Business Facilities - September 2008 - (Page 10)

COVER STORY By Donna Clapp By Donna Clapp These gems didn’t just catch our eye with a quick flash. Their consistent economic development sparkle earned them front-and-center display in our annual showcase. E ach year, the Business Facilities editorial team is exposed to a tsunami of marketing brochures, press releases and data from locations throughout the country that are vying for their place in the economic development spotlight. We attend the major conferences that are magnets for development specialists, and try to visit as many states as we can squeeze into a jam-packed schedule. With about 250 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to choose from, there always are tough decisions to make about coverage. Inevitably, there are some gems that catch our eye along the way but do not make it into our showcase. That’s why, beginning last year, we created an annual cover story that we call Editors’ Location Picks, which gives us an opportunity to revisit some special places that drew our attention during the previous months and give them the attention we feel they have earned. SEPTEMBER 2008 This year’s choices reflect the evolving diversity of economic development initiatives, and each had different strengths or strategies for growth that drew our attention: in Greater Philadelphia, it was an innovative approach to attracting new projects; Salt Lake City, UT is reaping the benefits of several years of workforce training and educational initiatives; Oklahoma City, OK has become a vacation destination after a decade-long effort to establish OKC as a cultural Mecca. In today’s economy, it makes sense to take a look at how some locations, like Midland, TX, have become recession-proof, and others, like Wichita, KS and Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN, have continued to accelerate growth in industries that already have produced mature clusters in their regions. And with the emphasis on natural resources drawing more attention these days, we think you’ll find it interesting to see how Syracuse, NY has been market- ing its abundant water supply to great success. Innovation in economic development marketing is what keeps MSAs from losing jobs and businesses. It takes something really special to keep an area growing in a sluggish economy. Here are some regions that are doing just that. SALT LAKE CITY, UT For anyone who’s been keeping up with economic news, it should be no surprise that we chose the Salt Lake City MSA as one of our editors’ picks. Utah ranked third for business climate in Business Facilities’ annual Rankings Report in July, and the state was named second in Forbes magazine’s “Best States for Business” for the second year in a row. Utah also finished third overall in a CNBC list of “2008 America’s Top States for Business,” and the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked Utah number one in the nation for overall future economic outlook, based on 10

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Business Facilities - September 2008

Business Facilities- September 2008 Contents First Word Snapshots Corporate Moves:�Mississippi Editor's Location Picks 2008 The Palmetto State Reaches Across the Sea Corporate Moves:�Tennessee Metro Spotlight:�Spokane, WA Biotech: Building Block for Development Wind Power Lifts Iowa Germany:�Europe's Economic Juggernaut California Here We Come Up, Up and Away in North Carolina Corporate Moves:�West Virginia Metro Spotlight:�Decatur/Greensburg, IN Advertiser Index Ask the Expert

Business Facilities - September 2008

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