GC states: Top 10 for incentives

Global Trade’s 2020 annual Governor’s Cup feature on state site-selection incentives hints strongly at a preponderance of states from the South that offer more attractive benefits than just about else in the U.S. Global Trade decided to focus on the country’s hottest region. There are 16 states in the South, and based on data and statistics from the government, and various business, industry and media entities. GT ranked the Top 10. The Gulf Coastal states among the 10, and their ranking, included Alabama (#5), Mississippi (#9) and Louisiana (#10). The top two states, which could have been a coin toss, are Tennessee and Georgia. The Volunteer State got the edge based on the quality of incentives. ALABAMA: Population: 4.87M; GDP: $211B. Targeted industries: Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing, Automotive Manufacturing, Chemical Manufacturing, Agricultural Products/Food Production Manufacturing, Steel/Metal Manufacturing, Distribution & Logistics, Information Technology. Site location success story: Airbus’ first single-aisle A220 passenger jet rolling out this year at its second Mobile campus, which opened last year. MISSISSIPPI: Population: 2.98M; GDP: $111.7B. Targeted industries: Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Shipbuilding, Agribusiness, Automotive, Forestry & Energy, Healthcare. Site location success story: Amazon leasing a 1M-square-foot facility in Olive Branch for a fulfillment center that brings 500 new full-time jobs. LOUISIANA: Population: 4.68M; GDP: $246.3B. Targeted industries: Software Development, Energy, Automotive, Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Process Industries, Agribusiness, Water Management, Entertainment. Site location success story: Testronic, a leading quality assurance firm in the digital gaming industry, launching a new 150-job testing facility in New Orleans that will result in another 169 new indirect jobs, for a total of 319 new jobs in New Orleans and the Southeast Region. (Sources: Global Trade magazine/website 01/10/20; Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, BusinessFacilities.com, Site Selection Group, Area Development. Global Trade is a logistics magazine and round-the-clock news website focused on domestic and global expansion solutions, education and tools for U.S. manufacturers that export, and big-box retailers that import. https://www.globaltrademag.com/our-annual-governers-cup-ranks-top-10-southern-states-for-site-selection-incentives/