Texas wins 2012 national award for site selection

Published March 4, 2013 by Paula C. Squires

Texas is the winner of the 2012 Site Selection Governor’s Cup. The Atlanta-based magazine has given the award annually since 1978 to the U.S. state with the most new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.‘s New Plant Database.

Conway Data publishes Site Selection, a well-known magazine in the corporate real estate and economic development field.  Most of its subscribers are involved in corporate site selection decisions at the CEO/President/COO level.

The Lone Star State’s 761-project finish for 2012 is up substantially from its 464-project, second-place finish in 2011, when it was the runner-up to Ohio with 498 projects. The Buckeye State placed second this year, with 491 projects, followed by Pennsylvania (430), Michigan (337) and Illinois (322). 
The rest of the states in the top 10, including Virginia, were: Georgia at No. 6 with 296 projects, North Carolina, 280 projects, No. 7; Tennessee, 231 projects, No. 8; Virginia, 199 projects, No. 9;  and Kentucky, 196 projects, No. 10.

Texas, the top exporting state, is popular as a business destination because there is no corporate or state income tax.  It also passed tort reform in recent years. Gov. Rick Perry also credits the political climate in Austin, where it is understood that pro-business policies result in job creation.

Mark Arend, the magazine’s editor in chief, said in a press release that “Texas reclaimed the Governor’s Cup in a decisive fashion, with a 270-project margin over its nearest competitor. This is the first time the winning state has crossed the 700-project line since the 2005 Governor’s Cup ― which Texas also won ― with 842 projects.”

The magazine’s database focuses on new corporate facility projects with significant impact. It does not track retail and government projects, or schools and hospitals. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must meet at least one of three criteria: include a capital investment of at least $1 million, create at least 50 new jobs or add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.

The annual New Plant Scoreboard , published in conjunction with the Governor’s Cup rankings, features state rankings by region. For 2012, the regions were led by Pennsylvania (Northeast); Ohio (East North Central); Kansas (West North Central); Georgia (South Atlantic); Texas (South Central); Arizona (Mountain); and California (Pacific).

Winchester, Virginia, won a mention as one of the tier three Top 10 Metro Areas (metros with a population of less than 200,000)  with new and expanded facilities in 2012. Winchester, with nine projects,  was tied for seventh place with several other cities.