Winter 2007

It Ain’t Going to Happen.

If You’re a "Celebrity" Corporate Nameplate, Forget Total Confidentiality in Your Site Search Here in the South.

Mike Randle, Editor

Made me smile to see how California-based Google reacted to the leaks about its big project announced in Caldwell County, N.C., in the winter quarter. Google officials apparently believed their project was the biggest deal to land in the South in decades. We're sorry to inform the Internet search engine giant that its “computer farm”, while significant, might be the 100th-largest deal announced in the South this year. Get over it.

News surrounding the project disclosed how arrogantly the company behaved. Google officials demanded that Tar Heel State legislators involved in the negotiations maintain complete confidentiality, and then blamed the lawmakers when details about the project leaked out. In fact, the Google officials people directing the site search reportedly were incensed about the leaks.
 
Note to Google and other large, celebrity, corporate nameplates that want to land a project in the South: Forget achieving total confidentiality. When there’s a news leak, don't blame lawmakers who must approve or disapprove the incentives you’re looking for. Rarely, are elected officials the ones who leak information about pending projects. How do we know? Leaks come to us all the time, at least two or three a week. Some of this so-called confidential information has included photographs. It should be stressed that not all of this information is true. That's why we do diligent reporting.

The majority of the tips we get come from two sources: Economic developers in other states who competed unsuccessfully for the project. (They’re disappointed or angry, or both). The other frequent sources for leaks are property owners, either on the site or near the chosen site.

Politicians in a state where a deal might land, or does land, don’t reveal information on projects before a final choice has been made. It just doesn't happen. They have too much to lose and nothing to gain, if they disclose information about a prospective deal. Of course, we're talking about big deals here, the ones of the "celebrity" variety. I have never had a politician call me about some 12-employee mattress plant, and not a single politico has tipped me off about a $600-million-dollar deal such as Google's in North Carolina. That Google officials fingered North Carolina lawmakers for the leaks, could suggest naiveté or inexperience, or an odd negotiating ploy. 

So, Google officials, we're really happy you chose to set up shop here in the South. But on your next quest for a site in the South, trust me: We will learn some details of your intentions before you want us to. That's our job. And what we learn won't come from any politicians. After all, there are other sources. Which is something you should know.

Mike Randle
mike@sb-d.com