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Press Release
Site Selection Names Global Groundwork Index Leaders, Canada’s Best Locations and Top Utilities in
Economic Development
Atlanta, August 31, 2023
: The new September 2023 issue of Site Selection features three rankings prominent in
the world of corporate location decision-making and economic development.
First, the Global Groundwork Index looked back at five years of Conway
Projects Database corporate facility project data, then blended in data from the Federal
Permitting Dashboard (which tracks infrastructure projects across the nation) and OECD
infrastructure data to arrive at a unique snapshot of where private- and public-sector
physical facility investment are converging for the public good and increased prosperity.
Among U.S. states, Ohio tops the list, just head of powerful corporate/infrastructure
blends in Indiana, Texas, Georgia and Kentucky. This year for the first time, metro areas
were evaluated too, led by No. 1 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana. The Top 5 included
a cluster of Midwest metros with Columbus, Ohio, No. 2; Chicagoland No. 4; and the
tri-state Cincinnati region No. 5, with Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, sliding in at
No. 3.
“There’s no denying the impact of Intel’s initial $20 billion investment in two chip fabs in Ohio on
both the corporate end-user and infrastructure sides of our index,” says Site Selection Managing
Editor Adam Bruns. “Look closely at the other top performers in our state and metro rankings —
including No. 1 metro Greater Indianapolis — and you see what it means to be called a crossroads of
commerce.”
The United States is far and away the world leader when it comes to the combined infrastructure and
corporate end-user facility investment and job creation data. Topping the list of foreign countries
were Canada (repeating last year’s finish), Australia, South Korea, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Canada’s Best Locations
Based on Site Selection’s exclusive, proprietary project data from corporate end-users evaluated on a
cumulative and per-capita basis, the business publication’s Canadian Competitiveness Award once again
recognizes Ontario as the most competitive province in a competitive nation, followed by Alberta and
Nova Scotia. Metro areas from Halifax to Vancouver and Québec City to Calgary populate Site
Selection’s annual Canada’s Best Locations list of top Canadian economic development groups (see full
lists below), with 12 of the 21 communities in Ontario.
This elite group of regions is determined by examining total corporate facility projects and their
associated capital investment and job creation numbers over a period from April 2022 through March
2023. The projects qualified for Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database (at least $1 million
invested, at least 20 new jobs created or at least 20,000 new sq. ft. of space) are evaluated on both
a cumulative and per-capita basis.
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 2022 in those utilities’
territories (from the Conway Projects Database and submitted materials in an annual questionnaire). 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 welcomed
questionnaire responses about the utilities’ website tools and data, and innovative programs and
incentives for business.
“The elite Top Utilities we named this year earned the honor amid a field of around 3,300 electric
utilities across the country, including around 900 cooperatives,” says 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. And just as their generation and
distribution portfolios turn toward renewables and smart technologies, these utilities’ economic
developers are helping their communities pursue sustainable growth by cultivating the flow of smart
capital and talent.”
The new issue of Site Selection also includes stories on transit-oriented development, remote work,
quality of life, rare earth operations, food & beverage and logistics. In addition to the Xcel Energy
Intelligence Report, the issue features area spotlights on Asia and on California, Pennsylvania,
Upstate New York, North Carolina, Arkansas, the Upper Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic. The September
issue also includes Site Selection Investment Profiles about San Bernardino County, California;
Consumers Energy; Hoosier Energy; Indiana Municipal Power Agency; TeamCalifornia; Rancho Cucamonga,
California; Monroe, Louisiana; and Hilco Redevelopment Partners. Two resource guides put Site
Selection’s corporate readers in direct contact with economic development organizations across Canada
and utility economic development departments.
Site Selection magazine, the leading publication covering global corporate real estate strategy
and economic development, is in its 70th year of publication, and goes to a qualified circulation
of more than 41,000* corporate end users, in addition to publishing all of its material at www.siteselection.com. Global corporate
expansion experts Conway Data Inc. — publisher of Site Selection, state economic development guides
under its Custom Content Publishing Division, and the Site Selection Investor Watch, Project
Bulletin and Snapshot newsletters, has been a trusted source of business intelligence to
corporations, government economic development and investment promotion agencies around the world
since 1954. Conway Data also manages the Atlanta-based Industrial Asset Management Council, a
professional association of corporate real estate executives, economic developers and commercial
real estate service providers.
*June 2023; all circulation information is publisher’s own data unless otherwise specified.
2023 Canadian Competitiveness
Award (most competitive province)
1.
Invest Ontario/Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
2.
Invest Alberta
3.
Invest Nova Scotia
2023 Canada’s Best Locations (Top
20 regions and ties, presented alphabetically)
Advantage Brantford
ON
Burlington Economic Development
ON
Calgary Economic Development
AB
City of Mississauga Economic Development Office
ON
Economic Development Winnipeg
MB
Edmonton Global
AB
Halifax Partnership
NS
Invest Brampton
ON
Invest in Hamilton
ON
Invest Oakville
ON
Invest Ottawa
ON
Invest WindsorEssex
ON
London Economic Development Corporation
ON
Moncton Economic Development
NB
Montreal International
QC
Quebec International
QC
Sherbrooke Innopole
QC
Toronto Global
ON
Invest Vancouver/Vancouver Economic Commission
BC
Waterloo EDC
ON
York Region Economic Strategy/York Link
ON
2023 Top Utilities in Economic Development (alphabetical order)
Utility
Headquarters City
Alabama Power Company
Birmingham, Alabama
Alliant Energy
Madison, Wisconsin
American Electric Power
Columbus, Ohio
Arizona Public Service
Phoenix, Arizona
Consumers Energy
Jackson, Michigan
Dominion Energy
Richmond, Virginia
DTE Energy
Detroit, Michigan
Duke Energy
Charlotte, North Carolina
Entergy Corporation
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Evergy
Kansas City, Missouri
FirstEnergy
Akron, Ohio
Georgia Power
Atlanta, Georgia
Indiana Municipal Power Agency
Carmel, Indiana
Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
Winchester, Kentucky
LG&E and KU Energy LLC
Louisville, Kentucky
National Grid
Syracuse, New York
Omaha Public Power District
Omaha, Nebraska
Salt River Project
Phoenix, Arizona
South Carolina Power Team
Columbia, South Carolina
Tennessee Valley Authority
Nashville, Tennessee
2023 Global Groundwork Index
Rankings
Top 10 U.S. States
Ohio
Indiana
Texas
Georgia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Michigan
North Carolina
Louisiana
Arizona
Top 10 U.S. Metros
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
Columbus, OH
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Savannah, GA
Kansas City, MO-KS
Waco, TX
Baton Rouge, LA
Top 10 International Countries
(combined infrastructure and corporate end-user project investment strength)
