this state,” says Dixon. “We have passed more tort reform legislation than any other state, cut red tape across the board, and drastically improved the permitting process and speed to market for companies wanting to set up shop and expand in Missouri.”He called the Nucor Steel Mill project just outside of Kansas City in West Central Missouri “a perfect case study.” Partnerships with local economic development teams, utilities and other branches of state government enabled Missouri to land this competitive project, he says. “Nucor chose a greenfield site for a $260-million investment that is creating 250 jobs in our state,” he adds. “It is by working together that we make deals like this happen. The bottom line is that when you look at Missouri for a location decision, we will bring the entire team to bear. That hasn’t always been the case in our state.”The results of Missouri’s business climate overhaul are showing. “We have achieved a 17-year low in unemployment,” says Dixon. “More than 30,000 new jobs were created over the last year in Missouri. We helped 65 companies “We have passed more tort reform legislation than any other state, cut red tape across the board, and drastically improved the permitting process and speed to market for companies wanting to set up shop and expand in Missouri.”— Rob Dixon, Director, Missouri Department of Economic Development12 M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG .M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG . 13expand or relocate, and those projects amounted to a billion dollars in capital investment and more than 6,000 new jobs.”Missouri is not done tinkering, either, he adds. “This year, we will focus on tax reform and regulatory reform, as well as workforce development.”Dixon says much of the recent progress stems from the Governor’s new “One Team, One Mission” approach to economic development, an initiative announced last September 7.Among other initiatives, DED launched a statewide customer service platform that serves as a unified approach to economic development, making it easier for businesses to access the services they need. The platform allows local and state economic developers to better target, analyze, track and serve businesses that are considering expansion opportunities or need assistance mitigating issues.“We need to help more Missouri businesses grow and expand in Missouri,” said Dixon. “A well-organized effort between our state agency and our local partners will maintain and improve this area of job retention and growth — and show that we are serving and supporting businesses from a unified front.”Prior to the Governor’s recommendations, the state engaged more than 2,000 people in workshops and interviews around the state to compile recommendations. The Governor’s Innovation Task Force then reviewed those recommendations and presented options to the Governor. The Task Force completed its work in 75 days.Another new initiative is the creation of an office to focus on rural broadband policies. “That is a recommendation and a priority of this administration,” notes Dixon. “Businesses in rural and remote parts of our state need access to broadband connectivity, and we are committed to bringing that vital service to them.” president of North America customer ful llment. “Our ability to expand in Missouri is the result of two things: incredible customers and an outstanding workforce. Amazon is committed to providing great opportunities for employment and creating a positive economic impact for the region.”Dixon adds that “Amazon’s choice to locate in Missouri speaks to our strength as North America’s logistics center. Our central location, international airports and extensive highway, rail and river networks position Missouri as an ideal location for this new facility.”Grove Collaborative announced its own ful llment center investment in St. Peters just two days later. e urry of business expansions in March continued a sustained trend of job growth statewide. Since January of 201 7, Missouri employers have added more than 30,000 jobs to their payrolls, increasing total nonfarm payroll employment by 1.0 percent. e largest growth came in the professional and business services sectors, which combined to add more than 13,000 new jobs. Health care and social assistance employment added 8,800 jobs, while manufacturing added another 5,500 and hospitality added 3,700.Missouri’s overall unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent, compared to the U.S. adjusted rate of 4.1 percent in January. Missouri’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate has been lower than the comparable national rate for 33 consecutive months. M I S S OU RI : M A K I NG . G R O W I NG . MO V I NG .15 at same week, Nestle announced it was purchasing production capabilities from ConAgra Foods, investing $55.2 million and adding 135 jobs at a plant in Trenton. e week ended Friday, March 9, with Magnitude 7 Metals announcing it will reopen an aluminum smelter plant in Marston in the Boot Heel tip of Southwest Missouri, adding 450 jobs as part of a $117-million capital investment.For Rob Dixon, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the record-breaking week was more about the culmination of a year of hard work than it was the sudden burst in economic activity.“We’ve been building our momentum all of last year,” he said. “ e tough decisions, the work we’ve done to improve our regulatory and tax environment, our work on workforce development, it’s paying o . Tort reform, tax reform, innovation support, MISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURIMISSOURI“We’ve been building our momentum all of last year. The tough decisions, the work we’ve done to improve our regulatory and tax environment, our work on workforce development, it’s paying o .” — Rob Dixon, Director, Missouri DEDMOMENTUM INNext >