There are both similarities and differences between traditional and advanced manufacturing, as our feature, “Creating an Environment to Attract Advanced Manufacturing,” points out. Another feature in this issue helps to determine if a community is “utility-friendly” for business expansion. We also look at the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Program, which helps an ever-growing number of U.S.-based businesses maintain their international competitiveness. “Sites & Programs” focuses on workforce training and education, and we look at four key states for growth: Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio.
For the past 40 years, American communities and the local value-added businesses that have sustained them have faced the challenges of an increasingly global competitive environment. For some businesses, maintaining international competitiveness may lie in the use of a federal trade program that is 85 years old: the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones program. more....