4 NOVEMBER 2016 SI T E S E L E C T IO NEDIT OR’S VIEWI’m writing this note less than a week before the national election, and I’ll bet you were as campaign-fatigued at the beginning of November as I was. When you get this issue, that fatigue will either be a moot point, or you’ll be more fatigued thinking about what lies ahead for the nation and the business world, depending on the outcome. More on that when I, economic developers and foreign direct investors can make sense of the election’s implications for reshoring, global trade, and state and national business climates.State business climates I do want to address here, as we do in this issue’s cover story. I spent part of the morning I wrote this with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, announcing his state’s fourth consecutive top business climate ranking in our annual measure of that important location criterion. When a state does that well for so long, you can bet other states are wondering what they’re doing wrong, or not as well. See the cover story for more on the methodology, which in short is based half on what site selectors indicate in a survey and half on objective, mainly project numbers.All states do some things well and some not so well. Gov. Deal told me Georgia has more work to do improving high school graduation rates, which will stock the labor pool a few years out with a more attractive workforce. He’s working on it. What Georgia and some other states are doing well is (1) implementing fiscal policies that give investors confidence the investment they are making will be sound over the long term; (2) funding courses of study — certificate or degree programs — that will supply the workers needed in sectors where jobs can’t be filled today; and (3) investing in infrastructure that will make their state the go-to state in the region within a few years or sooner, but also for years to come. Gov. Deal’s 10-year, $10-billion infrastructure plan will soon catch the attention of capital investors reliant on ports, rail and good roads (and which aren’t?), especially if most or all of it gets done. Congratulations to the other states that ranked well. Eight of the top 10 are Southeastern, and that’s not a new phenomenon anymore — just an affirmation that their formula for attracting investment is working. So the Editor’s nod here to Ohio and Indiana, 3rd and 10th respectively, for their strong performances according to site selectors’ input and according to the data that confirms their instincts. In our experience, here’s something most Southeast states and regions have become very good at, and lots of Midwesterners are now figuring out: When you have a good story to tell, tell it. Even broadcast it, or other potential investors may not hear about it.Governor Deal gets it. Do your governors have a good story to tell? Do the locations you’re looking at? No matter the political landscape now before us, we’ll help sort out whether they do or not.Till next time,Mark Arend, Editor in ChiefHere’s the Deal: Business Climates MatterMEMBERSite Selection (ISSN: 1080-7799) (USPS 003-063) is published six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November by Conway, Inc., 6625 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 USA. Periodical postage paid at Peachtree Corners, Georgia, and additional mailing offices. Single issue: $20 plus shipping. Annual subscription: $95 in the United States; $135 to non-U.S. addresses. PRINTED IN USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Site Selection, 6625 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 USA.Site Selection Magazine has been registered in Canada Post. Publication Agreement No. 40063731; Customer Agreement No. 2077787; Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.©2016 Conway, Inc.BRAND REPORT CEO LAURA LYNE President & Publisher ADAM JONES-KELLEY Executive Vice President RONALD J. STARNER Vice President BRENTON SCHULZE Editor in Chief MARK AREND Managing Editor ADAM BRUNS Contributing Editor RACHEL DURAN Art Director SCOTT LARSEN Production Coordinator/Designer BOB GRAVLEE Lead Designers SEAN SCANTLAND, RICHARD NENOFF Graphic Designers KATHERINE KONZAL, KIRBY MATHERNE Chief Analyst MAX BOUCHET Editorial Database Manager KAREN MEDERNACH Senior Analyst ANDREW L. SMITH Research Analyst ZEIJA (ZOE) GUOGLOBAL SALE S & MARKE TING Vice President of Sales CHARLES FITZGIBBONVice President of Corporate Development PAUL TARRANTS Regional Director — Northeast US MIKE GLENNON Regional Director — Midwest US CATHY McFARLAND Regional Director — Southeast US HARRY NEILL Regional Director — Western US PAUL NEWMAN Regional Director — Southeast US MARGARET ROSE Global Director MIRA JABR Western Europe CIAR GIFFORD, +44 (0) 20 3744 3863 Australia & New Zealand PATRICK FRANZ, +64 21649321 Canada GREG SMITH & DAVID SEABERG, 705-484-0331 China MARIO QIAN, +86 136 8194 9658 Germany OLIVER OBERMANN, +49 (0) 341 90 97 90 00 Japan HIROKO MINATO, +81-50-8882-3456 Korea CHUL LEE, +82 2 466 5595 Malaysia Y.T. SIA, +603 5611 0101 Nigeria CHRIS ENYI, +234 1 803 331 8635 Thailand STEVEN FONG, +66 2 651 9273 Global Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships MICHELLE WEEKLEY Marketing Assistant CATHIE WENDT Marketing Coordinator TARA LYNN (TL) OVERBY Marketing Coordinator STEPHANY GASPARD Lead Photographer HEATHER OVERMANBUSINE S S DEPAR TMENT Chief Operating Officer SEAN LAUGHLIN Chief Financial Officer DEBBIE PORTERCIRCUL ATION Circulation Manager JULIE CLARKE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TE AM Director of IT DAVID SODEN Webmaster BEN YAWN Database Administration Manager DANIEL BOYER IT Consultant STEVE BALKEThe publishers believe that the information contained in this publication is accurate. However, the in formation is not war ranted, and neither Conway, Inc., nor the Industrial Asset Management Council, assumes any liability or responsibility for actual, consequential or incidental damages re sulting from inaccurate or erroneous information. Site Selection incorporates Industrial Development.PHONE: (770) 446-6996 • FAX: (770) 263-8825 • TOLL FREE: (800) 554-5686EMAIL: editor@conway.com WEB: www.siteselection.com1611EditorsView.indd 411/3/16 2:45 PM
< Page 5 | Page 7 >