  One of the most important and fundamental aspects of any economic development program is the identification, evaluation, and marketing of real estate. In more than 30 years of site selection and economic development consulting, GLS has consistently encountered communities that were a good fit for a client, only to find that there were no appropriate sites to meet a client’s needs. Often a community suffers considerable time and expense while trying to locate a company, only to lose out at the end because of site surprises and fatal flaws. Other times, a site is eliminated or never considered due to the difficulty and time required obtaining proper permitting and zoning. For those communities, investment dollars and good jobs seemingly vanish before their eyes. The best way to combat this pressing issue is through proactive planning, and economic development organizations are taking up the challenge. GLS can assist an organization in this endeavor through its Certified Site Program. The Certified Site Program is designed to train economic developers to properly identify and mitigate site problems before it’s too late. The results of the program can also be used as a powerful marketing tool to target and solicit potential industries and companies. Our program transforms a standard property database into a dynamic, powerful economic development asset. |
