Let’s face it. It’s often tough to pick the best new-facility location from today’s dizzying array of options. To do it right, you need all the help you can get.
According to a recent Site Selection survey of more than 3,000 economic development organizations around the globe, that help is on the way. From enhanced Websites to work-force recruitment assistance and financial incentives, the survey unearthed a bounty of new programs and services designed to aid expanding firms in evaluating their service areas for new facilities and to make their communities more competitive.
ABOVE RIGHT: At Annapolis’s waterfront and elsewhere in Anne Arundel County, Md., the new
“Van Arundel” program helps workers get to their jobs.
photo: Middleton Evans/Md. Tourism
Here’s a sampling of those programs and services:
Amherst, N.Y. (Amherst Ind. Dev. Agency): Venture capital fund; incentives for redevelopment of existing facilities in older sections of the city
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Washtenaw Dev. Council): High-Tech Labor Shortage Task Force launched successful effort to attract high-tech workers
Berne, Switzerland (Location: Switzerland+): New marketing effort highlighting opportunities in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
Buffalo, N.Y. (Buffalo Econ. Renaissance Corp.): Buffalo Byte Belt Initiative, an eight-point plan to assist information technology firms with their financing, work-force, telecom and other needs
Columbus, Neb. (Nebraska Public Power Dist.): New Website (www.sites.nppd.com) provides information on sites, buildings and other topics
Des Moines, Iowa (Iowa Dept. of Econ. Dev.): The Advanced Manufacturing Research and Commercialization Cluster is a strategic alliance of seven leading Iowa manufacturers and their suppliers. It will form a virtual organization to share rapid prototyping of new parts over the Internet, which will be available to the member firms and their more than 300 supplier companies in Iowa.
Edmonton, Alberta (Downtown Business Assn. of Edmonton): New cooperative effort among provincial, city and downtown-area economic development agencies to better serve site-seeking companies’ information needs
Elgin, Ill. (Elgin Area CC): New five-year plan, in cooperation with regional partners, includes structured programs to address work-force development, technology development, business retention and expansion, and business recruitment
Gilroy, Calif. (Gilroy Econ. Dev. Corp.): New computerized commercial and industrial sites database
Grand Rapids, Mich. (The Right Place Program): The new Career Exploration in Manufacturing program gives students broad exposure to the many career opportunities in a manufacturing enterprise; open-house tours of local manufacturers involved some 2,200 students, 180 teachers, 13 area high schools and more than 40 employers
Greensburg, Pa. (Westmoreland County Ind. Dev. Corp.): Plans under way to create a 155-acre (63-hectare) industrial airpark with direct access to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Gulfport, Miss. (Harrison County Dev. Comsn.): Labor recruitment program generated more than 800 qualified resumes for local business and industry
Hampton, Va. (City of Hampton Econ. Dev.): New incentives to encourage qualified technology firms to expand, relocate or start operations within the city’s Technology Zone
Huntington, W.Va. (Huntington Area Dev.): New federal Empowerment Zone designation provides US$10 million annually for the next 10 years to fund business-assistance and related efforts
Huntsville, Ala. (CC of Huntsville/Madison County): Proactive, comprehensive work-force development program
Jacksonville, Fla. (CSX Transportation): Partners for Growth, an aggressive effort to attract plastics manufacturers to the railroad’s new territory in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest; program includes financial incentives and professional assistance
Knoxville, Tenn. (The Dev. Corp.): The new Knox County Industrial Scholars Program provides scholarships to students in targeted fields of study where there is an unmet demand for technical skills
Lebanon, Va. (Virginia Coalfield Econ. Dev. Auth.): New study documents the availability of labor and training programs to support customer service and information technology facilities
Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska Dept. Econ. Dev.): “Nebraska Works!” is a new work-force development and recruitment program; initial focus has been on developing Websites promoting employment opportunities in the state
Monterrey, Mexico (Desarrollos Industriales GP): New Website (www.grupogp.com.mx)
Nashville, Tenn. (Nashville CC/Partnership 2000): New “JobsLink” feature on Website (www.nashvillechamber.com) benefits both employers and job seekers
Oakville, Ontario (Oakville Econ. Dev. Alliance): New multi-media CD-ROM
Oklahoma City (OG&E Electric Services): New Website featuring information and statistics on communities served (www.oge.com)
Orlando, Fla. (Enterprise Florida): New legislation provides training funds for existing firms to upgrade skills of incumbent workers
Palm Desert, Calif. (Coachella Valley Econ. Partnership): Foreign-trade zone designation and Federal Rural Empowerment Zone designation
Raleigh, N.C. (Wake County Econ. Dev.): New GIS capability has greatly increased the level of detail available in sites and buildings information; enhanced Existing Industry program
Rocky Hill, Conn. (Connecticut Econ. Resource Center): BioFacilities Fund assists biotechnology companies in finding affordable wet laboratory space.
Saint John, New Brunswick (Enterprise Saint John): New recruitment initiative, including ‘one-stop assistance,’ focusing on the plastics and metalworking industries
Scranton, Pa. (Greater Scranton CC): The Computer Collaborative, a coalition of local computing business executives who meet to discuss and develop strategies to solve common problems
Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater CC): New high-tech business park now under construction
Tampa, Fla. (Greater Tampa CC/Cmte. of 100): Three sites in Tampa and Hillsborough County have been pre-permitted for a wafer fabrication (e.g., semiconductor) plant
The Hague, Netherlands(The Hague Dev. Foun.): The new Canada Center (www.canadacenter.org) is a business incubator for Canadian technology companies; the facility and its services are also available to U.S. firms
Tupelo, Miss. (Cmty. Dev. Foun.): New GIS capabilities and multi-media projector and screen enhance the quality and detail of location information available for prospective companies
Winnipeg, Manitoba (Manitoba Trade and Investment Corp.): Personal income tax reduced; small business income tax rate cut; 10 percent Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit extended to 2003
— by Tim Venable
