The Oculus

New York City unveils its new $4-billion train station for the World Trade Center.

Eye Phone

Apple and Google vow to defend our privacy even if it kills us.
Robots

Rise of the Machines

The deployment of industrial robots is expected to double over the next three years.

Icy Hot: The Race To Develop The Arctic Is Heating Up

Development of oil and gas fields, the use of the Northern Sea Route as the shortest cargo transit route between Europe and Asia and the development of industrial, transport and tourist infrastructure.

Megabucks Park: 300-acre, $2.6B Entertainment District in L.A.

The world's most expensive stadium will anchor a new 300-acre, $2.6-billion entertainment district in L.A.
magnet-state

Corporate Moves Maintain Texas As Top Magnet State

Texas has once again topped the Allied Van Lines Magnet States Report, which uses internal data to track U.S. migration patterns, thanks to a net relocation gain of 2,558 families in 2015.
Indiana-Farbest

State Focus – Indiana: Regional Plans Are Hopping In The Hoosier State

Gov. Mike Pence’s Regional Cities Initiative, enacted this year, envisions more than 400 projects drawing nearly $4 billion in investments.

Crystal Ball 2016

Step aside, Monmouth and Quinnipiac: BF's got the odds-on favorites for next year's headlines.
TWBD - Prop 6 - SWIFT.

Walking the Walk

Proposition 6 created an initial SWIFT fund of $2 billion, which the TWBD expects to leverage into a total of $27 billion in financing over the next 50 years to implement the state water plan, with about half of that coming from state financial assistance. State officials said TWDB was able to approve a large number of projects in the first round because a majority of entities applying for funds requested long-term financing, which enabled the board to stretch the available funds. TWBD allocates funding for water projects based on a ranking system it developed that takes into account the length of time it will take to implement a project and the overall long-term improvement the project represents. For example, a seawater desalination plant proposed by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority received seed funds from TWDB even though it will take much longer to build than other, higher-priority projects. TWDB must by law spend up to 20 percent of Prop 6 funds in the next five years on water conservation or re-use projects.

Short in the Saddle

Driverless cars are being welcomed where you might not expect them.

National Dishonor

The VA appears to have mismanaged the health records of nearly a million veterans; about 900,000 veterans are still waiting to get on the VA's backlog for health services; and—brace yourself—as many as 300,000 veterans may have died awaiting access to health services they were promised but never received.
Business Idea Competitions: A Proven Path To Success.

Warm Welcome Up North

Organizations in Pittsburgh, Detroit, northern Michigan, St. Louis, Alaska, Wisconsin and Nevada, have embraced business idea competitions; rewarding dozens of new ventures with grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. The 43North competition, said to be the largest such prize pool in the nation, offers $5 million in prize money to entrepreneurs who agree to move to (or retain their start-ups in) the city.
boston treepod carbon dioxide scrubbing-tree.

The Tree Pods are Coming

Geoengineering will be a growth sector in the age of climate change. The latest global warming "miracle cure" for the big CO2 problem is a new technology said to be able to extract carbon from the air and condense it into fibers that could be used as building materials or to produce components for electronics, cars, clothing and other manufactured goods.

Tale of Two Mayors

In Auburn, NY, the hot political issue is economic development. Both candidates emphasized job creation with a youthful population base. Lattimore pushed for large-scale manufacturing plants and renewable energy projects to the Auburn area.
Cyber Security Systems Monitor Increase In Online Hacking.

Cyber Pearl Harbor

The number of incidents involving hacking into key infrastructure has tripled in the past two years. Most of these cyber-intrusions appear to be exploratory in nature, but a few have crossed the line and caused physical damage.

21st Century Ghost Town

A bricks-and-mortar SimCity is set to rise near Las Cruces, NM.

First to the Finish Line

Block Island, RI is poised to win the race to set up the first offshore wind farm in U.S. waters.

WV Takes Down VW

Researchers at West Virginia University blew the whistle on Volkswagen’s dirty diesel two years ago.

End Run to Paydirt

Sports gambling still is illegal outside of Vegas, or is that just a fantasy?

New Route to Growth

Providence, RI finds fertile ground for development under an old highway.
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: Colorado’s Grand Junction – Where Business Meets Adventure

The Grand Junction area is the largest metropolitan area in western Colorado, with the amenities and infrastructure companies need to operate globally. Situated halfway between Denver and Salt Lake City, the Grand Junction area is easily accessible by air, rail, highway, and WiFi.