Site Selection Investor Watch

FROM SITE SELECTION MAGAZINE, MARCH 2022 ISSUE

MINNESOTA

A Blueprint for Building What Matters

A new campaign headlined by business leaders makes the case for Minnesota as a place where startups, existing companies and workers can succeed. Hear what stakeholders have to say.

KENTUCKY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 2022

BOURBON TOURISM

Taste of Tradition

You don’t have to wait for the Kentucky Derby the first Saturday in May. Spirits are always running high at the 23 distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

SPEED-TO-MARKET

Ready. Set. Go.

Kentucky’s ability to quickly move companies from the project stage to operation helps fuel rapid growth.

EVENTS

PROJECT WATCH

Australia

IT consulting firm Avanade, which specializes in delivery of Microsoft technology solutions, this month launched its new Engineering Hub in Adelaide, where the company already has created 50 jobs, with plans to double that number over the next 12 months. The site joins other Avanade offices in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. “Adelaide is an exciting city with a booming technology industry. Our Adelaide Engineering Hub will play a key role in shaping the city’s innovation ecosystem, support our clients through a period of accelerated digital transformation, and enable government and businesses alike to rapidly transform their operations,” said Laura Malcolm, Avanade’s Australia general manager, noting the company’s goal of creating cross-functional, diverse teams (including a goal of employing at least 40% women and 5% Indigenous Australian talent). “It doesn’t matter if our new team members are Defence Force veterans, teachers, or airport workers – we’re looking for aptitude and attitude, not a previous job title.”

Source: Conway Analytics

India

As documented by The Economic Times, robotics company Addverb Technologies, backed by $132 million in funding from Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, has committed to build the world’s largest robot manufacturing factory, “10 times bigger than Bot-Valley, Addverb’s existing manufacturing facility located in Noida,” which just opened in March 2021 with an annual capacity of 50,000 robots. The new 60,000-sq.-m. (645,855-sq.-ft.) complex is anticipated to create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. Specializing in warehouse and factory automation solutions, the company has offices in Singapore, Australia, Europe and, as of earlier this year, the Americas.

Source: Conway Analytics

OREGON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE

TOURISM

Oregon Revisited

From surfing to skiing to award-winning wineries, the state’s tourism industry gets a boost after the pandemic slow-down.

SITE SELECTION RECOMMENDS

With a tip of the hat to Heather Blanchard, our colleague who serves as director of professional development for the Industrial Asset Management Council, here’s a look at some statistics that defined what happened every 60 seconds on the internet last year.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Site Selection Art Director Scott Larsen is a really good bowler. So are his brothers back home in Minnesota. At last week’s league night at Stars and Strikes in Cumming, Georgia, he averaged 217 over his three-game set. But the dudes abiding on the next lane were rolling even better. In fact, they were so in the zone they appear to have set the national record (still awaiting verification with national bowling authorities) for a four-man, three-game series: 3,260, as recorded on this image the quick-thinking Larsen made as history happened. The record night included a game 2 scorecard recording a 299. “Individually, their three-game sets were: 853, 827, 820 and 760,” Scott writes. “That comes out to each guy averaging 271.67 per game. It was incredible to watch so many strikes!” Here’s to you, men of JW Truck Sales. (Speaking of bowling history, revisit our story from a decade ago about the dramatic relocation of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame to Texas.)