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Press Release

Site Selection Names Top Territories for Infrastructure, Top U.S. Utilities in Economic Development and Canada’s Best Locations

Contact:
Adam Bruns, Managing Editor, Site Selection

Phone: 770-325-3491

adam.bruns@siteselection.com

6625 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 • USA
www.siteselection.com

Press Release

Site Selection Names Top Territories for Infrastructure, Top U.S. Utilities in Economic Development and Canada’s Best Locations

Atlanta, September 8, 2020: The United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates lead the way globally, and Texas, Louisiana and upstart Arizona lead U.S. states, when it comes to the powerful blend of infrastructure project investment and corporate facility investment over the past several years. These are among the locations ranked in the third annual Global Groundwork Index, published in the September 2020 issue of Site Selection magazine. (See full lists below.) The index is a blend of proprietary data from Conway Analytics’ Conway Projects Database and an equally robust database from global infrastructure advisory and events firm CG/LA.

The Global Groundwork Index identifies where billions of dollars in corporate facility activity intersect with billions of dollars in roads, bridges, airports, tunnels, pipelines, utilities, railroads and other major infrastructure projects to “lay the literal groundwork for prosperity,” says Adam Bruns, managing editor of Site Selection.

The Index also features commentary from CG/LA President Norman Anderson highlighting how the “black swan” of COVID-19 has disrupted the infrastructure market, but how technology, private capital and user experience may provide opportunity in the midst of bleakness. He also highlights some of the work the CG/LA team has been doing analyzing the value and opportunity inherent in more than 500 shovel-ready projects across the U.S. “We believe that, both globally and in the U.S., this is a glass-half-full moment,” he writes, “an opportunity to rethink the infrastructure investment model, creating a new perspective, new tools and new sources of funding through which to channel investment into projects.”

Top Utilities in Economic Development

Also featured in the September issue are Site Selection’s Top U.S. Utilities in Economic Development (see list below), based on analysis of corporate end-user project activity in 2019 in those utilities’ territories (from Conway Projects Database and submitted materials). In addition to examining facility investment project totals and calculating those projects’ jobs and capital investment numbers on a cumulative and per-capita basis, Site Selection also looks at website tools and data; innovative programs and incentives for business (including energy efficiency and renewable energy programs); and the utility’s own job-creating infrastructure and facility investment trends.

“The elite Top 20 we named this year earned the honor amid a field of around 3,300 electric utilities across the country, including around 900 cooperatives,” says Managing Editor Adam Bruns of the rankings Site Selection has published since 1999. “Like the power they generate, their robust economic development teams and programs are well distributed throughout the country.”

Canada’s Best Locations

In this same issue, and based on the same Conway Analytics project data from corporate end-users, Site Selection’s Canadian Competitiveness Award recognizes Ontario as the most competitive province in a competitive nation, followed by Alberta and British Columbia. And metro areas from Montréal to Oakville to Calgary and Vancouver fill Site Selection’s annual Canada’s Best Locations list of top Canadian economic development groups (see full lists below). Eleven of the 20 regions are in Ontario.

“The annual Canada’s Best Locations feature sheds additional light on Canada’s many location options for corporate site selectors,” says Mark Arend, editor in chief of Site Selection. “We salute the provinces and communities that made this year’s rankings.”

The new issue of Site Selection also includes stories on Asian life sciences IPOs; grocery and cold-chain logistics; innovative urban Eds & Meds developments; Tesla’s blockbuster investment in Texas; how Charlotte snared Centene’s headquarters; Silicon Valley’s role in fighting COVID-19; and spotlights on Missouri, Nevada, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and the Upper Midwest.

Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data, Inc., delivers expansion planning information to 47,000 executives of fast-growing firms. The senior publication in the development field, Site Selection and its affiliated e-newsletters are also available via Site Selection Online. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Conway Data since 1954 has been a trusted advisor to corporations, government economic development and investment promotion agencies around the world. In addition to also operating a Custom Publishing Division, Conway owns and manages Conway Events; consultancy Conway Advisory; and New York-based Conway PR & Marketing. Conway also manages the Industrial Asset Management Council.


2020 Global Groundwork Index Rankings

Global Groundwork Index: Top 10 Countries (strong upward movers in bold) (combined infrastructure and corporate end-user project investment strength)

  1. United States
  2. Canada
  3. United Arab Emirates
  4. Australia
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Bahrain (9)
  7. Costa Rica (NA)
  8. Singapore
  9. Mexico
  10. Ireland (NA)

Global Groundwork Index: Top 10 U.S. States

  1. Texas
  2. Louisiana
  3. Arizona (6)
  4. Illinois
  5. Ohio
  6. Virginia
  7. New York
  8. North Carolina
  9. Georgia
  10. Florida (NA)

2020 Canadian Competitiveness Rankings
1. Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
2. Alberta Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation
3. British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness

2020 Canada’s Best Locations (alphabetical order by region)
Alberta HUB (Northeast Alberta)City of Brantford Economic Development and Tourism DepartmentCalgary Economic DevelopmentEdmonton GlobalHalifax PartnershipInvest in HamiltonLondon Economic Development Corp.City of Mississauga Economic Development OfficeMontréal InternationalCity of North BayInvest OakvilleInvest OttawaQuébec InternationalSarnia-Lambton Economic PartnershipToronto GlobalVancouver Economic CommissionWaterloo EDCWindsorEssex Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development WinnipegWood Buffalo Economic Development

2020 Top Utilities In Economic Development (alphabetical order)Alabama Power, Birmingham, AlabamaAlliant Energy, Madison, Wisconsin  Ameren, St. Louis, Missouri   American Electric Power, Columbus, Ohio   Arizona Public Service, Phoenix, ArizonaConsumers Energy, Jackson, MichiganDominion Energy, Richmond, Virginia          Duke Energy, Charlotte, North Carolina                    Entergy, New Orleans, Louisiana       Evergy (formerly KCP&L/Westar), Kansas City, Missouri               FirstEnergy, Akron, Ohio                   Georgia Power, Atlanta, Georgia       Hoosier Energy, Bloomington, Indiana          LG&E and KU Energy, Louisville, Kentucky         NextEra Energy, Juno Beach, Florida            Omaha Public Power District, Omaha, NebraskaPECO- An Exelon Company, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSalt River Project, Phoenix, Arizona  South Carolina Power Team, Columbia, South CarolinaTennessee Valley Authority, Nashville, Tennessee