Features

 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 […]

 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 […]

 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 […]

 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 […]

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 […]

Zurich, Vienna and Vancouver Top Quality of Life Survey The 2002 worldwide quality-of-life survey conducted by human resources firm William M. Mercer has found Zurich, Switzerland to be the best overall place to live in the world, trailed closely by Vienna, Austria, and former No. 1 city Vancouver, British Columbia.         The […]

 W hen manufacturer Superior Walls of Central Illinois opened for business in the Springfield Enterprise Community, it created job opportunities for 42 low-to-moderate-income neighborhood residents. “These employees show great pride in producing a quality product,” says Springfield developer Mike Suhadolnik, owner of Superior Walls.         Suhadolnik’s enthusiasm is matched by that of […]

  L  ook closely — there’s a new luster on Site Selection‘s Governor’s Cup this year, a gloss that began taking shape last fall, when a new set of competition criteria came into being. After all, the successful systems in place in the business world are those that are maintained and refined as necessary to ensure […]

From Site Selection magazine, March 2002 TOP METROS   The 2001 Governor’s Cup   • and the winner is …   • New Corporate      Facilities and      Expansions   • 2001’s Biggest U.S.      Corporate Facilities   • Top Metros   • Top Industries   • Global Location      Activity Chicago Breezes By Competition for Top Metro Spot By GINNY […]

From Site Selection magazine, March 2002 TOP INDUSTRIES   The 2001 Governor’s Cup   • and the winner is …   • New Corporate      Facilities and      Expansions   • 2001’s Biggest U.S.      Corporate Facilities   • Top Metros   • Top Industries   • Global Location      Activity The Auto Industry Leads All Sectors by RON STARNER   T  […]

From Site Selection magazine, March 2002 GLOBAL LOCATION ACTIVITY   The 2001 Governor’s Cup   • and the winner is …   • New Corporate      Facilities and      Expansions   • 2001’s Biggest U.S.      Corporate Facilities   • Top Metros   • Top Industries   • Global Location      Activity Canada, Far East Lead Top Global Projects in 2001 […]

 L ocation searches frequently focus on the larger metropolitan areas, and for good reason. Data sources are more readily available for these locations, and they represent the largest labor markets, airports, developed properties and other resources. However, there is a whole other layer of locations the small towns — that represent communities with populations of […]

 W hen the Intel Corp. started searching two years ago for a place to build a new wafer fabrication plant for manufacturing semiconductor chips, the world’s largest chip-maker found exactly what it needed in Chandler, Ariz.         When WorldCom needed to expand its international telecommunications empire in December 2001, it announced a […]

 D uring the closing months of 2001, activity in the real estate sale-leaseback market surged as more and more corporations sought to raise cash in a declining economic environment.         W. P. Carey & Co., LLC, completed US$185 million worth of transactions in the fourth quarter of 2001, nearly half of the […]

From Site Selection magazine, March 2002 IDRC ABSTRACTS Following are abstracts of major presentations of the International Development Research Council, which this year is merging with NACORE to form CoreNet Global — the world’s pre-eminent corporate real estate association. “Corporate Energy Strategies: Corporate Real Estate and Economic Development Perspectives,” Texas World Congress, Oct. 22, 2001: […]

 O ver the past decade, build-to-suit (BTS) commercial real estate has proven to companies that expansion or relocation requirements can be better filled by going beyond finding available market vacancies. Whether the company’s main consideration is to have its name on a cornerstone or to move into a commercial or office facility that’s individually tailored […]

 E ven a cursory look at the best-performing states in the Governor’s Cup competition — our annual ranking of states based on their business-expansion success — reveals a new competitive landscape. Relatively sparsely populated states, such as South Dakota and Mississippi, are finalists in the overall ranking, for instance. And the perennial favorites in the […]

 C ompanies whose business is not producing, but rather using, energy have discovered the havoc which volatile energy costs can play upon one’s financial statements. Perhaps with the possible exception of labor costs, few other elements of variable corporate expenses have been paid such attention as energy recently.         This has been […]

 T he International Development Research Council’s Annual Survey of Corporate Real Estate Practices is a one-of-a-kind resource for tracking corporate real estate and facility management trends. Since first conducted in 1993, the survey has provided insights into how these corporate functions and their service providers operate.         Here’s a survey nugget for […]

 R ising employment, industrial inventories and prices will make the American economy’s recovery this year even stronger than most blue-chip economists forecast, Prudential Financial’s chief economist told a gathering of corporate and commercial real estate leaders Jan. 10 in Atlanta.         Susan Hickok, the keynote speaker at a forum of CoreNet Global […]

 T ransnational corporations (TNCs) will favor Germany, the United Kingdom and France when they invest in Western Europe during the next three years. This prediction is among the findings of a recent survey of 129 TNCs conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Invest in France Agency and Andersen, the […]

 M anaging risk has always been the cornerstone of the corporate relocation process, although rarely has a corporate executive or his economic development counterpart framed the decision-making process in quite those terms. In the post September 11th environment, however, risk management has moved beyond its traditional spheres of technological and financial risk assessment and now […]

Service Providers on the Move…. USAA Realty Co., San Antonio, has named David L. Reahl to head its north-central region and the Chicago office. Reahl previously was vice president and asset manager at LaSalle Investment Management, Chicago, where he was responsible for overall performance of property portfolios of $400 million in assets. Insignia/ESG has hired […]

 T he heat created by the North American push into Europe for new call centers has turned desirable locations into no-go areas for some U.S. corporates. But while some locations have become victims of their own success, others are emerging as new winners in the current cooler environment for new call center operations — especially […]