COVER STORY: The Education Quotient is the premier research study conducted each year by Expansion Management’s renowned research department, which lists among its clients the Department of Defense. The EQ, the only study of its kind, rates nearly 2,800 secondary school districts around the country in order to evaluate the type of work force our readers are likely to encounter around the country. Our purpose is not to tell how good the teachers are, or how much money they make, or how much tax money districts spend to do it (although those are all important points). Instead, the EQ looks at results. When we calculate our Graduate Outcome Index, we look at a school district’s graduation rate to provide our readers with a view of the discipline and “stick-to-it-iveness” of the potential worker. We also examine the results of standardized test scores such as the SAT and ACT to see how much the typical student (and soon-to-be worker) has learned compared to students in other communities across the country.
FOCUS STORY: Business Retention: When Staying Where You Are Makes Sense - Sometimes, even after conducting an exhaustive site location search, it turns out that the best location for your new facility is right where you are. Does that mean that the economic development community (both state and local) can’t, or won’t, help you through the process? Of course not. Business retention is a major emphasis for most community economic development organizations, and most of them have special programs to help local businesses stay right where they are.
UTILITIES/TELECOM: How to Negotiate the Best Utility Rates for Your Company - Next to personnel costs, utilities are often the next major expense for manufacturing companies. In today’s economic climate, utility companies are competing vigorously for these industrial clients. This article will show corporate executives how to distinguish between various competing utility offerings in order to make the best decision.
LOGISTIC CORNER: The Top 15 Logistics Cities in the West
INDUSTRY FOCUS: Health Services Industry
BUSINESS FEATURES: Louisiana, Idaho and Washington
METRO SPOTLIGHTS: Indianapolis, Portland, Ore., and the Northern New Jersey Metro Areas
STATE REPORTS: Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Vermont
STATAE DIRECTORY: New York
GLOBAL EXPANSION: Global News Briefs
Mexico Outlook 2005
European Outlook
Latin American Opportunities
Hong Kong/Asian Report
Customer Relations Facility Projects
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