Atlanta tops the top cities list with 115 INC. 5000 firms, edging out
Chicago (113) and Austin (112). Boston, Tampa, Scottsdale and Miami (in
that order) finished just behind these Top 10 locations:
City
Companies
1.
Atlanta
115
2.
Chicago
113
3.
Austin
112
4.
San Francisco
87
5.
Dallas
77
6.
Houston
60
7.
San Diego
57
8.
Denver
54
9.
Los Angeles
51
10.
Phoenix
46
Most companies care less about municipal lines, however, and more about
the power of regions. If we evaluate by CBSA, here’s how the Top 10
shake out, with DC and LA tied at the top and Austin, Philly and Denver
on the outside looking in:
Metro
Companies
T1.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
286
T1.
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
286
3.
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
206
4.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
202
5.
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
190
6.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
185
7.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
170
8.
San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
165
9.
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
143
10.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
138
Ah, but what about the density of innovation? One final dig into the
data yields the following leaders in number of INC. 5000 firms per 1
million metro-area residents, with such areas as Provo and Salt Lake
City in Utah, Raleigh, Richmond and Nashville staking their claims as
hot spots for rapid business growth. — Adam Bruns and Daniel
Boyer
Illinois is and always has been a mirror of America, as its people,
commerce and culture personify the nation’s grand ambitions, vast
diversity and enduring traditions.
This technical center in JinQiao (Shanghai) is one of many
facilities BASF has constructed in Greater China since it entered
the market in 1985.
Photo courtesy of BASF
Known for its data-driven expertise in Chinese inward and
outward FDI, among other topics, Rhodium Group last week
released a new study called “The Chosen Few: A Fresh Look at European
FDI in China.” Among its findings: “While a handful
of large firms, many of them German, continue to pour money
into their China operations, many other firms with a
presence in China are withholding new investment,” the group
says. “At the same time, virtually no new European firms
have chosen to enter the Chinese market in recent years. And
acquisitions of Chinese firms have stalled, with greenfield
investments increasingly dominating the FDI landscape.”
Among the striking statistics: Daimler, VW, BMW and BASF
alone contributed 34% of all European FDI into China by
value from 2018 to 2021. BASF’s history there goes back to
1885, says the company, when, “20 years after founding
Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik, a director by the name of
Theodor Sproesser traveled to China. His job was to convince
the Chinese of the benefits offered by our dyes.”
PROJECT WATCH
Ireland
IDA Ireland last month announced that Abbott, which has had a presence
in the country for more than 75 years, would invest a total of €440
million and create a combined 1,000 jobs at a new 250,000-sq.-ft.
greenfield manufacturing facility in Kilkenny and expansion at its
Donegal Diabetes Care site. The Kilkenny project will be located at the
IDA Business and Technology Park in Loughboy, subject to planning
permission, and will give Abbott the capacity to substantially increase
production of its FreeStyle Libre technology for people with diabetes.
“These 1,000 new jobs are a huge boost and really speak to the strength
of Abbott’s 5,000 existing staff here,” said Tánaiste and Minister for
Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar. “We never take this
investment for granted.”
Building technology company Johnson Controls earlier this summer opened
its new OpenBlue Innovation Center for engineering and excellence at
Gowra Fountainhead, HITEC city in Hyderabad. With a focus on security
products, the new 41,000-sq.-ft. center joins an existing network of
OpenBlue Innovation Centers in India that includes locations in Pune,
Gurgaon, Bangalore and Delhi. “By deploying new fifth wave technology
advances in the form of IoT, AI and 5G, buildings will be reimagined to
deliver on decarbonization, sustainability, energy efficiency and
renewable energy goals while optimizing performance,” said Vijay
Sankaran, Johnson Controls chief technology officer. “This new center is
aligned with our innovation in building technology and the strong
network of Johnson Controls OpenBlue Innovation Centers across the
globe.” “The establishment of the Johnson Controls OpenBlue Innovation
Center in Hyderabad, is significant for fostering critical innovation in
sustainable technology for building security, and for the state’s
efforts towards establishing itself as a hub for tech-innovation and
talent in India,” said Telangana Minister for Municipal Administration &
Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology K.
T. Rama Rao. After 27 years in India, Johnson Controls India today has
6,000 employees, “with plans to further expand in the country over the
next few years,” the company said.
During the International Economic Development Council’s annual
conference in Oklahoma City this week, Site Selection regional sales
directors Margaret Rose, Cathy McFarland and Paul Newman (l. to r.) had
so much fun at Whiskey Cake restaurant that they ate there twice. “We
really enjoyed the city,” Paul says. Every day we appreciate the work of
these three and all of our sales directors who represent us so well
across the country and around the world.
Close readers noticed that we misspelled our own publisher’s last name
the other day while featuring one of her gorgeous photos from Montana.
We’re taking this opportunity to reflect … but that just makes us think
of another one of Site Selection Publisher Laura Lyne’s amazing Montana
images. This one’s of McDonald Lake, not far from her ranch in the
Mission Mountains.
