Winter 2011

Ten Pro-Business Communities in the South without a Beach

If the beach is not your thing, then take a look at these inland markets in the South that have proven over and over again to be as friendly to relocating, expanding and growing business as any we know.

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Winston-Salem, N.C. makes this short list of pro-business communities in the South for the same reason it wins the attention of so many companies looking to expand or relocate — collaboration. Certainly, location helps, along with a robust infrastructure. However, the way community and business leaders, educational institutions, city and county government organizations all work together is a true difference maker in creating an ideal, pro-business climate in Winston-Salem.

The community’s recent success attracting Caterpillar to build an advanced manufacturing facility is a prime example. Workforce availability, customizable training and education capabilities, coupled with an ideal site and sensible business incentives, all combined to make the decision an easy one for Caterpillar’s management team. As every economic development professional knows, getting these community “planets” to align anywhere is, at best, difficult. The fact that Winston-Salem does it on a consistent basis is downright extraordinary.

Huntsville, Ala.

A highly skilled and educated workforce, business-friendly elected officials, and a diverse high-tech industry base have played well for Huntsville over the years and continue to create abundant opportunities for small and large companies to expand or relocate.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) relocations that are moving 4,400 jobs to Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal will be completed in 2011 and the expected follow-on will add an estimated 10,000 contractor jobs in coming years. BRAC will also bring the headquarters of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which will be Alabama’s first four-star command. AMC is responsible for all Army procurement and foreign military sales.

Redstone Gateway, a 4.6-million-square-foot Class A office park, is one of the largest real estate developments occurring in the U.S. and Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research and development park, continues to expand thanks to the growth of organizations like the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Dynetics and Raytheon.

Little Rock, Ark.

For two years in a row, the Little Rock region has been named America’s Fourth Strongest Economy by the Brookings Institution’s MetroMonitor. The Wall Street Journal calls it the nation’s Sixth Best Real Estate Market, while Forbessaid it is America’s Seventh Best Place for Jobs.

Where miles equal minutes, one million people live within 50 minutes of Downtown Little Rock. So, eleven central Arkansas counties and their unique communities united to compete as one common, globally recognized brand – Little Rock. Six years and over $1.3 billion in new capital investment, $439 million new annual payroll, and 11,300 jobs later, the results are indisputable and historically unprecedented.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, “Little Rock has one of the lowest unemployment rates of any city in the United States. Little Rock’s regional approach to job creation has resulted in job growth even amidst a deep recession. Bringing together regional resources and assets is imperative for communities wanting to build more resilient economies after the recession."

Williamson County, Tenn.

Home to corporate headquarters such as Nissan North America and 30 of the 50 fastest growing companies in the Nashville region, Williamson County, Tenn. is a place where decision makers and innovators work side-by-side. Over half of the largest publicly traded companies in the Nashville region call Williamson County home and 21% of the workforce are classified as entrepreneurs. Williamson County is the only county in Tennessee with a Aaa bond rating from both Moody’s and Standard & Poors, the only county in Tennessee to place 5 high schools on Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools, and the only county in Tennessee to place a city in CNN/Money Magazine’s America’s 100 Best Places to Live.

In the last 5 years, Williamson County has accounted for nearly 40% of the job growth in the Nashville region, twice the percentage as the number two county. With 6 million square feet of additional class A office space approved for development, Williamson County will continue to be the corporate engine for the Nashville region for years to come.

San Antonio, Tex.

San Antonio, the nation's seventh largest city, has created a unique team approach to attracting new business. Pulling together private business, civic and government leadership has resulted in a business-friendly atmosphere that has attracted the likes of Medtronic, Becton Dickinson, Petco, Nationwide, VMC and many others over the past couple of years.

Listed as one of America’s top recovery cities by Newsweek and ranked as one of the top 15 American cities for job and income growth by the Brookings Institute, San Antonio has weathered the economic storm and is thriving.

Relying on its strengths of a capable workforce of 900,000-plus, available, low cost energy and infrastructure that capitalizes on our geographic advantage along the NAFTA corridor, San Antonio has diversified its economy with healthcare and biosciences now serving as the lead industry.

Tulsa, Okla.

Recognized as the No. 1 place to live in the United States by Relocate America, Tulsa, Okla. is an innovative, rapidly growing region home to some of the world’s largest companies, the country’s most inland water port and a well-educated and skilled workforce. These assets combine to make an ideal home for progressive companies competing in a global economy.

Companies in Tulsa represent diverse industry sectors and benefit from a pro-business environment and visionary business and community leaders. Located in the center of the U.S., Tulsa is conveniently located by air, rail, ground and water and offers the fifth-lowest cost for doing business in America. Additionally, a number of incentives are available to assist new and existing businesses to grow in the region.

Baton Rouge, La.

“Actions speak louder than words.” The phrase is incessantly used to describe the fact that “doing” means much more than “saying.” The Baton Rouge area is the epitome of this fact when it comes to creating an environment that is welcoming to companies and their capital investment, so much so that we’ve named them again to our top 10 pro-business community list.

Louisiana’s state capital has quickly become a region where businesses can expect to find a place looking for ways to say yes. This investment-friendly attitude led SB&D to call the Baton Rouge area the “new economic development rock star in the South” in 2010.  It has also helped the Creative Capital of the South garner expansions and relocations from companies such as Fortune 1000 inhabitants The Shaw Group, Albemarle, Kellogg’s, and EA as well as SNF, Inc.  Projects like these are the result of some very loud actions.

Augusta, Ga.

Augusta, Ga. continues to receive national accolades for the strength of the local economy, with more than twenty recognitions during the past 18 months. Augusta’s national rankings lead most cities in the Southeast on the stability of its economy. 

Companies locating in Georgia’s second largest city realize the “pro-business” mindset in Augusta extends to their bottom-line operating costs. Augusta’s “pro-business” attitude began years ago with basic preparations. Augusta made sure that companies benefitted from (1) sizeable capacities in both water and wastewater, (2) construction of new highways focused on business development, and (3) a workforce that is trained in manufacturing, software engineering, data, distribution and life sciences. Short-term and long-term incentives highlight a strong business appreciation in Augusta. 

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Known as the CAN DO Community, Chattanooga transformed its waterfront and revitalized its downtown through fast-acting public-private partnerships and then applied the same model to economic development. Volkswagen’s decision to establish its only U.S. auto assembly facility in Chattanooga is just one example among the 80 job creation projects the city has won since July 2007. These companies are investing more than $1.8 billion to create 7,800 jobs.

The secret of that success is seamless cooperation. City of Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger become personally engaged on recruitment projects with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce serving as the project manager on behalf of the entire community. “We’re a one-stop shop for companies considering a project here,” said Trevor Hamilton, V.P. of Economic Development. “We coordinate the efforts of more than 40 public and private entities in responding to site selectors.”

Columbia, S.C.

The central South Carolina region has been on a roll of late, landing some huge projects including 1,249 new jobs for a $100 million Amazon.com distribution center and 1,000 jobs from AQT Solar, a company that is producing thin-film solar cells.

The Palmetto State’s capital city and home to The University of South Carolina, the central South Carolina region maintains and promotes a very pro-business climate among both public and private sectors and is one of the least expensive places to operate a business in the South.