Feature Story

Site selection professionals zero in on certified shovel-ready sites, which reduce development costs and put projects on a fast track to success.

Whether it’s cutting taxes 24 times while turning a huge deficit into a surplus or guaranteeing an adequate supply of water in the worst drought in history, New Mexico has a plan that works.

Locations across the nation are rapidly applying the best practices needed to meet the requirements of new and expanding 21st century businesses. This makes it much tougher for us to pick the best of the best, so we’ve expanded our showcase to make room for an ever-increasing number of economic development leaders.

Tennessee has implemented reforms that have made its educational system the most improved in the nation, but Gov. Bill Haslam is aiming at a much bigger goal: building an army of skilled workers.

Additive manufacturing is the hottest new growth sector, promising to revolutionize how just about anything you can imagine gets made.

A powerhouse auto cluster, the nation’s most-improved education system and world-class infrastructure keep the volunteer state on its pedestal.

Nevada wins the most hotly contested economic development prize in years by bagging Tesla's lithium battery plant near Reno. Washington successfully pulled out all the stops to keep Boeing from leaving the state. Comcast's gleaming new tower will transform Philadelphia's skyline.

So far, 2014 has been a banner year for freight haulers, but this success has a down side: a capacity crisis may be looming.

Gov. Rick Snyder has identified core problems and brought stakeholders together to solve them in an effort the governor likes to call relentless positive action.

More states are forming public-private partnerships to leverage the expertise of leading businesses in luring new projects.

With a welcoming, down-home business climate, the peach state is reinventing itself as an automotive powerhouse and a film production mecca poised to give Hollywood a run for its money.

Matching industrial projects to infrastructure-rich sites that are certified as shovel-ready is essential to winning the site-selection battle.

A skilled workforce and ultra-efficient government services make Indiana fertile ground for business growth and an attractive landing spot for foreign investment.

When Gov. Gary Herbert took office, he set a lofty goal of making Utah the top-performing state economy. Four years and thousands of jobs later, the Beehive state is poised to plant its flag at the summit.

There may be fewer projects to aim for in the highly competitive environment of a recovering economy, but those who hope to succeed must find a way that distinguishes them from the rest of the field. Here are the organizations who have established a consistent standard of excellence and embraced the best practices to secure the projects that bring bundles of new jobs to their locations.

Workforce training programs are a top priority in economic development. Here are some of the most innovative training programs offering 21st-century workforce solutions.

With huge reserves of low-cost energy, world-class R&D facilities and streamlined grants that yield solid returns, Pennsylvania wants everyone to know it’s ready to take on all comers.

The 2013 Economic Development Deal of the Year recognizes the locations and economic development agencies that landed the highest impact projects announced between July 1, 2012 and December 1, 2013. This year, the game-changing transformation of a former solar panel plant in Mesa, AZ into a new $1.5-billion manufacturing facility for tech giant Apple takes the top prize.

A visionary entrepreneur who boldly embraced the future, but never lost sight of the enduring values of family and friendship. From the September/October 2013 issue.

The Midwest Inland Port ramp—ADM’s new intermodal freight shipping and receiving facility—puts Decatur front and center as a leading logistics hub. From the September/October 2013 issue.