Site Selector's Guild Conference 2024

Georgia Power Economic Development’s Daniel Buitrago and Taylor Kielty were joined by statewide partners at the Annual Site Selector’s Guild Meeting in early April.

Top Take-a-ways from the Annual Site Selector's Guild Conference, 2024

What is impacting business location and expansions decisions in 2024?

To succeed in economic development, states and communities need to understand the challenges that businesses are facing and solutions they are implementing. One of the best places to do this is the Annual Site Selector’s Guild Conference.

Over three days, Team Georgia discussed what priorities are impacting site selection decisions in the US and internationally. These were the top take-a-ways gleaned from our team.

Labor shortages are driving automation.

The national unemployment rate has remained under 4% for over two years, signaling ongoing labor constraints nationwide. Automation is being driven by labor shortages as companies start to lean on automated resources to make up for lack of available skilled- labor across various industries.

Power issues are more site dependent than region specific.

Power availability is top of mind for companies looking to invest capital across the US. Lead times from supply chain constraints and power readiness to meet project timelines are key issues being felt nationwide; project locations will skew increasingly towards sites and buildings that can meet electricity requirements the fastest. Timeline and costs will be key drives for site selection, which may inspire creative solutions.

The outlook for foreign direct investment in the US is favorable.

Geopolitical issues and energy crises being felt in large economies across the globe will continue to drive capital investment to North America and Asia. Majority of European companies, in countries like Germany and Netherlands, have announced plans to relocate at least part of their business abroad.

Discuss additional trends in site selection

Our team of business recruiters work with partners across the state to support business location in Georgia. Contact our statewide team to discuss trends, opportunities, and more economic development updates.