Metro Atlanta Metro Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Houston Tampa Bay
We continue with our series, “The Best of Economic Development in the American South.” Since the spring 2015 issue, we have featured the best of economic development in all 15 Southern states, and now we move to mega-markets (populations over 2.5 million). We polled members of the Southern Economic Development Roundtable to come up with the best of 20 economic development categories in metro Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Tampa Bay. You can use the results as a unique aid in your search for a suitable site for your business in the American South.
FALL 2016 SB&D 53 SouthernSouthern Business Business & Development & Development | SPRING | FALL 2015 | 55
*SB&DFall2015_055-087_bestof.indd 55 12/19/15 12:16 PM Best of Economic Development in TLANTA
1. Metro Atlanta’s Most 2. Metro Atlanta’s Most • UPS Important Employers Important New Employers Also receiving votes: Cen- • Coca-Cola • Baxter International ters for Disease Control and • Delta Airlines • Mercedes-Benz Prevention; Delta Airlines; Emory University-Emory A• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta • NCR Healthcare; The Home International Airport • Porsche Depot. • UPS Also receiving votes: Cater- 4. Best Places to Live in Also receiving votes: AT&T; pillar; GE. Metro Atlanta Georgia Power; Georgia 3. Metro Atlanta’s Most Tech; Emory University-Em- Admired Companies • Alpharetta ory Healthcare; Home • Roswell Depot; Southern Company; • Coca-Cola • Sandy Springs SunTrust. • Southern Company • Smyrna Also receiving votes: De- Meriwether County was voted catur; Duluth; Dunwoody; one of the best places for Johns Creek; Mableton; manufacturing in South Metro Marietta; Midtown; North- Atlanta. Pictured at right is the east Cobb Township; Meriwether County Courthouse. Peachtree Corners; Su- wanee; Tucker; Tyrone; Vinings. Atlanta-based Delta Airlines 5. Best Public School and the Hartsfield-Jackson Systems in Metro Atlanta Atlanta International Airport • Buford City Schools were named as two of Metro • Decatur City Schools Atlanta’s most important • Fulton County Schools employers. • Gwinnett County Schools
54 SB&D FALL 2016 Also receiving votes: Bremen City Schools; Carrollton City Schools; Cherokee County Schools; For- syth County Schools. 6. Best Places for Headquarter Operations in Metro Atlanta • Alpharetta • Cobb County • Duluth the lakes at green valley • Midtown Atlanta industrial park Also receiving votes: Downtown; Dunwoody; Norcross; Peachtree Corners; Roswell; Sandy Springs. 7. Best Places for Innovation in Metro Atlanta Southern Business Development Magazine has named • Atlanta Tech Village Spalding County and The Lakes at Green Valley as one of the • Georgia Tech Advanced Technology Center • Georgia Tech Enterprise Best Places for Manufacturing Innovation Institute in South Metro Atlanta • Midtown Innovation District Also receiving votes: Centers for The Lakes at Green Valley Disease Control and Prevention; Emory University. Industrial Park as one of the 8. Best Places for Startups in Metro Atlanta Best Industrial Sites • Advanced Technology in Metro Atlanta Development Center • Atlanta Tech Village • Georgia Tech • Midtown Innovation District
A Also receiving votes: Hypepota- T mus; Strongbox West. M N E L A 9. Best Places for Distribution TRO AT Centers in Metro Atlanta • Clayton County • Coweta County • Gwinnett County • Henry County
Also receiving votes: DeKalb Spalding County and The Lakes at Green Valley Industrial Park are proud to be County; Jackson County; Rock- dale County. recognized by Southern Business and Development Magazine. The Lakes at Green Valley Industrial Park is the first Eco mixed-use park in Georgia. 10. Best Places for Call Centers in Metro Atlanta A combination of both an educated workforce and dedicated local leadership have • Cobb County made the difference in attracting new economic growth to Griffin-Spalding County. • Duluth The Griffin-Spalding County Development Authority works jointly with the City of • Fulton County Griffin and Spalding County to attract capital investment and jobs to the area. • Norcross Also receiving votes: Alpharetta; Roswell; Tucker. 109 East Solomon Street • P.O. Box 1009 • Griffin, GA www.gsda.net (770) 412-9200 • Fax: (770) 412-9222 CONTINUED BEST OF ATLANTA • Griffin-Spalding County was voted one of the best places for manufacturing in South Metro Atlanta. Shown at left is historic downtown Griffin. Mercedes-Benz is building its new North American headquarters in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs. Pictured is a rendering of the facility.
11. Best Places for the Life • Carroll County Sciences in Metro Atlanta • Meriwether County • Alpharetta Also receiving votes: • Covington-Newton Cherokee County; Coweta County County; Fayette County; • Fulton County Gwinnett County; Haralson • Marietta County. • Norcross 17. Best Locations in Metro Also receiving votes: Atlanta for the Aerospace Kennesaw; Lawrenceville; Sector Roswell; Smyrna. • Cobb County 12. Best Places for • Coweta County Manufacturing in North • Fayette County Metro Atlanta Also receiving votes: Bartow • Bartow County County; DeKalb County; • Cherokee County Fulton County. • Cobb County 18. Best Industrial Sites in 13. Best Places for Metro Atlanta Manufacturing in East Metro Atlanta • Highland 75-Bartow • DeKalb County County You can have it all. • Gwinnett County • Historic Heartland • Newton County Megasite-Newton County • Stanton Springs-Newton Also receiving votes: Rock- dale County County • The Lakes at Green Frustrated by not having the time to get 14. Best Places for Manufacturing in South Valley-Spalding County Metro Atlanta 19. Best Community started on your marketing website? Colleges in Metro Atlanta • Fayette County for Workforce Training • Henry County What’s stopping you from starting that much needed driven websites that lead to conversions, including • Meriwether County • Chattahoochee Technical website redesign? You’re probably concerned that it will custom interactive maps that illustrate your location and • Spalding County College-Marietta take too much time, be too expensive and frankly be a assets. Our economic development marketing experts Also receiving votes: Clay- • Georgia Perimeter ton County. College-Decatur huge pain. And for many it’s just not that big a priority only focus on one thing: successfully marketing your n Excellent training through 15. Best Places for • Gwinnett Technical because you don’t expect much from your website. region to targeted prospects and leading them to take West Ga. Technical College Manufacturing in West College-Lawrenceville n 35 miles from Atlanta airport Metro Atlanta Marketing Alliance can help. We build result- action. Let us help you succeed. n Immediate access to I-85 Also receiving votes: n Labor draw of over 200,000 • Carroll County Southern Crescent Technical n Prime industrial sites n Population 22,000 • Coweta County College-Griffin. n Charming lifestyle n Good schools • Haralson County 20. Fastest Growing Also receiving votes: Counties in Metro Atlanta Paulding. (2010-2014) 16. Best Locations in Metro • Forsyth County 16.4 percent www.marketingallianceinc.com Jane L. Fryer Atlanta for Automotive • Gwinnett County 9.0 percent 17234 Roosevelt Highway, Bldg. B / Greenville, Ga. 30222 Suppliers • Fulton County 8.2 percent [email protected] / 706/672-3467 • Bartow County • Cherokee County 7.8 percent
56 SB&D FALL 2016 Charlotte, North Carolina Jackson, Mississippi Punta Gorda, Florida Tulsa, Oklahoma 704.375.0709 601.713.0045 941.347.7412 918.574.8514
MA_WebsitesAd_fullPage_final.indd 1 9/2/16 1:47 PM Frustrated by not having the time to get started on your marketing website?
What’s stopping you from starting that much needed driven websites that lead to conversions, including website redesign? You’re probably concerned that it will custom interactive maps that illustrate your location and take too much time, be too expensive and frankly be a assets. Our economic development marketing experts huge pain. And for many it’s just not that big a priority only focus on one thing: successfully marketing your because you don’t expect much from your website. region to targeted prospects and leading them to take Marketing Alliance can help. We build result- action. Let us help you succeed.
www.marketingallianceinc.com
Charlotte, North Carolina Jackson, Mississippi Punta Gorda, Florida Tulsa, Oklahoma 704.375.0709 601.713.0045 941.347.7412 918.574.8514
MA_WebsitesAd_fullPage_final.indd 1 9/2/16 1:47 PM Best of Economic Development in ALLAS- DORT WORTH
1. Dallas-Fort Worth’s Most • Southlake • Arlington • Grand Prairie Important Employers Also receiving votes: Aledo; • Fort Worth Also receiving votes: • Irving • AmericanF Airlines Coppell; Flower Mound; Arlington; Euless; Grape- • AT&T Frisco; Highland Park; High- Also receiving votes: Dallas; vine; Irving. land Village; Irving; McKin- Farmers Branch; Frisco; 12. Best Places for • ExxonMobil ney; Parker; Prosper; Trophy Plano; McKinney. Manufacturing in North • Lockheed Martin Club; University Park. Aeronautics 8. Best Places for Metro Dallas-Fort Worth 5. Best School Districts in Distribution Centers in Also receiving votes: Bank of Metro Dallas-Fort Worth • Denton America; Baylor Health Care Metro Dallas-Fort Worth • Lewisville System; Dallas Cowboys; • Carroll Independent • Coppell • McKinney Fluor; NAS Fort Worth JRB; School District • Dallas • Plano Texas Health Resources; Tex- • Frisco Independent • Fort Worth • Richardson as Instruments; Toyota North School District Also receiving votes: Allen; America; UT-Southwestern • Highland Park Also receiving votes: Lewis- Medical Center. ville; Midlothian. Carrollton; Coppell; Flower Independent School Mound. 2. Dallas-Fort Worth’s Most District 9. Best Places for Call Important New Employers • Plano Independent School Centers in Metro Dallas-Fort 13. Best Places for Manufacturing in East Metro District Worth • Charles Schwab Dallas-Fort Worth • Liberty Mutual Also receiving votes: Aledo • Dallas • Raytheon SAS Independent School District; • Irving • Garland • Toyota North America Allen Independent School • Plano • Greenville District; Colleyville; Coppell • Richardson • Mesquite Also receiving votes: Core- Independent School District; • Terrell Logic; GKN Aerostructures; Prosper Independent School Also receiving votes: Arling- Also receiving votes: Rowl- HMS Holdings; State Farm; District. ton; Carrollton; Lewisville. Trend Micro. ett; Seagoville; Sunnyvale. 6. Best Places for 10. Best Places for the Life 14. Best Places for 3. Dallas-Fort Worth’s Most Headquarter Operations in Sciences in Metro Dallas- Manufacturing in South Admired Companies Metro Dallas-Fort Worth Fort Worth Metro Dallas-Fort Worth • American Airlines • Dallas • Frisco • Ennis • AT&T • Irving • Fort Worth • Texas Health Resources • Irving • Mansfield • Plano • Midlothian Also receiving votes: Baylor Also receiving votes: Allen; Also receiving votes: Arling- • Waxahachie Health Care System. Carrollton; Dallas; Farmers ton; Frisco; Lewisville; Plano. Also receiving votes: Cedar 4. Best Places to Live in Branch; Fort Worth; Grape- 11. Best Places for Hill; DeSoto; Duncanville; Metro Dallas-Fort Worth vine; McKinney; Richardson. Manufacturing in Central Hutchins; Johnson County; • Allen 7. Best Places for Startups in Metro Dallas-Fort Worth Lancaster. Metro Dallas-Fort Worth • Murphy • Dallas 15. Best Places for • Plano • Addison • Fort Worth Manufacturing in West
58 SB&D FALL 2016 Metro Dallas-Fort Worth Lockheed Martin was named one of metro Dallas-Fort • Parker County Worth’s most important • Weatherford employers. The company • Wise County assembles the F-35 in Fort 16. Best Location in Metro Worth, which was also named Dallas-Fort Worth for Automotive one of the best places for Suppliers distribution centers and • Arlington startups in metro Dallas-Fort • Ennis Worth. • Garland • Fort Worth Also receiving votes: Carrollton; ORT WORTH Lancaster; McKinney; Plano. 17. Best Location in Metro Dallas- AT&T has decided to renovate its downtown Dallas Fort Worth for the Aerospace headquarters (shown at right) into an “urban tech Sector center” at the cost of hundreds of millions of • Euless dollars. The company was named one of Metro F Dallas-Fort Worth’s most important companies. • Fort Worth • Grand Prairie Liberty Mutual is building a new campus in Plano, • Irving Texas that will house 5,000 employees (shown Also receiving votes: Addison; below). Plano was voted one of the best places Arlington; Coppell; Dallas; Flower to live and one of the best places for headquarter Mound; Grapevine; Greenville; operations in Metro Dallas-Fort Worth. Plano; Richardson. 18. Best Industrial Sites in Metro Dallas-Fort Worth • Alliance Texas-Fort Worth • Great Southwest Industrial Park-Grand Prairie-Arlington • Southport Logistics Park-Dallas County • Westpark Industrial Park- Denton The Texas Rangers recently introduced Texas Live!, a $1.25 billion Also receiving votes: CentrePort stadium and mixed-use district Business Park; Valwood Business Park. being built near the new Texas Rangers Ballpark and AT&T Stadium 19. Best Community Colleges in Arlington, Texas. Arlington was in Metro Dallas-Fort Worth for named one of the best places for Workforce Training startups in metro Dallas-Fort Worth. • El Centro College-Dallas • Richland College-Dallas • Tarrant County College-Fort Worth Also receiving votes: Brookhaven College. 20. Fastest Growing Counties in Metro Dallas-Fort Worth (2010- 2014) • Denton County 13.7 percent • Collin County 13.2 percent • Rockwall County 12.1 percent
FALL 2016 SB&D 59 Best of Economic Development in OUSTON 1. Houston’s Most Important • Schlumberger 5. Best Places in Houston for Employers • Sysco Creatives • Phillips 66 Also receiving votes: Kinder • East End • Port of Houston Morgan; Memorial Hermann • Heights Health System; Texas Medi- • Sysco • Midtown H cal Center. • The University of Texas • Montrose 4. Best Places to Live in MD Anderson Cancer Also receiving votes: Garden Metro Houston Center Oaks; Oak Forest; Pearland; Also receiving votes: Baker • Cinco Ranch-Fort Bend West University. Hughes; Conoco Phillips; County 6. Best Public School ExxonMobil; Halliburton. • Sugar Land-Fort Bend Systems in Metro Houston 2. Houston’s Most Important County • Friendswood Independent New Employers • The Woodlands- Montgomery County School District-Galveston/ • ExxonMobil Harris Counties Also receiving votes: El • Mitsubishi Heavy • Katy Independent School Lago; Friendswood; Ful- Industries shear; Katy; League City; District-Fort Bend • Occidental Petroleum Meadows Place; New Ter- County Also receiving votes: Direct ritory; Pearland; Richmond; • Pearland Independent The MD Anderson Cancer Energy; SABIC; Waste Con- Seabrook; Stafford; Taylor School District-Brazoria Center in Houston was nections. Lake Village. County CONTINUED named one of Metro 3. Houston’s Most Admired Houston’s most important Companies employers. • Phillips 66
60 SB&D FALL 2016
BEST OF HOUSTON
Sugar Land was named one of best places to live, best places for headquarter operations and best places for the life sciences in Metro Houston. Sugar Land was “the center of the sugar industry from Texas colonial days and the site of the first sugar refinery in Texas located by S.M. Williams on land granted to him by the Mexican government.” The Port of Houston (top right) was also named one of Metro Houston’s most important employers. The Woodlands (right) was named one of best places to live, best places for headquarter operations and best places for the life sciences in Metro Houston.
Also receiving votes: Clear • Stafford Northwest Houston 17. Best Places for Creek Independent School • Sugar Land 13. Best Small Town Manufacturing in the West District; Conroe Independent • Webster Manufacturing Workforces in Houston Region School District; Humble In- Also receiving votes: Deer Metro Houston dependent School District. • Katy Park; The Woodlands. 7. Best Places for • Baytown • Rosenberg Headquarter Operations in 10. Best Places for the Life • La Porte • Sealy Sciences in Metro Houston Metro Houston • Pasadena 18. Best Industrial/Flex Sites • Energy Corridor • Houston Also receiving votes: Free- in Metro Houston • Pearland port; Texas City. • Greenspoint • AmeriPort Industrial Park- • Sugar Land • Sugar Land 14. Best Places for Chambers County • The Woodlands Manufacturing in the North • The Woodlands • Generation Park-Harris Also receiving votes: Con- Houston Region Also receiving votes: Down- County roe; Friendswood; Stafford. town Houston; Northwest • Conroe • Cedar Port Industrial Park- Harris County; Westchase 11. Best Large Blocks of • The Woodlands Chambers County District. Class A Office Space in • Tomball Metro Houston 19. Best Community Colleges 8. Best Places for Startups in 15. Best Places for Metro Houston in Metro Houston for • Downtown Houston Manufacturing in the East Workforce Training • Houston Technology • Energy Corridor Houston Region • Houston Community Center • Greenspoint • Baytown College • Rice Alliance 12. Best Places for • La Porte • RED Labs Distribution Centers in • Pasadena • Lone Star College Metro Houston • San Jacinto College Also receiving votes: Surge 16. Best Places for Accelerator. • Baytown Manufacturing in the South 20. Fastest Growing Counties 9. Best Places to Start a • Cedar Port Industrial Park Houston Region in Metro Houston (2010- 2014) Business in Metro Houston’s • Cypress • Angleton Suburbs • Katy • Brazoria County • Fort Bend County 17 percent • Katy Also receiving votes: • Freeport • Harris County 11 percent • League City Conroe; Houston; Humble; • Pearland • Brazoria County 8.1 percent
62 SB&D FALL 2016 Where CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Thrive The Woodlands, Texas
www.EDPARTNERSHIP.net Best of Economic Development in AMPA BAY
1. Tampa Bay’s Most 2. Tampa Bay’s Most 3. Tampa Bay’s Most Important Employers Important New Employers Admired Companies • Jabil Circuit • Air Products and • Jabil Circuit TPublix Super Markets is one • MacDill Air Force Base Chemicals • Publix Super Markets of the largest food retailers • Publix Super Markets • Amazon • Sykes Enterprises in the South. Pictured • Raymond James Financial • Citigroup 4. Best Places to Live in • North American Roofing below is the company’s Also receiving votes: Health- Tampa headquarters in Lakeland, Plan Holdings; Humana; JP Also receiving votes: Bristol • Davis Island Fla. Publix was named one Myers Squibb; Covidien; Morgan & Chase; Raytheon; • Hyde Park of metro Tampa Bay’s most Feld Entertainment; GE; Sykes Enterprises; Tech • New Tampa important and admired Data; University of South Lockheed Martin. • WestChase companies. Florida; Verizon; USAA. Also receiving votes: Bayshore Beautiful; Fish Hawk; Parkland Estates; Pebble Creek; SoHo. 5. Best Places to Live in St. Pete-Clearwater • Downtown St. Pete • Palm Harbor • Seminole Also receiving votes: Dune- din; Gulfport; Old North- east; Safety Harbor. 6. Best Places for Headquarter Operations in Tampa Bay • Downtown Tampa • Gateway-St. Pete • I-75 Corridor-Manatee and Sarasota Counties With over 15,000 • Westshore-Tampa employees, Also receiving votes: Down- MacDill Air Force town St. Pete. Base was named 7. Best Places for Financial one of metro Services Companies in Tampa Bay’s Tampa Bay most important • Downtown Tampa employers. • New Tampa • St. Pete • Westshore-Tampa Also receiving votes: Sarasota. CONTINUED 64 SB&D FALL 2016 ACHIEVE ANYTHING
“A great bene t of being in North Port is our ability to recruit talent to an area where they would want to live. With the quality of life being so important to people these days, it helps when your facility is in a great location such as North Port.”
Je rey King, President King Plastic Corporation
Best Place for Manufacturing in Tampa Bay
CityofNorthPort.com BEST OF TAMPA BAY
Downtown Tampa as voted one of the best places in metro Tampa Bay for headquarters and the financial services sector.
North Port, in Sarasota County, Fla., was named one of the best places for manufacturing in South Tampa Bay. Pictured is King Plastic, one of the largest manufacturers in North Port.
8. Best Places for Startups in Bradenton; Largo; Pasco • Lakeland 18. Best Industrial Sites in Tampa Bay County. • Winter Haven Tampa Bay • St. Pete Innovation 11. Best Places for the Life Also receiving votes: • Interstate Commerce District Sciences in Tampa Bay Auburndale. Park-Lakeland • Tampa Bay WaVE – • Bradenton 15. Best Small Towns in • Lakeland Industrial Tampa • Sarasota County Tampa Bay Center • The Hub – Sarasota • Lakeside Station-Plant • St. Pete-Pinellas County • Bradenton • USF Tampa Bay City • Tampa-Hillsborough • Brooksville Technology Incubator – County • South Shore Corporate Tampa • Dunedin Park-Ruskin Also receiving votes: Pasco • Safety Harbor Also receiving votes: Health- County. Also receiving votes: Cross- box; Spark Growth; Tampa Also receiving votes: Dade roads Commerce Park; Four Bay Innovation Center – 12. Best Places for City; Gulfport; Lutz; New Corners Business Park; St. Pete. Manufacturing in North Port Richey; Oldsmar; Palm Tampa East Industrial Park. Tampa Bay Harbor; Plant City; Tarpon 19. Best Community 9. Best Places for Springs; Zephyrhills. Distribution Centers in • Citrus County Colleges in Tampa Bay for Tampa Bay • Hernando County 16. Best Locations in Tampa Workforce Training • Pasco County Bay for Aerospace • I-75 Corridor-Manatee • Hillsborough Community and Sarasota Counties Also receiving votes: • Hernando County College-Tampa • Plant City Brooksville. • Hillsborough County • Pasco-Hernando • Polk County 13. Best Places for • Pinellas County Community College-New • Tampa Eastside Manufacturing in South • Sarasota County Port Richey Tampa Bay • Polk State College-Winter Also receiving votes: Pasco Also receiving votes: Pasco Haven County. • Manatee County County. • State College of Florida- • North Port 10. Best Places for Call 17. Best Locations for Office Bradenton Centers in Tampa Bay • Sarasota County Campuses in Tampa Bay 20. Fastest Growing • Clearwater Also receiving votes: Ruskin. • Sabal Park Counties in Tampa Bay • Lakeland 14. Best Places for • Sarasota County (2010-2014) • St. Petersburg Manufacturing in East • Wesley Chapel • Manatee County 9.0 percent Tampa Bay • Tampa Also receiving votes: Bran- • Hillsborough Co. 7.1 percent Also receiving votes: • Haines City don; Manatee County. • Polk County 5.4 percent J
66 SB&D FALL 2016