The following development organizations are recipients of Expansion Solutions Magazine’s 2008 Awards of Excellence in the *** Automotive*** industry category. These awards recognize organizations who have demonstrated exceptional progress and potential in the development of their areas -- by successfully recruiting, retaining and growing businesses. The winners below are listed in alphabetical order and are reflective of our top 5 picks.
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Expansion Solutions Magazine’s selection of the City of Danville as a “Top 5 Pick” in “Automotive” affirms what other media outlets are saying about the manufacturing renaissance occurring in Southside, Virginia. Over the past five years, the region has announced $750 million in foreign and domestic capital investment and 6,774 new jobs. With over 18 percent of the employment base in manufacturing, it’s logical to see why these new companies (as well as long-firms such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber) are benefiting from a work ethic built over 200 years. Goodyear’s June 2008 announcement of a $200 million modernization of their Danville plant reinforces their commitment to the area.
More than 40 colleges and universities are within an hour’s drive of Danville (and neighboring Pittsylvania County). Some of them ranked as tops in nation -- awarding four thousand various engineering and technical degrees annually. The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research has the capacity to support automotive projects with such programs as the Virginia Institute for Performance Racing (VIPER), the Joint Unmanned Systems Testing, Experimentation and Research Site (JOUSTER) and the Advanced and Applied Polymer Processing Institute (AAPI). Danville is also home to the Advance Vehicle Research Center with its planned off-road test track, and boasts easy access to Martinsville Speedway and the VIRginia International Raceway.
In addition to a knowledgeable workforce and a “pro-business” atmosphere, Danville and Pittsylvania County contain an extensive, interstate-quality highway system that links the region to two-thirds of the North American population in a day’s drive and Virginia’s deep ports in a few hours. The utility infrastructure of the area is recognized for its high reliability, abundant access, capacity and affordability.
Site consultants looking for a prime location for automotive, manufacturing or technical business operations will be pleased to see what they find in Danville as well as Pittsylvania County.
City of Gallatin EDA
Gallatin, TN
Second- and Third-tier automotive suppliers know where to turn to move their operations into high gear. Companies such as ABC Fuel Systems, ABC Technologies, Hoganaes Corporation, ITW-CIP, PK USA and Salga Plastics all have prosperous plants in Gallatin, Tennessee. Just one example of the strength of this city is exemplified by ITW-CIP. While their corporate office could be expanding their 100+ plants located around the world, ITW-CIP continues to invest in Gallatin. The overall strength of the region helps explain this as well as the city’s highly-skilled workforce and business-friendly community.
Of all the issues facing a relocating or expanding company, workforce in Gallatin will be a plus on its balance sheet. To ensure success in this area, the Gallatin Economic Development Agency’s GEAR program puts educators and other workforce agencies in close contacts with companies so that major employers will always have assistance in locating qualified workers and, when the need exists, assistance in meeting training requirements.
Being part of the Nashville area plays a significant part of these companies location decision to Gallatin. The area’s transportation infrastructure is also a key factor. Six interstate legs intersect in nearby Nashville. Gallatin’s regional airport is only minutes away from the Nashville International Airport. CSX provides reliable rail transportation. It’s also nice to know that the city is within a day’s drive of two thirds of the United States’ population.
Gallatin is located in Middle Tennessee -- which is perhaps the hottest spot for corporate relocations and expansions. That’s due in large part to an unusually favorable business climate, supported by meaningful tax incentives and training programs for qualified companies.
City of Oshawa Development Services Department
Oshawa, Ontario, CANADA
A two-time “Top 5 Picks” for automotive locations, Oshawa is an awarding-winning community that has gained international recognition as being vibrant and progressive. At the 2007 United Nations International Awards for Liveable Communities, Oshawa won a gold award. In September 2008, Canadian Business magazine ranked Oshawa 11th in its top 40 “best places to do business in Canada”. To support the importance of the auto industry to the Canadian economy, Oshawa has cultivated partnerships, expanded automotive research and investment -- which in turn has contributed to the increase of the city's population and diversified economic base.
Oshawa is home to Ontario’s first lap-top based university – the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). Over 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are designed to fit the needs of the business community -- including automotive engineering. Further evidence of Oshawa’s appeal in the automotive sector was validated by a significant announcement by UOIT in February of this year. Scheduled to open in 2009, the General Motors Automotive Centre of Excellence will house state-of-the-art research and development tools in the areas of vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration, the world’s largest thermal climatic wind tunnel, structural durability testing and the ability to accommodate future automotive fuels like hydrogen. In addition, UOIT is the sixth Canadian university to be a part of the PACE initiative (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education). This investment links together the best Canadian companies, universities, students and engineers with companies in the Canadian automotive supply chain.
Finally, Oshawa is connected by major air, road, rail and water transportation amenities. And, their unique and strategic location will continue to enhance commercial and industrial growth and position Oshawa as an attractive location for automotive-related expansion and relocation activity.
Northeast Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
Ferriday, LA
Two years ago, Tana Trichell, Executive Director of the Northeast Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, which serves a 13 parish region, had a vision to create jobs by bringing a major manufacturer to her area. She went hunting for a large tract of land and found a landowner in Richland Parish who shared her dream. The late George Franklin, who the site is named after, agreed to give the state a 12-year option to buy 1,425 acres - with 6,000 available - for $10… and the rest is history. This site is now perfectly positioned to bring in a major automotive manufacturer.
Franklin Farm is ideally situated in northeast Louisiana between GM's assembly plant in Shreveport and a Nissan factory in Mississippi. In fact, the state-owned Franklin Farm site is within 125 miles of over 100 auto suppliers. Located along the Interstate 20 Southern Auto Corridor, the 1,440-acre site allows for quick access to suppliers in the region. Less than 50 miles from the Port of Lake Providence on the Mississippi River, the site offers access to 31 states. It is located within 600 miles of Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Atlanta and other major cities. The site even gives automakers room to grow, with an additional 4,000 acres surrounding the core site for expansion or to serve the needs of auto industry suppliers.
In terms of utilities infrastructure, the shovel-ready Franklin Farm site offers an unlimited water supply from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. It also offers 500KV and 115KV electrical transmission lines, as well as 18" and 30" natural gas lines and fiber optic on site. Franklin Farm is well above the 100-year flood plain on Holly Ridge . "We have labor to support a 3,000 to 4,000-person auto assembly plant," says Mary Jo Hanover, business development services coordinator for Louisiana Economic Development. "We are willing to provide workforce training and we have a governor who is willing to help streamline the approval processes."
Franklin Farm also benefits from being located in a federally-designated Renewal Community (RC), offering lucrative tax credits and incentives to qualified manufacturers who utilize the property. Areas designated as RC’s receive special federal income tax treatment and other incentives of more than $5 billion in tax credits, until Dec. 31, 2009.
Rankin First Economic Development Authority
Brandon, MS
Rankin County, part of the Jackson metro-area, is a choice location for the automotive industry and is within 30-minutes of the newly constructed $1 billion Nissan manufacturing plant in Canton, Miss. and seven tier-one Nissan suppliers. Rankin County is located just 150 miles from the Mercedes plant in Alabama and 150 miles from the new Toyota plant in N. Mississippi. Numerous auxiliary suppliers have also located or are locating in the Jackson metro area.
The Mississippi Nissan plant, which is located on a 1,445-acre site, encompasses 2,000,000 square feet, and has the capacity to produce 250,000 vehicles a year, including a full-size pickup truck, a full-size sports utility vehicle, and the next generation Nissan minivan.
Rankin County is ideally suited to be the home to these tier suppliers due to the availability of industrial parks and industrial property with infrastructure in place, a large skilled labor pool that does not compete for labor with the Nissan plant and their immediate suppliers nearby, a great quality of life, and a pro-business attitude. In addition, Rankin County offers training programs and generous incentives to companies locating to the area.
The location in the heart of the I-20 – I-55 corridor makes Rankin County an ideal location to not only serve the Nissan manufacturing facility, but others as well. The region is less than a single day's drive to every major auto manufacturing facility in the Southeastern and Southwestern U.S. In fact, the very geography of Metro Jackson helps put businesses located in the area in an excellent logistical position. Metro Jackson is strategically located in the center of the southeast United States and within 500 miles of approximately 76 major metropolitan areas which comprise over one-third of the nation's population. By road, rail, air and water, the area offers quick and easy access to major cities throughout the world. The ability to access both foreign and domestic markets puts the world at the doorsteps of businesses located in Metro Jackson. |
