Medical device maker Biomet Inc. will expand operations at its base in the northern Indiana city of Warsaw and create 278 jobs by the end of 2012. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced the expansion, saying Biomet plans to invest $26 million in the project by expanding its headquarters and research and development operations and upgrading equipment. The company also will transfer some manufacturi ...

For years now, state and local economic development marketers across the country have been pursuing the holy grail of a catchy tag line that engraves their location on the subconscious of the nation. The success stories are, well, memorable. Mention Las Vegas and “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” immediately pops into your cerebellum. New York is synonymous with “The Big Apple.” Of course, along the w ...

BF: Louisiana has emerged as a national leader in workforce training with the Louisiana FastStart™ program. Is the availability of customized pre-employment training becoming a deciding factor in site selection decisions? SM: In less than two years, Louisiana FastStart™ definitely has become one of our most powerful and effective recruiting tools during site-selection competitions. As one of the nation’s to ...

Kansas and Texas flexed their biotech muscles in Business Facilities’ annual Rankings Report, released today. Kansas has been ranked the #5 state in the nation in Biotechnology Strength. The 2010 ranking is a major leap forward for the Sunflower State, which ranked ninth in the biotech category last year and tied for 10th in 2008.  Texas surged from sixth place to second place in the Biotechnology Strength ...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to make public a plan today that could bring Atlantic City’s casino district under state control, according to a report in pressofAtlanticCity.com . Sources said a key a key recommendation would turn over the tourism district of Atlantic City to state oversight, primarily in order to give the state an active role over the gambling mecca’s tourism and to make sure c ...

The national battle among states to lure entertainment industry dollars has intensified this month, with several states upping the ante in film production tax credits whiles others are dropping out of the competition. On July 1, Florida became the latest state to offer generous tax incentives to motion picture, TV documentary and digital media producers. Florida activated its Entertainment Industry Incentiv ...

It's a problem familiar to Hollywood screenwriters and film directors: an idea that seemed like a sure thing during an artistic late-night brainstorming session ends up on the cutting room floor when it sends test audiences howling for the exits. Now, some red-faced state economic development agencies know the feeling. During the past half-decade, 44 states have adopted incentives to encourage film producti ...

New Jersey has launched a privately funded nonprofit to market the state. The $2 million effort, called Choose New Jersey, has recruited 15 local corporations to help promote and facilitate business attraction, retention and expansion. The new organization was announced at the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. in West Trenton this week. Choose New Jersey is part of Gov. Chris Christie’s New Jersey Part ...

Dennis Mullen recently was officially named chairman of New York’s Empire State Development agency, which has been actively involved in revamping the state’s incentives programs. BF: The elimination of the Empire Zones program on June 30 has generated a lot of controversy across New York. What will you replace it with? DM: Since its creation in 1986, the Empire Zones Program has gone through numerous revisi ...

Intrasphere Technologies, which provides consulting services to the life sciences industry, plans to relocate its offices to Jersey City, NJ next month, the Star-Ledger reports. The company intends to move 120 existing jobs to offices in the Harborside Plaza 10 building and plans to add another 180 jobs over the next two years. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded the company a grant worth ...