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Upstate SC Alliance Hosts Recession to Resurgence Panel Discussion Featuring Nation's Top Site Selectors

Submitted by: Richard Blackwell on Oct 21, 2009 at 3:50 pm Tagged with: Demographics, Distribution, Economic Development, Industrial Buildings, Industrial Parks, Industrial Sites, Information Resource, Logistics, Manufacturing, Marketing, Real Estate, Regionalism, Research, Site Selection, Upstate SC, Utilities Source: Upstate SC Alliance

Upstate SC Alliance hosted recently "Recession To Resurgence" - a panel discussion took place at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, S.C on October 15th. The discussion, sponsored by Nexsen Pruet and Carolina First, included top site selectors: Darin Buelow of Deloitte Consulting, Sherri Fetzner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jeanette Goldsmith of McCallum-Sweeney Consulting, W. Hartley Powell at KPMG LLP as well as Jack Rogers, Editor of Business Facilities magazine.

Moderated by Jim Thomas, regional director of AT&T South Carolina, the panel presented valuable insight into how site selectors choose a location and how to better position the Upstate region. “It’s not necessarily the quantity of jobs created, but the quality…we need to reconsider our definition of success,” noted Rogers.

Following the discussion, the site selection experts answered questions from the audience. Topics discussed were tax incentives offered to potential investors, the political and legal processes involved in, or slowing, the attraction of businesses and the training necessary to provide a skilled workforce, among others.

“We have incentives geared towards established companies, but those who are willing to adjust incentives for growing organizations will find success,” commented Deloitte’s Buelow.

“A vast majority of clients right now are serviced-based…finding a way to broaden incentives to include those kinds of businesses would be beneficial,” added Fetzner.

Agreeing, Goldsmith mentioned, “I think the days of simply saying ‘we’re open for business’ are gone.” Powell pointed out, “There are too many good sites and good communities trying to attract investors. We’ve got to think differently.”

The Upstate SC Alliance continues to work tirelessly to promote the opportunities our region provides by having a regional plan with measurable goals. With global economic conditions slowly
improving, the region has a strong foundation in place to offer potential investors opportunities to locate to an area with a diverse business climate and vibrant culture.

“The Alliance is working to position the ten county region to capitalize on a rebounding economy and having these site selection experts provide keen insight like they did today helps us understand what is occurring in the global market. Having these individuals here today is also a great tool for us to showcase this region to them and keep the Upstate SC Market in their minds,” commented Hal Johnson, President and CEO of Upstate SC Alliance wrapping up the morning’s event.