Business Facilities - September 2008 - (Page 12)

COVER STORY Editors’ Location Picks 2008 land and Odessa, Hatley says. There are more than 2,300 firms in the Midland/Odessa MSA that are directly involved in oil and gas operations. The region supplies more than 60% of all oil and gas produced in Texas. Midland is the administrative, management and development headquarters for oil and gas exploration and production of the Permian Basin. The city is home of many oil- and gas-related support businesses, including finance, legal, accounting, data processing, marketing, and engineering services. And, in Midland, there’s still plenty of room to grow. “The demand for more energy is going to keep going,” says Hatley. “We now have India and China demanding more and that’s not going to lessen over time, so there’s more room for growth in this industry.” Midland claims the lowest rate of unemployment in the state and the nation, a major advantage in its aggressive effort to convince people to move there. “There are people who’ve been Midland, TX downtown skyline laid off all around the country, and we want them to know that Midland can afford to give them a doggone well-paying job,” Hatley declares. “We’re recruiting people of all skill levels because everything here has grown along with the energy cluster, including the retail and housing markets. So we need people who can do everything from welding to building houses to doing accounting work. Plus, your dollar will go further here than anywhere else in Texas. The cost of living is pretty low and the quality of life is great.” Even in the midst of their booming oil economy, the city’s economic development team also has been working on diversifying their industry base by targeting professional services, health care, logistics and aviation. Midland College has a certificate program in aviation mechanics and a four-year degree in engineering, which is a draw for aviation companies. The University of Texas Permian Basin is a four-year college with technology programs relevant to several industries. Hatley says his team also can develop training programs with either college for new industries looking at locating in Midland. SYRACUSE, NY The northeastern U.S. is a great place to do business, but, more often than not, it’s also a very expensive place to do business. So when Syracuse, NY came in as the sixth most affordable place for business in a ranking developed by Regional Financial Associates, an independent provider of economic research, we thought we should take a closer look. “What we emphasize most as one of our strengths is that Syracuse has a big-city feel without being a big city,” says Greg Hitchin, business development manager for the Syracuse Economic Growth Council. “In other words, we have all of the amenities without all of the expense of a big city.” Syracuse also has something that increasingly is a rare and valuable commodity: an abundant supply of fresh, potable water! Natural resources are at a premium right now, and not just energy resources. That’s why the Syracuse Economic Growth Council’s (SEGC) new marketing initiative creatively promotes Central New York’s ample supply of potable water. At a time when the southeastern U.S. is experiencing devastating drought conditions that are affecting industry as well as individuals, Syracuse, located next to Lake Ontario, has access to eight million gallons per day of high-quality, low-priced water. “For a beverage or food-processing company, where water is vital to the manufacturing process, this is as 12 SEPTEMBER 2008 PHOTO CREDIT: MIDLAND TEXAS CHAMBER STAFF

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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