< Previous46 JANUARY 2024 SITE SELECTION will help with business needs via models including capital and equity investments, lab space and R&D capabilities and expertise. “This investment strengthens the Federal Govern- ment in its efforts to make Germany more attrac- tive again as a pharmaceutical location,” said Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Germany’s federal minister of health. “It shows good innovative products can be reliably developed and produced in Germany. But we will continue to improve the framework conditions for research and production.” Alzey is located to the southwest of Frankfurt and just to the northwest of the life sciences cluster in the Rhine-Main-Neckar region organized under the name BioRN, where 10 global pharma companies have R&D and other operations among around 140 organization members overall. Biotechgate, a global life sciences database owned by Zurich-based Venture Valuation, reported in its 2023 analysis of the German life sciences market that the country is home to opera- tions from 4,157 life sciences firms, 120 of which are related to fully integrated pharma companies. Doubling Down in Ireland Lilly has announced investments of more than $11 billion in its global manufacturing footprint in the past three years. That global footprint includes the company’s other European plants in Alcobendas, Spain; Kinsale, Ireland; and Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; as well as a planned plant in Limerick, Ireland, where the company originally announced a $500 million investment in 2022 but doubled that amount to $1 billion in March 2023. The facility at IDA Ireland’s Business Park in Ra- heen in Ireland’s Mid West region will welcome more than 300 new highly skilled jobs and produce active biologics ingredients. Eli Lilly established first opera- tions in Ireland 45 years ago and says it employs more than 2,700 people in Cork at the Kinsale site and at a Global Business Solutions Centre in Little Island. According to the European Commission’s Euro- stat service, in 2022, among the EU Member States, Germany had the highest exports (€68 billion) of medicinal and pharmaceutical products, followed by Belgium (€56 billion) and Ireland (€42 billion). IDA Ireland in December reported 248 invest- ments into Ireland during 2023, which are ex- pected to deliver almost 19,000 jobs to the economy. Although employment in information and com- munications services was down 2.9% among IDA client companies, job growth was recorded across all other sectors with modern manufacturing up 1.8%, traditional manufacturing up 0.2% and business, financial and other services up 0.8%. LIVING LARGE IN LITHUANIA N orthway Group in November announced it aims to invest up to €7 billion over the next decade in what it’s calling Europe’s largest biotech hub, to be named BIO CITY, in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. The development will include four GMP manufacturing plants and two “advanced scientific research centers.” “We envision BIO CITY as a frontrunner in the European biotechnology, by uniquely integrating various biotech segments into a single, synergistic ecosystem,” said Prof. Vladas Algirdas Bumelis, founder and CEO of Northway Biotech and Celltechna. “This multifunctional complex will catalyze interdisciplinary collaborations, the quick realization of ideas and technological advancements. Our unique model, which brings together diverse biotechnology fields in one location, is set to revolutionize the European biotech landscape.” A €50 million, 100-job gene therapy center (pictured) from Celltechna is expected to open in 2024. The announcement drew praise from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who said, “A science- based economy, supported by bright minds and intelligent entrepreneurs, is the foundation for Lithuania’s long-term economic prosperity. In the past, our growth was constrained by a lack of fossil resources, but today, we are boldly moving forward, relying on modern technologies. The new biotechnology hub embodies the direction of Lithuania’s innovative economy. It also promises new inventions that will enable people with serious illnesses to become full members of society, thereby reducing exclusion.” Rendering courtesy of Northway Group SITE SELECTION JANUARY 2024 47 B efore we look back, let’s look forward: “ e future of magazines and periodicals is in publications like Site Selection,” says Ashton G. Ellett, Ph.D., a historian and archivist at the University of Georgia’s Richard B. Russell Library, publications that are “hyper-focused to specifi c clientele in particular trades and industries and are able to give deep reporting with long reads and investigative deep dives into industries, states and locales. at’s something only outlets like yours can provide.” It sounds like something our late founder H. McKinley “Mac” Conway, born and raised in Hackleburg, Alabama, might have said when he decided to publish an industrial development magazine called, of all things, Industrial Development. In that fi rst issue in , Mac pledged the new publication would be “scholarly, but not stuff y,” that it would be a “professional journal serving the science of area analysis and site selection” via geographic spotlights, industry reports and lots and lots of data. “We hope to include in each issue some data which our readers can fi le for future reference,” Mac wrote, “so that the value of our work will be cumulative.” Lo and behold, years of work have accumulated. So we turned to someone else in our age bracket. Dennis Cuneo, partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP, is the former senior vice president of Toyota Motor North America, where he played a key role in the launch of Toyota’s manufacturing operations in North America. I spoke to him in December precisely years after my fi rst interview with him for this magazine. “It’s a lot more analytical nowadays,” he says of the site selection process and profession, “although it’s still a gut feel business for a lot of big projects … more than you’d think. Take workforce, for example. I can get wage and skill levels, but not the work ethic. What’s the problem-solving ability of the workforce in that area and can they work as a team? It’s harder to fi nd data on that. It’s a very subjective process.” But journalism and storytelling can at least shed light on each time that process and its unique circumstances unfold. “As the Bible is to preachers, your magazine is to site selectors,” Cuneo told me. The Importance of an Archive Ellett and colleagues at UGA are working with Site Selection and Conway Data to make available the complete archive of Site Selection and affi liated publications, books, research materials and artifacts. “ e magazine is such a great resource,” Ellett says. e South’s journey from textiles to advanced manufacturing. e opening up to foreign investment. e costs of housing. e transportation plans that either came to fruition or never moved. “ ese are all trends scholars and historians can look back at in Site Selection,” Ellett says, through the prism of what companies have valued over time. “We’re very lucky that one, you actually preserved it, and two, we are able to provide access to others. at’s the importance of an archive. Also, since it’s an archive of politics and public policy, you have to take into account how important economic development has become as part of policy.” Mac thought it was important and was not afraid to be audacious about it. at very fi rst issue already had a letters column, where he chose to print a statement from the White House about not being YEAR ANNIVERSARY SITE SELECTION 1954–2024 Endures A at Perspective by ADAM BRUNS adam.bruns@siteselection.com48 JANUARY 2024 SITE SELECTION able to provide a statement: “I am sure you will understand,” wrote the esteemed James Hagerty, press secretary to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. "why it is impossible for us to make an exception to this rule without embarrassing the President.” Well, so much for keeping that under wraps. Nevertheless, building trust with readers had begun. Among the headlines on that first issue were “How to Announce Your Move” and one that resonates 70 years later in the world of megaproject incentives and stadium boondoggles: “Should Cities Finance Plants?” Inside the issue, an architectural and civil engineer from DuPont told us, “Selecting a plant site is somewhat like selecting a wife. While it is possible to change later on, the change may be both expensive and unpleasant. It is better to make a good choice the first time.” “Cringe,” as the kids say. But those things will happen when you’ve stuck around long enough. “I do recall that in the early days we proudly showed belching smokestacks on the cover of Industrial Development,” says Publisher Laura Lyne, Mac Conway’s daughter, who shared the archival photos that dot these pages. But a look back also reveals moments of discovery: In our September/October 1954 issue, we documented how Walt Disney himself worked with Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) to select a suitable location for a “combination world’s fair, playground, museum of living facts and showplace of beauty and magic” called Disneyland. They planned to invest $9 million, which translates to nearly $98 million today ... still a bargain. Among the factors studied across an initial group of 40 sites in Greater Los Angeles were climatic conditions such as “atmospheric haze,” zoning, tax rates, topography and environmental conditions, available utilities and population trends. Nothing changes under the sun. Then again, everything has. With age, every moment seems like an important one. But there is no doubt the path we are on now to integrate Site Selection’s print and digital news offerings is another milestone on our journey into that future Mac was so fond of imagining. The way to that future, he knew, began with knowing the past, and with exploring the present with insatiable curiosity. “This is from Juneau, Alaska, in the early ’60s,” Laura says of the photo you see here of the family aircraft. “We made business trips in the plane every summer as soon as my sister Linda and I were out of school, and frequently over Christmas break. We visited all but a couple of state capitals, where my dad would make sales appointments for Site Selection, while my Mom, Linda and I would visit museums. We did the same thing through Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Seeing the incredible poverty in Haiti was something I’ll never forget. It was a terrific childhood and provided immense perspective on the world.” Here’s to providing our readers over the next 70 years and beyond the perspective only Site Selection can deliver. Or, as Mac Conway put it in words adorning our office wall: “Looking at the world landscape, we know that our small company is but a grain of sand. However, joining with many others, we know that we are part of a wonderful vista.” YEAR ANNIVERSARY SITE SELECTION 1954–2024WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RANKINGS The 2024 Regional Workforce Development Rankings T he rankings on these pages are high- level measures of states’ workforce development climates. They do not reflect which states in a region have the most effective workforce training programs or labor boards or tools for connecting job seekers with potential employment opportunities. Rather they recognize states that performed well in a set of measures that can be applied to all 50 states, measures that gauge workforce-related aspects of states’ overall employment climate. Analysis of variables on the ground, such as programs and resources for job seekers, are still the best way for companies with significant hiring plans to factor workforce development into their site searches. These rankings might serve as a starting point. The components used to assemble these rankings are: (1) CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business, 2023 Workforce and Education sub-ranking; (2) U.S. News’ 2023 Best States for Education ranking; (3) ACT National Career Readiness Certificates for 2023; (4) the Workforce Preparation and Development component of the Council for Community and Economic Research’s State Economic Development Program Expenditures Database; and (5) whether or not a state has at least one financial incentive program in state policy for work-based learning according to the Education Commission of the States’ September 2023 50-State Comparison analysis. by MARK AREND mark.arend@siteselection.com 50 JANUARY 2024 SITE SELECTION SITE SELECTION JANUARY 2024 51 West North Central 2024 2023 Iowa 1 1 Kansas 2 2 Minnesota 3 4 South Dakota 4 5 Nebraska 5 7 Missouri 6 6 North Dakota 7 3 South Atlantic 2024 2023 North Carolina 1 2 Florida 2 3 Virginia 3 1 Delaware 4 7 Maryland 5 5 Georgia 6 4 West Virginia 7 8 South Carolina 8 6 East North Central 2024 2023 Illinois 1 2 Michigan 2 4 Indiana 3 1 Wisconsin 4 5 Ohio 5 3 Northeast 2024 2023 New Jersey 1 2 Connecticut 2 3 Vermont 3 4 Massachusetts 4 6 New Hampshire 5 5 New York 6 1 Pennsylvania 7 7 Rhode Island 8 9 Maine 9 852 JANUARY 2024 SITE SELECTION Mountain 2024 2023 Colorado 1 2 Idaho 2 1 Utah 3 5 New Mexico 4 3 Montana 5 7 Wyoming 6 8 Nevada 7 4 Arizona 8 6 South Central 2024 2023 Arkansas 1 2 Alabama 2 1 Tennessee 3 5 Mississippi 4 6 Louisiana 5 3 Texas 6 4 Kentucky 7 8 Oklahoma 8 7 Pacifi c 2024 2023 California 1 1 Washington 2 2 Oregon 3 3 Hawaii 4 4 Alaska 5 5INVESTMENT PROFILE: PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS On the Road to Save Lives and Build Careers Career prep goes mobile in Pflugerville high schools. A n innovative workforce development program in Pflugerville, an Austin, Texas, suburb of 70,000 people, turns high school students into emergency medical technicians (EMTs), saves lives and equips the workforce of tomorrow with marketable skills. High school students in the Pflugerville Independent School District (PfISD) are taking advantage of these programs. Many are earning industry certifications in a variety of fields from healthcare to manufacturing — a result of the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) and its workforce partners securing more than $1 million in grants for worker training. The biggest gift came on November 7, 2023, when the PfISD received a fully functional, decommissioned ambulance to use as a Fire and EMT Academy Mobile Learning Lab, enabling students to learn EMT skills while working on the road. How valuable is this training? Just listen to Hannah Remus tell her story. She is a recent graduate of the program. Today, she is in the field working as a certified EMT. “Because of the education I received in high school, I am working for a private ambulance company in Austin doing interfacility transports now,” says Remus. “In the spring, I will be hired to work for Travis County to do 911 emergency response work in Austin. This would not have happened without the EMT training I received in high school.” Remus believes in the life-changing power of this by RON STARNER ron.starner@siteselection.com 54 JANUARY 2024 SITE SELECTION High school students in Pflugerville take EMT training classes in a working ambulance and earn credit toward industry certification. Photos courtesy of Pflugerville Community Development Corporationprogram so much that she volunteers her time to go back into the high schools and teach other students how to become a certifi ed EMT. “I’ve gone back probably once or twice a week since they started,” she says. “I share stories about patients I have helped. I teach students how to apply what they’re learning.” Remus says the education she received in school prepared her well for her career. “It was amazing because I received so much hands-on training,” she notes. “I got to learn from so many diff erent people in the fi eld. I also learned the pitfalls to avoid.” From High School to EMT Michael Anderson, deputy assistant chief of administration for the Pfl ugerville Fire Department, oversees the program. He says he’s gratifi ed when he hears stories like Hannah’s. “ is is an opportunity for young people to go directly into the workforce post- high school,” he says. “We introduce them to public service in the community; many of them now work as certifi ed EMTs.” Anderson notes that since the program began in , “more than students have received their EMT certifi cation, and became employed with us. Another six graduates are practicing in the fi eld or are pursuing further medical training,” he adds. One of them is Remus. She says she plans to continue her education and eventually become a fully certifi ed paramedic for Travis County. “A majority of the training is done right on the high school campus,” says Anderson. “With the ambulance, we’re able to train students on ambulance rides and at the hospital. Students go through the same curriculum that is taught at a community college, so they are receiving a college education in high school.” Two students have already been involved in giving lifesaving treatment during the course of this program, so the diff erence in the community is already being made. “Nobody else has an actual working ambulance in use in training,” says Traci Hendrix, Career and Technical Education (CTE) director for the Pfl ugerville Independent School District. “Ours is a fully functional vehicle that we can take around to the various high school campuses. We love going out there and seeing the kids’ eyes light up when they see this thing. Seeing students go from learning theory in the classroom to learning in the real world is so rewarding. You see the light bulb go off . We had two students perform lifesaving measures on patients.” PCDC Nurtures Partnerships PCDC played a vital role in making this happen. “ e PCDC was excited to support our education partners and help put this program on the move so it can provide a realistic training program and literally roll it out at other campuses,” said PCDC Executive Director Amy Madison. “Our grant further amplifi es the commitment of our community partnership with the PfISD and Travis County Emergency Services District to nurture the next generation of medical professionals.” Since the program’s inception in , the Healthcare- EMT Academy has trained students, while the Fire/ EMT Academy has trained students. “We have also introduced an advanced manufacturing training program in the school district,” says Hendrix. “We are working with Austin Community College. Students can graduate from college manufacturing courses with a level one certifi cate when they complete their high school degree. ey can graduate and already be a leg up in the career fi eld at level two — not entry level. at education can also feed into an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree.” Hendrix adds that “PCDC has been really helpful in introducing us to industry partners. PCDC connects businesses to our community and our school.” anks to these partnerships, Hendrix says, the fi rst group of students will graduate this year with level one certifi cates in advanced manufacturing from Austin Community College. “We are in our second year, and we are seeing growth,” she adds. “ is spring will be a heavy recruitment phase. It is now about building capacity.” Anderson commends the school district for its leadership. “ is program is another example of the vision of the school district to expose students to a new career path,” he says. “Pfl ugerville is working hard and is dedicated when it comes to workforce development.” This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation. For more information, contact Veronica Ramirez at veronicar@pfdevelopment. com. On the web, go to www.pfdevelopment.com. SITE SELECTION JANUARY 2024 55 SITE SELECTION JANUARY 2024 55 Seeing students go from learning theory in the classroom to learning in the real world is so rewarding. You see the light bulb go off .” — Traci Hendrix , Career and Technical Education Director, Pfl ugerville Independent School DistrictNext >