Later that afternoon, Business Facilities editorial director, Anne Cosgrove, moderated a panel discussion on Key Factors For Site Selection. This talk took a look a specific relocation and expansion requirements for companies in emerging industries — electric vehicles and agritech, for example. Panelists were: Jenny Massey, Director of Site Selection & Incentives, Sikich; Linda Burns, Incentives Practice Leader, WDG Consulting;
Alexandra Segers, General Manager, Tochi Advisors; and William Parsons, Senior Consultant, Ryan, LLC. Specific workforce skills and “ready-to-go” sites were among key points, and these also highlighted factors that are common across both emerging and traditional industry sectors. ESG goals and mandates were also discussed as many high-growth companies are concerned with environmental impacts.
After dinner, the group was invited to have a night out at the karaoke club on Universal Studios’ property. Supported by a full band and back up singers, several of the LiveXchange group had a blast singing along to some old (and new) favorites.
Said Eric Voyles, Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Development Officer for TexAmericas Center in the Texarkana region, “This is a well-run event from the Business Facilities team. You get a chance to meet many people, discuss opportunities, and provide updates in a condensed timeframe. In that way, the event offers great value while also providing fun networking events.”
Meetings With Momentum
The morning conference session focused on cyber security, including the dire workforce shortage in both federal government and private sectors. Barry Albrecht, CEO of Strategic Location Services, a consulting firm with significant experience in the defense industries, presented the state of the cyber security workforce — and how this and other aspects are affecting site selection decisions.
As site selectors continued to gather information from the conference sessions and conversations with others in attendance, this fueled the interactions in the one-on-one meetings after the morning presentation. Whether cyber security, medtech, or agritech, what is next for site selection was the theme in many discussions.
“I was very impressed with the event and the service from the Business Facilities team,” said Linda Burns, Incentives Practice Leader at the Dallas, TX office of WDG Consulting, LLC. “I had the opportunity to meet with 10 groups in the more structured format and several others informally. Of that group, there are seven providing requested follow-up details on interesting available real estate options as well as incentive updates.”
After the morning meetings, John Boyd, Jr., Principal at The Boyd Company, a site selection consulting firm, shared his insights into the EV Market: Opportunities & Challenges. In an informal chat with Business Facilities‘ Cosgrove, John discussed the rapid growth the EV market and site factors manufacturers throughout the entire industry are prioritizing in 2022 and beyond.
As LiveXchange Emerging Industries came to a close, the group had spent the past several days immersed in site selection discussions. Exchanging ideas and information is at the heart of these Business Facilities events, and the plethora of opportunities to interact with peers provided a valuable experience. There was still one more networking event to cap off this LiveXchange — spending the afternoon at Universal Studios Florida theme park. A short boat ride or walk away from the event site, many of the attendees enjoyed the sunny afternoon to take in the scenery, ride a roller coaster, and visit the numerous attractions.
“This event was a great opportunity to meet various public sector agencies and to discover their targeted industry models,” said Geoffrey Troan, Managing Director, Site Selection and Business Incentives Services Support for Vista Site Selection in Columbus, OH. “Over the last 40 years I’ve participated in many trade organizations, and the ‘speed dating’ technique utilized by LiveXchange is a superior method of networking and information exchange, providing a concise organized format for the birth of public-private economic development partnerships.”
Sponsor organizations for 2022 LiveXchange Emerging Industries:
- Amarillo Economic Development Corp. (TX)
- City of Henderson, NV
- City of Ogden, UT
- Consumers Energy (MI)
- Greenville-Eastern North Carolina Alliance
- Hernando County Office of Economic Development (FL)
- Louisiana Economic Development
- North Louisiana Economic Partnership
- Regional Growth Partnership of Northwest OH
- Santee Cooper (SC)
- Saratoga Economic Development Corp. (NY)
- Tech Parks Arizona
- TexAmericas Center
- Washington DC Economic Partnership
- Wyoming Business Council, WY
Recognized for its professional, yet relaxed setting, Business Facilities LiveXchange is a valuable resource for corporate site selectors and site consultants with active projects in the pipeline. Next spring, the 19th annual Business Facilities LiveXchange is taking place April 24-26, 2023 at the Marina Inn at Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach, SC.
