CLEVELAND, OHIO – January 25, 2006 - Expansion Management, a business magazine for executives of companies actively looking for a place to expand or relocate their facilities within the next one to three years, has released its 8th annual "America's 50 Hottest Cities" ranking, to be published in its upcoming January-February 2006 issue.

For the second year in a row, the Nashville metro area tops the list, followed by Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas and San Antonio. Rounding out the Top 10 are Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Jacksonville, Fla., Knoxville, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala.

Among the top 10 finishers, San Antonio made the biggest jump, moving up from No. 11 last year to No. 5. Dallas and Birmingham each moved up five spots from last year.

Texas has five metros on the list, while Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee each had four cities. Two states — Alabama and New York — each had three cities. A complete listing of the Top 50 metros can be found at the end of this press release.

“Unlike the other rankings we do each year, which are based upon hard economic and demographic data, the Hot Cities poll attempts to measure the perceptions of professional site location consultants, whose business it is to help companies select the best locations for future facility expansions,” said Bill King, chief editor of Expansion Management.

In order to find out which are today's hottest cities for business expansion, Expansion Management surveyed more than 80 of the industry's most prominent site location consultants in order to find out which cities their clients find most attractive when it comes to actually selecting an expansion or relocation site — and why these cities are more appealing than the others.

The consultants, whose identities remain confidential, were asked to list their top city choices for relocating and expanding manufacturing companies, taking into consideration such factors as the business climate, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs, and the ease of working with local political and economic development officials.

"Some cities are well-prepared to attract and retain businesses," said Ken Krizner, managing editor of Expansion Management. "They have logistical advantages, a high quality of life, available work force, and a favorable tax and political climate. These 50 Hottest Cities have a built-in advantage when companies look to site a new manufacturing or distribution facility, or headquarters operation."

Expansion Management is mailed to more than 45,000 CEOs, vice presidents, directors and other officers of companies that have indicated they are considering expanding into new geographic areas.

Expansion Management is a bimonthly magazine published by Penton Media (www.penton.com), a diversified business-to-business media company that provides high-quality content and integrated marketing solutions to several industries, including: economic development/government/compliance; enterprise IT/business technology; aviation; design/engineering; electronics; food/retail; hospitality; manufacturing; mechanical systems/construction; health/nutrition and natural and organic products; and supply chain. Founded in 1892, Penton produces market-focused magazines, trade shows, conferences and online media, and provides a broad range of custom media and direct marketing solutions for business-to-business customers worldwide.

2006 LIST OF AMERICA’S 50 HOTTEST CITIES

1. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn. MSA

2. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. MSA

3. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. MSA

4. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas MSA

5. San Antonio, Texas MSA

6. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C.

7. Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. MSA

8. Jacksonville, Fla. MSA

9. Knoxville, Tenn. MSA

10. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. MSA

11. Tucson, Ariz. MSA

Tulsa, Okla. MSA

13. Denver-Aurora, Colo. MSA

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. MSA

15. Richmond, Va. MSA

16. Raleigh-Cary, N.C. MSA

17. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. MSA

18. Austin-Round Rock, Texas MSA

19. Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, Texas MSA

20. Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. MSA

21. Albuquerque, N.M. MSA

22. Huntsville, Ala. MSA

23. Oklahoma City, Okla. MSA

24. Pittsburgh, Pa. MSA

25. Charleston-North Charleston, S.C. MSA

26. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Fla. MSA

27. Indianapolis, Ind. MSA

28. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. MSA

29. Columbus, Ohio MSA

30. Longview, Texas MSA

31. Louisville, Ky.-Ind. MSA

32. Colorado Springs, Colo. MSA

33. Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. MSA

34. Winston-Salem, N.C. MSA

35. Rochester, N.Y. MSA

36. Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa MSA

37. Mobile, Ala. MSA

38. Des Moines, Iowa MSA

39. Reno-Sparks, Nev. MSA

40. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho

Orlando, Fla. MSA

42. Jackson, Tenn. MSA

43. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, N.Y. MSA

44. Syracuse, N.Y. MSA

45. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. MSA

46. Greenville, S.C. MSA

47. Greensboro-High Point, N.C. MSA

48. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. MSA

49. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash. MSA

Salt Lake City, Utah MSA

SOURCE: Expansion Management survey of site consultants, November 2005