It seems like not a week goes by that somebody does not call us looking for a list.
State and community economic developers want a list of what relocating companies are looking for, and relocating companies are always looking for lists on how best to negotiate their way through the complex task of site selection.
Lists. They’re kind of like road maps, guiding us from point a to point b in a logical manner. No wonder we rely upon them so heavily.
Things to do. Things not to do. It seems like we’re always trying to learn from someone else’s wisdom ... or failures.
Lists are nothing more than information presented systematically. What they represent is experience, the wisdom of someone else who has been there, done that.
Why do we value lists? Because we value experience, or at least we should.
Moving a company is not an everyday occurrence. In fact, for most companies it’s a once -- at most, twice -- in a lifetime experience.
| Lists are nothing more than information presented systematically. What they represent is experience, the wisdom of someone who has been there, done that. |
You know how to run your businesses. That’s why you’re successful. But that doesn’t mean that you know how to move your company, or even to duplicate it in another part of the country. That’s why people count on the experiences of others to help guide them through the process.
Business is booming and you want to take advantage of the current prosperity of your company and take it to the next level of growth. You want to expand into a new market, or cut down on your transportation costs, or beat your competitors’ delivery times.
Whatever the reason, you are ready to make a multimillion dollar commitment to the future of your company by setting up operations in a new facility, far away from the old plant that brought you such prosperity.
It’s an exhilarating time for you and your company, but it’s also a time fraught with danger. Pick the wrong place and your business will be paying for it for years.
Fortunately, there are experts in the field of expansion and relocation who can help you through the process. You notice I didn’t say “guide you through the process.” I said “help” because there is a difference.
When you contract the services of a guide, you generally turn over the operation to them for the duration of the journey, and resume control at the conclusion. You didn’t become successful in business by doing things that way ... and you sure won’t remain successful by starting now.
That’s why I used the word “help.” It implies a partnership, with you being the controlling partner.
There are consultants out there who specialize in expanding and relocating companies, and whose client list reads like a Who’s Who of American business.
Then there are the economic development organizations representing just about every community and state in the nation, all chomping at the bit to get you to locate in their area. Not only that, but just about every major utility has an economic development department that can work with you on a more attractive rate schedule.
Then there are the industry magazines, like this one, that serve the dual function of educating you on the process of picking the right site, while also serving as a conduit for detailed information from state and local communities. Basically, we serve as information brokers, responding to your wants and needs, trying to help you make the best business decision possible on your new location.
And that brings us back to lists.
The amount of information you acquire between now and when you make your final location decision will astonish you. And never forget that all information is relative. You’ll find yourself constantly asking, “Compared to what?”
A state’s tax rates are good or bad only when compared to the rates of other states. Same with unemployment insurance premiums, or workers compensation rates, or available work force, or environmental regulations, or land and construction prices, or ....
Well, you get the picture.
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