Changes in Site Selection Strategies: What Will Be the Effects of the Dynamic US Economy and Evolution of COVID-19?

Sep 15, 2020

Changes in Site Selection Strategies: What Will Be the Effects of the Dynamic US Economy and Evolution of COVID-19?

As strange as it sounds, at the end of 2019 I was hopeful the US economy would experience a minor “correction” in 2020. This would help it reach a more stable platform for continued growth after more than 120 months of expansion. For the site selection business overall, why not have this correction in an election year when site location activity typically slows anyway? Well, as 2020 approaches its closing months, it appears the economic adjustments resulting from COVID-19 brought more economic correction than I had hoped for.

The drivers of selecting optimal sites for manufacturing, distribution and headquarters facilities change after every economic downturn. The current economic event and its relationship with COVID-19 will lead to the most profound changes in corporate site selection strategy ever. To provide insights into upcoming changes in site location practice, SDG is initiating an informative weekly blog to explore these and other topics:

Business sector winners and losers that will determine which sectors are active
in site location as well as those that are not,
Increases in automation and its impacts on capital intensity and employee skill
requirements,
Changes in requirements for office locations,
Onshoring/Reshoring
Supply chain and logistics impacts,
The ways governments and utilities will change their approach to economic
development, including enhancements in site location incentives.

Please be on the lookout for the first blog within the coming weeks.

[Strategic Development Group, Inc. (SDG) is a professional site location firm that provides solutions to its corporate clients related to their site selection decisions. Leveraging a professional team with decades of experience across the US in locating domestic and foreign projects resulting in billions of dollars in capital investment, SDG is nationally recognized for innovation, competency, integrity and results.]

4 Comments

Nancy C Windham on September 24, 2020 at 7:54 pm

Mark. Look forward to reading your blog. So many changes and “opportunities”. Thank you for sharing your expertise! Hope you and your family are well and happy!
Reply
Mark Williams on October 2, 2020 at 3:18 pm

Nancy:

Great to hear from you! The next blog should be published in the next week or two. Everyone here is fine as I hope it is with you.

Mark
Reply
Ted Abernathy on October 13, 2020 at 10:03 am

Good insights. What factors do you think will be most important for education competitiveness for site selectors; outcomes, educational attainment, investment, training capacity? I agree that it will be more important, just trying to better understand how place comparisons might be made.
Reply
- MARK L WILLIAMS on October 26, 2020 at 11:38 am
  
  Ted:
  
  Good to hear from you.
  
  Site selectors will continue to ramp up evaluation of K-12 programs along with other training opportunities. We need proxies for workforces able to absorb new and more sophisticated rounds of technology.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Mark
  Reply

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Mac Farr

Consultant

Mac Farr joined Strategic Development Group in 2017 as a project consultant and works closely with the Company’s senior team on activities related to incentive negotiation and site location analysis. In addition, he undertakes demographics and workforce analysis for SDG’s clients.

Prior to joining SDG, Mac worked in the commercial development industry and, in his time with a boutique development firm, led a diverse team to undertake all aspects of the development process, including project budgeting, site selection, pre-construction due diligence and construction management. He is a licensed real estate broker.

Mac earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina with a focus on Real Estate and Marketing. Mac lives in Columbia and when he is not working he enjoys exploring the mountains of western North Carolina.

Danielle Campolo

Senior Principal

As Strategic Development Group’s Senior Principal, Danielle Campolo works closely with clients to conduct site evaluation, site selection, and incentive negotiation projects for major US and multi-national corporations in automotive, aerospace, chemical, rubber, healthcare, energy, and nutraceutical industries. She enjoys working with corporate decision makers to select the optimal site for their business ventures, while considering operational, logistical, labor, and other business related costs.

From providing in-depth analysis related to specific business locational cost comparisons, to incentive negotiation strategies facilitating successful site location, Danielle collaborates with decision makers on projects of all sizes to maximize the value of economic benefits and to ensure incentives offered are on time and as stated.

Danielle has been instrumental in the successful completion of numerous site location projects for large global corporations, including JTEKT / Koyo Corporation, Nutramax Laboratories, LKQ Corporation, BP Chemical, and Bridgestone / Firestone. Her most successful projects are due, in large part, to her specialized service and attention at every level. And when it comes to public sector work, Danielle continues to offer strategic planning, goal setting, marketing studies, site evaluation and certification, best practices analysis, and organizational evaluations to numerous county, regional and state economic development programs across the country.

Danielle has a joint degree in Marketing and Small Business Management, as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business.

Jeannette Goldsmith

Vice President

Jeannette Goldsmith is Vice President of Strategic Development Group, where she specializes in site selection and incentive negotiations for clients worldwide. Jeannette’s background spans more than 20 years in site location consulting, incentive negotiations, and economic development consulting with McCallum Sweeney and then with her own company, Goldsmith Strategy. Her specific experience includes a heavy focus on manufacturing (specifically, aerospace, logistics, advanced materials and automotive sectors), as well as office sectors. Recent clients include Suntory, Boeing, Nissan North America, Suncoke Energy and Vought Aircraft. Among Jeannette’s most notable projects, are Nissan North America’s headquarter relocation from Los Angeles to Nashville, the Boeing 7E7 Final Assembly siting project and the Vought Aircraft / Alenia Aeronautica 7E7 supplier site project. Her most recent economic development assignments include evaluating automotive assembly sites for NCRR and developing and implementing a site certification program for Mississippi Power Company. In addition, she recently completed an economic development strategic plan for Transylvania County, NC and Citrus County, FL. Jeannette has designed several site certification programs, including the South Carolina Department of Commerce Certified Site Program, the Mississippi Power Certified Site Program and the site evaluation program for Duke Energy. Jeannette achieved a Masters of Public Policy from Duke University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Smith College. She was honored with the Graduate Student of the Year Award from the Terry Sanford Institute in 1995 and is a proud member of the Site Selectors Guild, South Carolina Economic Developers Association, as well as the International Economic Development Council.

Mark Williams

President

As Founder and President of Strategic Development Group, Mark Williams specializes in manufacturing and office facility site selection and negotiation for mid- to large-size US and multinational corporations in automotive, distribution, life science, steel and chemical sectors. From strategic planning to marketing studies, Mark also provides a variety of economic development consulting services to state, regional and local economic development organizations across the US.

Prior to founding Strategic Development Group, Mark served as Chief Development Officer for the South Carolina Department of Commerce, where he directed South Carolina’s domestic and global business recruitment activities, including the operation of Commerce’s international offices in Frankfurt and Tokyo. He has served as an advisor to US governors, mayors, legislators and directors of state development agencies in matters related to business retention, strategic planning and target marketing initiatives.

Nationally recognized as an expert economic developer, Mark has earned the professional designations of Certified Economic Developer (CED) and Certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). He chaired the former American Economic Development Council’s Certification Board, which certified professional economic developers in the US and Canada, and was President of the South Carolina Economic Developers Association.

Mark is currently an active member and Chairman of the Site Selectors Guild, a professional association comprised of the world’s most respected site selection consultants, and is a frequent US and international speaker on site selection trends. Other recognitions include being named “One of the Top 10 Site Consultants that know the South Best” and “One of the Top 3 Site Consultants in South Carolina” by Southern Business and Development magazine. Mark has also received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor that can be given to a South Carolina citizen, for his success in business recruiting.

Changes in Site Selection Strategies: What Will Be the Effects of the Dynamic US Economy and Evolution of COVID-19?