Episode 090: What Is the Impact of Politics and Media on Business Attraction?

• January 19, 2021

What is the role that politics and media play in business attraction and how can these impact a community’s chances to land new projects? It’s a question we’ve been hearing increasingly more often in our industry. Last week, we talked with Kenny McDonald and dove into that conversation from an economic developer’s point of view.

This week, we will hear the site consultant’s side of the story. During ECONOMIX, our annual conference, we hosted a panel to talk about these impacts. Welcome to episode 090, we’re thrilled you’re listening in today!

Chris Schastok (CBRE) and Scott Kupperman (Kupperman Location Solutions) join Ron Kitchens to talk about the increased scrutiny and the amount of atypical things being taken into consideration in site selection over the past year. In their discussion, Scott and Chris dive into how an increase in anxiety about alignment between corporate values and community values, especially with the divisiveness in politics and renewed drive for social justice, is affecting the community selection process. They talk about the importance of being aware of anti-business legislation and making sure local elected officials know why economic development is crucial to a thriving community.

So, what can communities do to make sure their community is as attractive as possible to prospective businesses? What is the importance of educating elected officials? How can economic developers make sure that they aren’t hampered by anti-business legislation and toxic politics in their community? Tune in now to hear from Chris and Scott!

Chris is one of the national leaders of CBRE’s Location Strategy & Incentives practice. This advisory group assists clients globally with site selection and economic incentive negotiations, in conjunction with the overall strategy and execution of corporate real estate initiatives. With 15 years of aligning location decisions with business strategy, he has negotiated more than $1.5B in incentives and has vast experience representing clients on corporate headquarters, back-office strategy, food production/processing, manufacturing and distribution center projects.

Scott Kupperman formed Kupperman Location Services “KLS”, a corporate consulting entity providing site-selection and associated facility-acquisition services across the U.S, in 2011. KLS focuses on providing site consulting services designed to maximize the long-term value of a well-informed facility location decision. This initiative was driven by the desire to independently utilize 12 years of site- selection experience, client relationships and nationwide contacts and resources. Scott’s capabilities make him particularly well-suited to provide a strong value proposition for clients in need of warehouse, distribution and light manufacturing facility solutions. Scott has a history of serving clients with a variety of product types with specific manufacturing and distribution needs, including many in the food industry.

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai

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