“G

ive us a 100-year history of natural disasters in the Omaha area."
        "What is the age and what materials are used in the city's sewer systems serving selected sites?"
        "Are there any unique or unusual local or regional holidays traditionally observed by local companies?"
        These are only some of the more unusual questions the economic development team of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce has received from site selection consultants. Over the past 30 years of handling questions like these – and many others – the team has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most responsive and accurate support groups for site selection consultants.
        The research department of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce provides quarterly updates of most preliminary information consultants generally seek. This includes:
        • economic trends,
        • Omaha performance compared to national performance by sector,
        • tax structure,
        • incentives available and their application,
        • energy availability, reliability, costs and incentives,
        • education attainment,
        • labor availability and productivity,
        • available sites and buildings.
        "All of this information is readily available for industry consultants – on our Web site (www.AccessOmaha.com) or with a simple phone call to us," commented Rod Moseman, Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. "But this is really just the framework of information about our city. Most consultants generally look for data customized to their specific client needs because every project is different."
        "That's where we come in," he continued. "We see ourselves as an extension of the consultant's staff. We're on site here. We know the economic development delivery system – so it's easier for us to get the information they need and we're happy to do that. Everyone on our staff knows that it's our job to make consultants' jobs easier."
        According to a Site Selection magazine survey published in 1996, more than one-fifth of initial contacts regarding new locations were made by consultants. More recent information indicates that consultants now handle more than half of all commercial location deals in the United States. That's because active professional site selection consultants handle many deals. This is why the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce has made such a strong commitment to support consultants.
        The depth of support the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce provides in economic development even extends to their office configuration. They have co-located economic development staffs from the neighboring counties of Sarpy and Washington to ensure "one-stop" information gathering about the metropolitan area for consultants.
        This year, the team will add a password protected portal to their Web site for consultants only to give them downloadable information to support their proposals.
        According to Moseman, this responsiveness is known and appreciated by consultants. As one national consultant recently exclaimed to him, "You treat consultants just like they're the end user!"
        Dennis Donovan, Managing Director of Global Site Selection at Grubb and Ellis, one of the nation's most active professional site selection consultants, has used the services offered by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. He would echo the comments. According to Donovan, "The breadth and depth of pertinent information provided by economic development organizations is a critical link in the corporate site selection process. In my view the Omaha Chamber fulfills this vital role as well as any ED group in the country. This Web site is excellent. Additionally, the Chamber fully responds to customized information requests in a timely manner. We couldn't be more pleased with the service provided by the Chamber's economic development staff."