Other Top Development Organizations: Honorable Mentions from 1998

TTaken from the many nominations received for this year’s Site Selection list of top 10 development groups, here are profiles of other worthy organizations from 1998:

Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Bowling Green, Ky.: Played a key role in attracting some US$132 million in new corporate capital investments and 734 jobs to its service area of 86,525.

Major investments lured include Stupp Bridge Co.’s 360,000-sq.-ft. (33,400-sq.-m.) heavy steel structures plant, Hayes Lemmerz’s 200-employee auto wheels facility and Huish Detergents’ $60 million, 270-employee laundry detergents plant.

In other accomplishments, Bowling Green was recognized in the January 1999 Site Selection as the USA’s No. 1 small town for corporate facility location. According to Site Selection‘s New Plant database, the city has lured 82 new and expanded corporate facilities during the past 10 years, more than any other nonmetro city or town in the country.

Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), Houston: Instrumental in attracting $3.3 billion in new corporate capital investments and 6,500 jobs to its service area of 4.3 million.

Big facility moves include ICM’s new 400-employee call center, R.E.L. TECH’s new 200-employee computer servicing and repair operation and Money Management International’s new 200-employee call center.

The GHP was instrumental last year in establishing the Houston Technology Center, which will focus on commercializing biomedical research being done at the Texas Medical Center and aerospace research being conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City: Helped attract some $130 million in new corporate capital investments and 7,500 jobs to its service area of 1 million.

Major investments lured include Williams-Sonoma’s new catalog distribution center, creating 800 jobs; Commercial Financial Services’ expansion of its financial debt services office, creating 1,000 jobs; and Hartford Financial Services Group’s new customer and sales center, creating 800 jobs.

Other ’98 accomplishments include Oklahoma Knowledge Works, a new work-force development program, and the Oklahoma City Business Network (www.ocbn.org), an interactive Web site with valuable contacts and information for local companies.

Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP), Richmond, Va.: Worked projects that brought $146 million in new corporate capital investments and 4,700 jobs to its service territory of 866,000.

Examples of large facility moves include Car Max’s new $20 million, 1,100-employee headquarters; Elliptus Software Solutions’ new $50 million, 250-employee headquarters; and two expansions by financial services leader Capital One, creating 1,400 jobs.

In other accomplishments, the GRP last year reached its 1994-99 goal of creating 42,000 net new jobs – some 14 months ahead of schedule.

Indianapolis Economic Development Corp., Indianapolis: Instrumental in attracting $709 million in new corporate capital investments and 25,800 jobs to its service area of 1.5 million. The organization’s 1998 investment and jobs results were up a staggering 200 percent from 1997.

Indianapolis is making a name for itself as a good location for big office facilities. Bank One/First USA Credit Card’s new credit-card processing office, for instance, brought 1,000 new jobs to the area. Other big moves include Anthem’s $60 million, 500-employee expansion of its insurance office and Bank One Financial Services’ $20 million, 300-employee expansion of its financial processing office.

In other accomplishments, a 1998 economic analysis by Florida-based Policom Corp. ranked Indianapolis’s economy as the strongest in the Midwest.

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC), Lehigh Valley, Pa.: Played a key role in attracting approximately $600 million in new corporate capital investments and 4,500 jobs to its service area of 576,000.

Expanding industries accounted for much of the organization’s success, and Lucent Technologies’ (right) 1,625-employee, 560,000-sq.-ft. (52,000-sq.-m.) expansion of its microelectronics facility was easily the year’s biggest project. Other major location moves include Behr Process Corp.’s 150-employee, 250,000-sq.-ft. (23,225-sq-m.) expansion of its paint factory and Lutron Electronics’ 200-employee expansion of its lighting control systems plant.

In other accomplishments, the Northampton County Development Corp. recently merged with the LVEDC, making the LVEDC the region’s one-stop source for facility-location assistance.

Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC), Orlando, Fla.: Helped attract $2.6 billion in new corporate capital investments and more than 7,500 new jobs to its service area of 1.4 million.

A sampling of large recent location moves in metro Orlando includes Lucent Technologies’ $300 million expansion of its microelectronics research and development facility; Ocwen Financial Corp.’s new $30 million, 1,000-employee mortgage management service center; and Circuit City’s 600,000-sq.-ft. (55,700-sq.-m.) expansion of its appliances distribution center.

Facility-location results like those are powered by the Orlando area’s many site selection advantages – and by the EDC’s skilled staff. “The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission was completely professional and helpful,” says Datametrics President Adrien Maught Jr., a recent EDC client. “I couldn’t make a request they couldn’t handle, and handle well.”

Saratoga Economic Development Corp., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: Worked projects that brought $141 million in new corporate capital investments and 1,826 jobs to Saratoga County, its service area of 182,000.

Examples of large facility investments include Quad/Graphics’ $16 million printing plant, creating 300 jobs; State Farm Insurance’s $10 million expansion of its North Atlantic Regional Headquarters, creating 300 jobs; and Target’s $81 million, 1.5 million-sq.-ft. (139,350-sq.-m.) distribution center, adding 750 new jobs.

South Carolina Dept. of Commerce, Columbia, S.C.: Played a key role in attracting some $5.8 billion in new corporate capital investments and more than 31,600 jobs to South Carolina. Both figures are all-time highs for the state.

A sampling of large ’98 location moves include BMW’s $400 million, 500-employee expansion of its Greer auto plant; DuPont’s $200 million expansion of its Camden nylon fibers plant; and Norbord Industries’ new $115 million wood products factory in Joanna.

Virginia Beach Dept. of Economic Development, Virginia Beach, Va.: Helped attract $99 million in new corporate capital investments (more than in the past three years combined) and 5,900 jobs to its service area of 430,300.

1998’s marquee development coup was GEICO Direct’s $45 million telephone sales and service center, a project that will create some 4,500 jobs. But Approved Financial Corp.’s $10 million headquarters will create 600 jobs, and 300 more jobs were created by Ticketmaster’s $4 million expansion of its regional office and call center.

In other accomplishments, the organization’s series of “How to Start Your Own Business” seminars helped launch five new businesses last year.

— Elizabeth Barrett

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