When these so called ‘opportunities’ are communicated poorly to prospects that would otherwise been of interest – many early sites up for consideration never make it to the initial cut list. The ‘site selectors’ have already scanned your community – identifying that you have little ‘product to offer’ them resulting in a lack of desire to visit your community, your sites or area when considering new expansion locations. When you express your community’s ‘quality of life’ site selectors will want to know that your workforce and location can support their operational needs quickly and will not locate their facility where their employees would not be satisfied. Site selectors have a challenging contract to fulfill, site readiness and a skilled workforce are only two elements within a site selectors long list of criteria needing to be fulfilled for their client’s.
We have found that when areas have shell buildings and a robust incentive program well- fashioned and ready for structuring a deal, these same communities will hear from prospect candidates with a specific expansion need. Leading business executives and their respective growth operations often have little time on their hands, your site may be a great fit for their expansion plans by saving them months during the permitting, pre-development, design and construction process. By having a shell building you can position your community months or even years ahead of new greenfield or brownfield situations that they may be considering or exploring.
So then, what does the Sanford Holshouser’s economic development consulting team take into account when helping an economic development organization better entice qualified prospects with an EDO engaging in the site readiness of a shell building? Here are only a few – when speaking to sites and buildings:
For Sites:
What’s so special about ‘your special deal’ being offered when they have many others ‘just like yours’ and all of them in very similar areas and demographic regions and near a strong highway network?
Can you offer a one to three-year ‘enticement/bonus break’ at a low cost when structuring your deal offered to a prospect or do you ‘best-guess what other communities may be offering the same prospect?
Is there a respected lender ready and waiting to finance a new business moving into your area with leaseback, tenant improvement, bridge or mezzanine financing?
Does the equipment package you will offer be helping the client’s business or simply fulfilling a grant quota?
Are the incentives offered and available by the State, understood by the EDO team or even the local units of government – allowing these tools to be appropriately leveraged to everyone’s collective advantage - bettering the prospects bottom line?
Will the prospect clients see a collaborative group of players having a shared value or goal or will they see a singular ‘government owner’ wanting to ‘give away a building’ at the first prospect that comes along so they can say they are ‘doing’ economic development?
Will there be an immediate point of contact for the incoming company or operational entity through which incentives by the new taxes created be paid?
Has an economic impact analysis been completed for the project so the ‘local’ community knows how many jobs created or saved will add to their supply chain companies within the proximity of any proposed shell building? SHEDC offers cost effective approaches to help answer such questions before any shovel is in the ground.
Shell Buildings:
On land where prepared site contours encourage expansion well into the future.
Building’s clear height meets what could easily be expected or needed – based on the EDO’s community targeted recruitment sectors they desire to locate there.
Building meets conservation and energy savings utilizing or exceeding LEED and NetZero guidelines and criteria making ‘operational cost-savings’ for any new occupant less expensive – especially when in warmer and humid climates.
Maintenance considerations into design that mean a new business need not worry for the next five or ten years about their newly occupied building’s enclosure.
Ensuring floor design and readiness is thoroughly explored before any granular sub-base is prepared and any floor design agreed upon.
Climate change affects every site and in different ways and the guidelines are changing much more quickly than was earlier anticipated, so has your site and building design accommodated for such impacts?
Exposure to major highways – many communities need to remember that businesses may want signage and a special ‘corporate look’ that is in keeping with their global image .
Building’s readiness for adding mezzanines or even crane bays with little added costs to the new business as it grows into the new shell building.
Invest in a roof that will last and will allow roof top units to be added in a simple way.
Flexibility means speed to complete interior up-fit or add a production line and meet millwright completion dates and not simply pouring a concrete floor.
Verify claims touted to them with ‘unsubstantiated ideas’ from a local development group or regional representative and ensuring the paperwork gets completed on time.
Longer clear span bays between columns means a happy plant manager! Don’t skimp on creating large expandable bays in you new facility.
Working alongside a community while planning to prepare a building or site to be ready when that ‘best fitting’ prospect comes along. We see that time is key to winning and having an understood available site and building strategy is of utmost importance.
Each project has several elements that when properly addressed, avoid potentially throwing hard earned tax-payer’s money away in return for getting a few jobs. A well designed pre-certified site or a well thought out shell building can be what brings that stronger new industry or business to your area. Space is much more than low square foot lease costs or vacant and available sizes. If the new space and land offered adds value to the prospective company – it will check them out.
Having a ‘certified site’ or a ‘shell building’ can be the added ‘key element’ to bringing new investment to your area. SHEDC is made up of professionals well versed and experienced in the aforementioned areas dealing with projects at all levels of complexity and scale. Don’t let a local builder that is offering ‘free services’ to the EDO or a realtor that has some ‘bad lands’ guide you. Bring a ‘leading edge’ team to the table; one that knows shell buildings, special use structures and sites but especially knows how to work for EDO’s successfully.