Top Deals: 1998’s Very Honorable Mentions

A hot year for the world economy, 1998 saw a dizzying array of top-flight facility deals, too many to be crammed into one top 10. Here are a few other eminently worthy deals Site Selection cites for very honorable mention.

America OnLine; Loudoun County, Va.: A critical project for a hot company, AOL’s $150 million, 2,100-job expansion adds the online capacity essential to stay hot.

Anthem; Indianapolis, Ind.: Major insurance player Anthem’s $50 million, 2,500-job move to downtown is the biggest ever in a city renown for downtown revitalization. Local development officials secured the parcels for the site, which should boost a relatively depressed area.

Bell Atlantic Mobile; Howard County, Md.: While this $25 million, 921-job project marks only a short move from Silver Springs, it was an important win in Maryland’s hot competition with Virginia.

Coca Cola; Metaire, La.: Louisiana’s repeal of its excise tax on soft drinks was a key factor behind this $75 million, 730-job investment.

DecisionOne; Bryan Station, Texas: Creative financing (a tax-reinvestment zone), a business park developer’s donation of the 10-acre (4-ha.) site and $4 million in incentives were key in landing this $13 million, 500-job high-tech service support center, a boon for the entire Brazos Valley

Fidelity Investments; Westlake, Texas: Analysts consider this 2,800-employee consolation in the Forth Worth metro’s “Alliance Corridor” as important as the area’s planned, $1.3 billion Intel chip plant.

First Data Resources; Chesapeake, Va: With demonstrated significant area underemployment (despite low unemployment), First Data picked Chesapeake for a $10 million, 500-job credit card manufacturing and distribution center, its first East Coast plant.

GE Capital Information Technology Systems; Kenton County, Ky.: $21 million in tax credits, a thorough employee recruitment/training program and lower costs prompted this GE Capital arm to relocate its $33 million, 1,080-job headquarters from Stamford, Conn.

Hewlett-Packard; Richmond, Va.: Another feather in Virginia’s high-tech hat, HP’s $35.4 million, 700-job expansion in White Oak Technology Park came only after considering a number of Southern sites.

Lucent; Allentown, Pa.: Lucent’s microelectronics’ unit is headquartered in Allentown, but this project was widely wooed. The Lehigh Valley’s aggressive recruiting landed this $165 million, 2,725-job facility.

Lucent/Chartered Semiconductor; Singapore: As 51 percent owner in this $1 billion joint venture with Singapore’s Charted Semiconductor, Lucent showed its confidence in the nation’s economic future. The companies share technologies in manufacturing integrated circuits in one of Chartered’s manufacturing facilities.

MasterCard Intl.; St. Louis: Region-wide recruitment and a $41 million incentive package were keys in landing this $90 million, 1,700-job facility in an area long favored by MasterCard.

MCI WorldCom; Chesapeake, Va.: Seemingly everywhere, MCI WorldCom also expanded here in late 1998, with a $15 million, 1,100-job call center.

Michelin; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: With 3,800 jobs and a $310 million capital investment, Michelin’s expansion mirrors its satisfaction with Nova Scotia. Provincial loans of $10 million and forgiving $10 million of 1998’s $48 million loan helped make it happen.

NEC Electronics; Roseville, Calif.: Thorough, coordinated state-local recruitment kept this $1.4 billion, 700-job facility, which will manufacture NEC’s next-generation chips, in the Sacramento area.

Oracle; Colorado Springs, Colo.: Created with Oracle’s support, Colorado Springs’ “Software Park” was a major location determinant for this $25 million, 1,550-job customer support center.

Target; Syracuse, N.Y.: Another major success in New York’s drive for major distribution centers came with this $45 million, 750-job facility slated for Syracuse.

TeleTech; Kansas City, Kan.: A customer service center for the U.S. Postal Services’ Midwest customers, this $12 million, 1,000-job project was widely courted, with local area labor’s demonstrated availability making the difference.

Towers Perrin; Chesapeake, Va.: Virginia’s Hampton Roads area landed another major fish in this $33 million, 1,000-job facility, a high-tech benefits administration center that strongly considered Oklahoma.

Toyota; Buffalo, W.Va.: Proving a fruitful location for Toyota’s torrid U.S. expansion, Buffalo landed two major engine and transmission plants, a $500 million capital investment creating 500 jobs.

Victory Development; Dallas, Texas: Created by Ross Perot Jr.-led Hillwood Development, this $550 million project will be one of the largest U.S. urban, mixed-use, master-planned developments. Located near a planned sport arena, the project has the potential to open up numerous downtown Dallas business sites.

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— Jack Lyne