Economic Development Consulting

For economic development organizations, GLS customizes services to be practical and to return immediate value -- helping to maximize the community’s competitive advantage, while focusing on results that can be implemented.

Leveraging knowledge from working with global corporations on location decisions helps GLS to assist communities in being more competitive -- through custom consulting, certified site programs, competitive readiness assessment, analysis of strengths and weaknesses by industry and more.

One of the most important and fundamental aspects of economic development is the identification, evaluation, and marketing of real estate. Over 30 years of site selection and economic development consulting, GLS consistently encounters communities that were a good fit for a client, but lack appropriate sites to meet a client's needs – often wasting time and precious resources because of site surprises, lack proper permitting or zoning issues. We can help you understand your strengths, weaknesses, competitive position and opportunities in this regard.

Certified Sites

With experience from New York to the Carolinas, Oregon to Oklahoma, the GLS Certified Site Program trains economic developers to properly identify and mitigate site problems before it’s too late, and to turn sites into powerful marketing tools that help target and solicit potential industries and companies. Our program transforms a standard property database into a dynamic, powerful economic development asset.

State or Regional Incentives & Cost Analysis

Global Location Strategies provides detailed analysis of a state’s or region’s taxes and incentives in comparison to competing jurisdictions. The study models initial investment and recurring costs for a sample project, profiles which may include research and development, general manufacturing, Mega Projects, and others. This study provides not only an understanding of your location’s cost advantages and disadvantages, but also an analysis of the effectiveness of any incentives that may be applicable. This can be a powerful tool with legislators and local government to tailor legislation and financial and other incentives to the needs of companies that will bring investment and jobs to your jurisdiction.