This issue is especially exciting as it is our 7th Annual CiCi Awards issue. As most of you know, CiCi stands for Corporate Investment and Community Impact and the Awards honor 30 site-selection projects announced during the year 2011 that stood out among more than 700 applicants either in terms of the extraordinary dollar amount of the investment or the impact the investment and corporate location has and will have on the community in which the project has or will be developed. The entire staff of Trade & Industry Development, as well as the entire professional site selection community, we’re sure, join together to extend hearty congratulations to all of the companies being honored with this Award.
In 1970 when Paul McCartney penned the lyrics for “The Long and Winding Road” for The Beatles hit album Let It Be, little did he know that it would become the quartet’s final number-one song. From late 2008 until recently, McCartney’s haunting ballad could just as accurately have been describing the difficult challenge of trying to access capital for business growth and expansion. more....