O’Neal named Top 500 Design Firm in the U.S.

O’Neal, an engineering and construction firm based in Greenville, SC is #365 in the Top 500 Design Firms in the U.S. this year, per ENR magazine.  This is a jump from #418 last year.  MSC introduced O’Neal to Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. (MEPPI) a few years ago.    MSC did the site selection and incentive negotiations while O’Neal did the design, engineering, and construction of the $200 million manufacturing project in Memphis, TN.

ENR magazine

O’Neal

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products (MEPPI)

SGL Group Invests in Ozark, AR Facility

On April 17, 2013,  SGL Group – The Carbon Company – recognized a significant investment in its Ozark, Arkansas facility for the construction of new state-of-the-art graphitization for the manufacture of graphite electrodes, which are used for the production of steel in electric arc furnaces. The investment volume is approximately $26 million.

This investment will yield cleaner technology, reduce energy consumption by approximately 20% and have a considerable impact on the competitive position of SGL Group. This capex will also ensure that the Ozark facility continues to be an exceptional corporate citizen in the region while offering the best, most secure jobs in the area. As last year’s winner of Arkansas Environmental Federation Diamond Award, the Ozark facility has proven that it exhibits action and resourceful management in environmental affairs. In 2012, the facility also celebrated a milestone in safe production – achieving 10 years without a Lost Time Accident (LTA).

SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials.  It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.

Press Release

Hertz Announces New HQ

 

 

Hertz announced on May 7, 2013 it will relocate its headquarters from Park Ridge, NJ to Estero, FL – a community near Ft. Myers, in Lee County, FL. The company announced it will employ 700 people in the headquarters in its new headquarters facility, estimated to be a $60 million investment. The company expects to begin moving employees to the Ft. Myers area beginning this summer.

The Hertz Corporation, a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ), is the world’s largest airport general use car rental brand. Combined with the Dollar and Thrifty brands, the company operates from approximately 10,400 locations in approximately 150 countries worldwide. Hertz also operates Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation and owns Donlen Corporation, a leader in providing fleet leasing and management services.

McCallum Sweeney Consulting provided site selection and incentive negotiation services to Hertz for this effort. The State of Florida and Lee County, FL provided high impact grants, tax incentives, and training assistance to Hertz in support of the company’s location decision.

Press Release

Coeur d’Alene Mines Announces New HQ

McCallum Sweeney Consulting’s client Coeur d’Alene Mines announced it will relocate its headquarters from Coeur d’Alene, ID to Chicago, IL.  The company announced it will employ 60 people in the headquarters, with growth expected to reach 100 employees in the next several years.  The company expects to move into its new space on Michigan Avenue in Chicago beginning this summer.

Coeur d’Alene Mines Corporation is the largest U.S.-based primary silver producer and a growing gold producer. Coeur was incorporated in 1928 and employs over 1,900 people at its operations across the world.

Press Release

2013 Spring Conferences

Site Selectors Guild – New Orleans, LA
February 25-27, 2013
MSC Attendee: Mark Sweeney
*Event is at capacity and is no longer accepting registrations.

IAMC Spring Forum – Charleston, SC
March 16-20, 2013
MSC Attendees: Ed McCallum, Mark Sweeney, or Jeff Forsythe (2 of the 3)

Industry Week’s Best Plants Conference – Greenville, SC
April 22-24, 2013
MSC will be exhibiting and attending.

SCEDA Annual Conference – Hilton Head Island, SC
May 1-3, 2013
MSC Attendee: Sarah White

Fall 2012 Conferences

IEDC Annual Conference – Houston, TX
September 30 – October 3, 2012
MSC Attendee: Mark Sweeney

SCEDA Midyear Meeting – Greenville, SC
October 11-12, 2012
MSC Attendee: Sarah White

IAMC Professional Forum – Omaha, NE
October 13-17, 2012
MSC Attendee: Ed McCallum

Upcoming Speaking Engagements – September 2012

September 25, 2012 – Gulf Power Economic Symposium – Destin, FL
Mark Sweeney – “The Site Location Process”

Stay tuned for a post later this week on all the conferences we will be attending this fall!

Upcoming Speaking Engagements – August 2012

August 7, 2012 – SEDC Annual Conference – Myrtle Beach, SC
Ed McCallum – “Site Location – The Good, The Bad, and The Downright Ugly”

August 9, 2012 – SC Economic Development Institute – Hartsville, SC
Mark Sweeney – “Business and Industrial Development”

September 25, 2012 – Gulf Power Economic Symposium – Destin, FL
Mark Sweeney – “The Site Location Process”

Another MSC Certified Site

Cleco announced their third SmartSite at the Bunkie Industrial Park in Bunkie, LA.  The 148 acre site has met all the stringent criteria necessary to make the site attractive and ready for industrial development.

“Through our SmartSites program, we are identifying properties that are highly marketable and running them through one of the strictest property evaluations conducted by one of the leading site selection companies in America,” said Keith Crump, senior vice president of commercial operation. “Once a property is certified as a SmartSite, it moves up on the list of prospects because business and industry recognize the value of having a thorough assessment of a property’s strengths and risks.  We couldn’t be happier to add this site in Bunkie as our third SmartSite location.”

The Bunkie site is located near I-49 and close to Acadiana Rail.  Cleco’s first SmartSites is a 350-acre site located at the Natchitoches Port.  Evangeline Parish Industrial Park in Ville Platte houses Cleco’s second SmartSite location.

Cleco started the SmartSites program in 2010 with a list of sites for McCallum Sweeney to assess.  The properties at the Bunkie Industrial Park, the Evangeline Parish Industrial Park, and the Natchitoches Port have completed the evaluation process, which includes a thorough appraisal of the site’s strengths and challenges, helping to speed the business development process.

“As businesses look to grow, they want to locate properties that are easily permitted, contain no surprises and have available or accessible infrastructure,” said Mark Sweeney, senior principal with McCallum Sweeney.  ”We essentially identify all of the things that are important to business and industry so that they know up front what a piece of property offers.”

“There is a pressing need to identify and cultivate more available industrial sites in Louisiana. We are delighted by Cleco’s efforts to aggressively build site inventory with their new SmartSites program, as this program will closely align with our own efforts to expand the number of quality sites available in Louisiana,” said Stephen Moret, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development. “As we work together and add more SmartSites to the Louisiana inventory, I am confident that we’ll see more projects and more announcements in Cleco’s service territory.”

Cleco Corporation is a regional energy company headquartered in Pineville, LA. Cleco owns a regulated electric utility company, Cleco Power LLC, which owns nine generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 2,524 megawatts and serves approximately 281,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and 10 communities across Louisiana and Mississippi through wholesale power contracts. Cleco also owns a wholesale energy business, Cleco Midstream Resources LLC, which owns two natural gas-fired generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 775 megawatts. For more information about Cleco, visit http://www.cleco.com/

Dollar General Announces 12th Distribution Facility

Yesterday Dollar General announced it will open its 12th distribution center in Bethel Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  The company plans to build a 900,000+ square foot facility at a total cost of approximately $100 million. At full capacity, the Dollar General facility will likely employ more than 500 people to serve more than 1,000 stores in the northeast.  Dollar General plans to start construction this fall, and begin hiring in the fall of 2013.  For more information on the project, click here.

McCallum Sweeney Consulting (MSC) provided site selection and incentive negotiation services to Dollar General for this effort.  MSC evaluated several locations in New York and Pennsylvania before selecting Bethel Township PA.