By Mark R. Smith, Contributing Writer, Expansion Solutions Magazine

Site selection professionals and their clients who are working to locate a growing agriculture-based business know making that major move dictates understanding a few facts before key decisions are made.

Since an agriculture businesses might need land, and lots of it − or at least be in a market with a multitude of farms − they’ll see that land is cheaper in less-densely populated areas, for a reason: perhaps the lack a strong workforce and relatively few educational opportunities, or connectivity problems and a lack of amenities in a given locales. Or a combination thereof.

Then comes the more recent but growing issue of climate change, which can work for or against a company.

By Dennis J. Donovan, Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting (WDGC)

This article addresses location dynamics within the high technology sector. The term high-tech is rather amorphous. Broadly speaking it can apply to any industry wherein advanced technology (such as Industry 4.0) is widely utilized. To provide a pragmatic framework for illuminating site selection strategy and trends we will adopt a more nuanced definition of high technology. Essentially high tech embraces a group of industries characterized by a rapid pace of innovation. These industries typically involve a high concentration of workers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). For purposes of this article high-technology industries include the following:

By Jim Damicis, Senior Vice President, Camoin Associates

To understand economies and industry sectors related to forestry and lumber it is important to first understand the significance of forests to the U.S. economy. Forests after all are where wood comes from. “Global forestry issues are of considerable significance to the United States, which has five percent of the Earth’s population and consumes an estimated 28 percent of the Earth’s industrial wood products. Although domestic timber inventory is only 10 percent of the Earth’s total, 96 percent of U.S. consumption of industrial wood comes from domestic supplies.¹” In the U.S., the majority of the forests are privately owned with an estimated 58 percent of forest acreage owned privately by corporations or individuals; however, ownership patterns are quite diverse with public forests dominant in the West and private forests dominant in the East. Private industrial forest ownership is concentrated in the South, Pacific, Northwest, upper Lake States, and northern New England².

Source:  U.S. Forest Service- www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/forest-ownership-map.png

By Michael D. White, author and freelance writer

Confined to non-descript, drab buildings clustered in unappealing urban backwaters, warehouse and distribution operations once considered a straight-forward and relatively simple activity involving nothing more complicated than a hand truck or a forklift have evolved into petri dishes for new technologies that have revolutionized the task of moving a product from Point A to Point B economically and efficiently in the least amount of time.   

According to a recent study of the distribution/warehouse sector commissioned by the Deloitte Center for Financial Services, the demand for distribution centers and other industrial real estate is expected to grow by 850 million square feet from 2019 to 2023, to 14.8 billion square feet, compared with demand growth of 870 million square feet from 2014 to 2018.

Deloitte said availability of warehouse space is likely to rise to 10.3 percent by 2023, compared with seven percent in 2018, as changes in the way people shop have reshaped distribution networks with retailers and logistics providers racing to compete with Amazon, open distribution warehouses and sprawling online fulfillment centers, strategically sited near major population centers and transportation hubs.

By Dan Whitten, Vice President of Communications, Solar Energy Industries Association

Prominent announcements from companies such as Apple, Walmart and Target of installing solar on their facilities has made the rest of the commercial and industrial sector take notice. And the message is that, in many places, solar is now a cheaper way to power buildings than the alternatives. That’s why we are seeing broad investment from companies large and small.

Solar has grown by leaps and bounds  in the last decade. Initially a solution for select homeowners, and later a low-cost option for utility-scale projects, solar energy is now coming to a commercial facility near you. And if you look closely enough at the opportunities, it may very well be a solution for your own company. 

By Chris Engle, Vice President, Avalanche Consulting

This article discusses the realities and response to the labor environment seen across the U.S. today. Companies can sharpen their toolkit in evaluating labor markets and finding a current and future workforce. Educators can better understand the needs of companies, particularly in hard-to-fill positions requiring technical or specialized skills. Economic and workforce developers can deploy new attention to the development of talent from within their communities in addition to attracting workers. Collectively, we can all learn how a high-performing economy must be continually supplied with a labor force that is dynamic, responsive, and innovative despite the challenges brought on by technology, demographic change, and uncertainty.

First, let’s take a closer look at today’s labor environment. We have written several articles in recent years about the declining unemployment rate and its impact on industries. Today’s unemployment rate now stands at 3.6 percent, the lowest registered rate in 50 years. We now consistently hear across every part of the country and economy, from highly skilled industries to entry level hospitality, that employers can’t find the workers they need. The low unemployment rate is a function of labor participation, i.e. the number of people seeking work.