Trade & Industry Development Magazine

Going forward, supply chain risk management will be increasingly studied and variables will be more carefully weighted in risk/reward equations. As Rich Thompson of Jones Lang LaSalle notes in his excellent article upon the subject, multinational companies will reduce risk by setting up operations and supply chains regionally, while still serving global markets. This will be as much for business continuity as it will be for maximizing profit. Larry Gigerich of Ginovus discusses what plastics manufacturers should seek in a location to maximize efficiency. And Dennis Donovan of WDG Consulting provides in-depth knowledge about what companies in the fabricated metals industry should seek when siting new facilities. We also have industry outlooks from the International Warehouse Logistics Association and the American Association of Port Authorities, and Jennifer Alten follows up with a detailed look at how ports are affecting local economies across the country. Linda Dobel explores strategic logistical locations across North America, and Fred Burkhardt of Geneva Analytics examines the impacts from the Panama Canal expansion in his excellent Insights article.

In this issue, we examine manufacturing from several different angles, and offer advice to executives looking to expand their facilities. Paul Hampton, of Newmark Knight Frank, offers pragmatic solutions to companies that need to add facilities but are also focused on environmental initiatives. In his article on working with utilities, Larry Gigerich, of Ginovus, provides significant insight into what indications to look for in choosing a worthy utility partner. And Harry Moser, founder of the Reshoring Initiative, provides bottom-line value in his examination of the total cost of ownership, and how it relates to sourcing components and siting facilities. Also, Jennifer Alten examines the benefits offered by Foreign Trade Zones, and Linda Dobel takes a look at some of the designated sites in North America. Douglas K. Woods, president of the Association for Manufacturing Technology, provides a clear snapshot of manufacturing in America and the developing trends. And Dennis Donovan, of WDG Consulting, charts the outlook for facility expansions throughout the rest of the year and into 2012.

In this issue, we will focus intently on the renewable energy sector. Up front, we have industry outlooks from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). And Ed McCallum, of McCallum Sweeney Consulting, provides an in-depth look at the potential for the renewable energy industry across the country. Andy Shapiro, of BLS Strategies, offers excellent insight into the criteria for properly siting data centers. And Fred Burkhardt, of Geneva Analytics, sheds light upon the retail sector and the outlook going forward. Also, don’t miss Jennifer Alten’s examination of green technology developments taking place across the country, or Linda Dobel’s article highlighting areas that offer a significant boost to quality of life. And Leslie Rubin, in her Insights piece, makes a strong case for envisioning a brighter future.

One of the chief problems that has plagued the business world since the beginning of the Great Recession is the ability to finance new projects and expansions. While the credit market isn't frozen, it's been moving at a pace much closer to glacial speed than the speed of light. This inability to access capital has frustrated many companies that need to grow, and has hampered the economic recovery - because before there can be a significant acceleration in job creation, facilities need to be built and equipment needs to be purchased. And before any of that can occur, more often than not capital needs to be raised. This is especially true for small business, which, as is widely known, creates two thirds of all new jobs. Therefore, in this issue we have put together a "dream team" of experts from diverse backgrounds to offer sound advice and solutions for overcoming the financial roadblock. They have the knowledge and experience to help you "work the problem" and get your projects moving forward.

Welcome to our Sixth Annual Corporate Investment/Community Impact (CiCi) Awards! This is the issue of Trade & Industry Development that focuses on the projects and expansions across North America that made a difference. Projects that create jobs help support families, strengthen communities, shore up the real estate market and generate tax revenues in cities and counties all across the country.

In this edition of Trade & Industry Development we take a look at those industries related to the biosciences. From agriculture and food processing to pharmaceuticals and life sciences, we examine the lay of the land, the latest developments and the trends going forward. Speaking of recent developments in this arena, two stand out that occurred this year, just months apart. On May 20th, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) announced that they had created the first self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell. Just over six months later, in early December, a NASA astrobiologist announced that a microbe had been discovered at Mono Lake in California that can live and grow utilizing a toxic chemical - arsenic (although this discovery is still the topic of some scientific debate). Our very definitions of life have just shifted, and opened doors to possibility that imagination has yet to fully step through. And it is worth noting that both of these discoveries took place in the United States. JCVI is a private research organization headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and NASA, our excellent space program, has produced many breakthroughs for the world.

In this issue, we examine Manufacturing in the U.S. In our feature on Advanced Manufacturing, Ed McCallum provides excellent insight and advice into what manufacturing executives should seek in siting their facilities. John Rhodes offers a clear-eyed look at the Utilities sector and provides a pragmatic perspective on the issues ahead. And Harry Moser delivers eye-opening, mission-critical information for all those concerned with the bottom line, and illuminates the hidden financial benefits of Re-Shoring facilities back to the United States. Also, Jennifer Alten explores several Foreign Trade Zones, and Linda Dobel examines some of the Designated Sites, existing across the country. The Association for Manufacturing Technology provides a snapshot of where manufacturing is now and a roadmap for going forward, and Greg Jones of FTZ Corp. explains some of the significant advantages found in operating within FTZs.

Welcome to our Supply Chain issue! In the high-speed, globalized business world of the 21st century, supply chain management is a critical make-or-break factor. The Romans knew well how important the supply chain was, which is why they became the masters of building roads to secure their empire. The British Empire, upon which the sun never set, likewise ensured its security by having mastery of the sea. In business, supply chain management evolved to feed the assembly line, and today wrestles with complex webs of global inputs and outputs which are imperative to business survival, let alone growth. In this issue, we will examine some of the latest developments and core considerations to keep your company's supply chain clicking along at the speed of light.

So much has been written about alternative energy and the "green economy" that it becomes easy to get lost in a sea of information under clouds of catchphrases. It's equally easy to get carried away by possibilities and grand visions of the future (especially if one was raised on silicon wafers). But our mission at Trade & Industry Development is not simply to cheer on these growing industries, nor to rehash what is already well-known. Our focus remains on how these things impact industry from an expansion and site location point of view, and how decisions in this arena can help companies maximize profit and minimize risk going forward.

Winston Churchill once said: "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." These are definitely interesting times for the aerospace and defense industries. The U.S. defense industry is evolving to meet the needs of a military force faced with the 21st century challenge of asymmetric warfare, while simultaneously maintaining the leading-edge in conventional weaponry to best equip our soldiers for combat in two ongoing wars and hopefully discourage any others from breaking out. And the aerospace industry, in its critical role as a cornerstone of national security, is facing those same issues while also witnessing the retirement of the space shuttle program and facing economic headwinds in general aviation.

This issue of Trade & Industry Development presents 30 different success stories via our Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Awards article. We are excited about these awards as they recognize those economic development agencies that "did what it took to get the job done." Seldom an easy task!

Well, the H1N1 Virus seems to continue to wreck havoc with some people. At the time of this writing, the vaccine is still hard to come by. When I called my pharmacy the other day to refill a prescription, there was a recorded message explaining they were still out of the vaccine. And while shopping in a department store, I heard a message over the public address system explaining how to avoid coming in contact with, or spreading, the germs. Thinking about all of this hit home with me as I was contemplating this issue of Trade & Industry Development. This issue has a heavy concentration on health-related topics. And why not? The subject of health absolutely affects each and every one of us.

As I was contemplating this issue's 'Letter,' I was thinking about our Feature articles and how those industries being covered (metals and plastics) have actually become a part of my life without me realizing it.

While having a relaxed dinner the other night, my husband and I had another one of our little "dream sessions" - we chatted about some of the things we're looking forward to doing when we retire. One of the things at the top of my (long) list is travel...but with a twist! I would love to make a trip that centers around visiting different manufacturing facilities. To be honest, I really don't care what they're manufacturing; I just find it fascinating to watch all of those machines turning raw materials into finished products.

I have always been concerned about the future of our children, but have become even more so since I, myself, became a grandmother a year ago. I have a precious grandson, Connor, who is a healthy and energetic "little man" - my dream is for him to remain healthy and energetic. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who feels this way. I'm excited about the direction in which this great Nation is headed; we're headed for a much cleaner nation. Wouldn't our forefathers be proud? I am. And I'm excited about this particular issue - we consider it our "Clean Industries" issue.

At Trade & Industry Development, we have decided to take the positive approach to these challenges and we encourage everyone else to do the same. Sometimes we just need to step back for a moment and re-evaluate the situation. That's exactly what we strive to do with our editorials and we hope you'll look to us as your 'solutions provider.'

Another year has come and gone and we are both proud and excited to present our 4th anniversary edition of the Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Awards....and from a personal standpoint, not a moment too soon. I'm exhausted - what a grueling task! After receiving over 1,000 submissions from across the country, we had the difficult mission of narrowing the list down to only 30 winners - 15 for Corporate Investment and 15 for Community Impact.

Well I never thought I'd see the day that the price of gas would drop so much...and so quickly. It wasn't long ago I paid $4.09 for a gallon of gas; last night I filled my tank for $1.59 per gallon. Amazing! Looks like the New Year is going to be great - I just hope we don't become complacent when it comes to finding alternative fuel sources.

In our Feature article on metals, William Hearn discusses how the metals industry is a broad manufacturing industry; he also cites other niche metals opportunity markets. If you're in the plastics industry, you'll definitely want to read our Feature article written by Michael P. Hickey. In his article, Mike discusses key drivers and factors for success in location strategies for the plastics industry. Then Kevin Mayer's Special Report, "The Vital Many," explains the basic structure of the polymer industry - one sector produces resins or raw plastics, the other sector processes raw plastics into finished products. If you're more into logistics, our Feature article by Leslie Rubin and Sarah Rubin is a must read. These two ladies teamed up to explain how you can impact your bottom line with economic incentives. This issue also boasts three Industry Outlooks: the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), and the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA).

Welcome to our Manufacturing issue, where we dispel the myth about manufacturing in the U.S. – its heyday is not in the past! In fact, U.S. manufacturing is the eighth largest economy in the world. And yes, while the manufacturing industry has many strengths, it, too, has challenges. As with any challenge, the first step in handling the challenge is to identify it. Once identified, a solution can then be determined and acted upon. You’ll find these ideas, and more, in the pages that follow.