When the long-term highway bill was signed into law last December, it was a step in the right direction not only for our nation’s transportation sector, but for manufacturing as well. It’s common knowledge that the United States’ aging infrastructure makes it harder for manufacturers to deliver products to customers on time, which in turn creates a major ripple in our country’s overall competitiveness. This bill is one of the most important things that congress can act on for our country. Infrastructure’s critical role in our nation’s overall competitiveness cannot be ignored any longer. Read the whole story...
 

Innovation is still gold in the booming technology sector — but California’s Silicon Valley is no longer the only place to mine it. Many of today’s tech firms and startups need to expand outside primary tech hubs like Silicon Valley and San Francisco to find affordable labor and locations for operations that don’t necessarily require the high-cost locations at “ground zero.” The good news: today, they don’t have to. The tech industry is expanding outside its pricy hometown in the quest for lower costs, modern facilities, and access to talent.
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The playing field for economic development incentives has been muddied recently due to evolving philosophies on incentives and cash-strapped states not only modifying their approach toward incentives, but using the fine print to reconsider promises made to companies looking to move or grow.

As the U.S. economy has recovered, some politicians think incentives aren’t as necessary to attract business and grow jobs. And as state administrations change, new philosophies on how incentives should be used are inevitably adopted. Read the whole story...
 

Integrated project delivery (IPD) is a strategy for leveraging technology to optimize return on investment. IPD requires the close and continuous integration of the client/owner with designer and construction teams from the earliest phase of planning. Because of the attention to detail and sequencing in the planning phase, the risks of costly change orders and attendant schedule slippage are often completely eliminated. Here are insights to optimize IPD. Read the whole story...
 

With state governments trying to manage their budgets, there has been significant activity seen around the country dealing specifically with incentives and economic development policies. Many states are creating new programs, adjusting current programs, or removing certain programs that are deemed unprofitable. Several states such as Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Alabama, and others have cut their budgets tremendously and are suspending certain programs. Understanding the details of these changes will help businesses capture increased incentive values and avoid potential hurdles and challenges in the future. Let’s look at some of these changes.. Read the whole story...