Industry Focus

Business Facilities Magazine – The leading source of intelligence for corporate site selection, expansion, relocation & area economic development solutions.



Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ)

Ports & FTZs: The Value of Entry

Whether going on a business trip, exporting cars or utilizing the benefits of an FTZ, you’ll experience firsthand how the U.S. Customs and Border Protection entity lives up to its mission of “enabling legitimate trade and travel.”
agri-business

Agri-Business: A $1 Trillion Smorgasbord

U.S. agri-business accounts for nearly six percent of America’s GDP, with $137 billion of that coming directly from U.S. farms.
New England region

New England’s Regional Defense Industry Collaboration

The new organization, funded with a $1.5-million grant from the department of defense, will coordinate the growth of defense-related business across the six-state region.
Irving-Las Colinas

The Headquarters Of Headquarters

Irving-Las Colinas, in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, is a magnet for Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporate headquarters, with more HQ per capita than other cities.
call centers

Call Centers: Improving the Conversation

Call centers are staying ahead of the curve with unified omnichannel communications, better analytics and instant feedback from social media.
tourism industry

Travel Push for Tourists

The tourism industry supports nearly nine million jobs in the U.S., but a dip in overseas visitors in 2017 has led to the creation of the Visit U.S. Coalition to put out the welcome mat.
logistics industry

Digital Transformation: A Safer Supply Chain

As the logistics industry moves the global supply chain onto digital platforms, experts are warning that vulnerabilities to cyberattacks must be addressed.
Goodyear, AZ retail sector

Retail: Alive and Kicking

Reports of the death of the retail sector—a fate that was widely assumed to be the outcome of an exponential increase in online purchases of consumer goods—were more than a bit premature.
data centers

Data Centers: Aiming For The Leading Edge

The need to be near end-users will drive an uptick in the expansion of smaller satellite markets for data centers, known in the trade as “edge" markets. Foreign investment in the data center sector also will surge.
collaborative robots advanced manufacturing

Advanced Manufacturing: The Cobots Are Coming

Collaborative robots (a.k.a. cobots), designed to work alongside human workers, are the next big thing in advanced manufacturing. More than 150,000 cobots will be in use by 2020, a number expected to exceed 700,000 by 2025.
aerospace and defense

Defense: The Best Offense

Nations around the world are increasing their defense budgets; the sophisticated weaponry of the U.S. aerospace industry guarantees it will get a big slice of the pie.
automotive industry locations

Locations For The Automotive Industry: Light Truck Takeover

While auto sales are expected to decrease in 2018, manufacturers can still bank on the larger market share of SUVs and CUVs to help keep the industry afloat.
food processing

Food Processing: A Nudge in the Right Direction

Transparency has topped the Foodprocessing.com list of suggestions that leading food processors need to embrace to remain competitive in a more sophisticated market.
logistics Ruston Louisiana

Logistics: No Drivers Needed

While it may take quite a few years before autonomous vehicles hit the road, much progress has been made in this technology that companies hope will have long-term logistical benefits.
advanced manufacturing

Advanced Manufacturing: Manufacturing Gets Smarter, Faster

Smart sensors and digital process controls are poised to exponentially improve the efficiency of U.S. advanced manufacturing.
renewable energy

Innovation Valley: A Mecca for Energy

The Knoxville, TN region’s energy test bed research hub is home to the Oak Ridge National Lab.
food processing

Locations For The Food Processing Industry: The Food Puzzle

It takes a variety of participants and processes to make the food industry a whole industry. And so far the pieces together seem to indicate a year of success.
data center

Serving The Cloud: Data Center Supply Races To Meet Demand

Completion of new data center projects started in 2016 will create enough new server capacity to meet the voracious appetite of expanding cloud providers, easing a shortage of available storage space.
certified sites

Shovel-Ready Sites: Ready To Hit The Ground Running

As the demand for shovel-ready industrial sites keeps growing, more and more locations are initiating certified sites programs that streamline the approval process for new developments.
tourism

Tourism: Endless Options

No matter what type of destination you are or what type of tourist your area brings, the end result is more of everything.
tax credits

Listen Now: Living And Learning In Lubbock, Texas, With John Osborne, CEO, Lubbock EDA

Lubbock EDA CEO John Osborne discusses business climate and downtown revitalization in the Business Facilities Podcast.
2023 Deals Of The Year

2023 Deals Of The Year

Entries for Deal of the Year awards spanned industries, investment types, and winning strategies. Here are the stories of this year’s picks.
Texas 2023 State of the Year

2023 State Of The Year: Opportunity Awaits In Texas

A robust business climate and strategic growth during 2023 earns the Lone Star State this recognition.

[VIDEO] Get More for Your Business in Ardmore. Oklahoma

The ADA owns three industrial parks and several single sites and buildings, giving our organization both the power and incentive to negotiate favorable terms for expanding companies.

Location Spotlight: Ohio Electric Cooperatives

Ohio consistently ranks as one of the top U.S. destinations for new corporate facilities, meaning prime sites are quickly snapped up. Economic development officials and private developers are working cooperatively to ensure the pipeline of immediately-developable sites stays full with diverse location opportunities.