Location Decision @LocDecision

In April, John Uriegas-Montez arrived at a San Antonio reentry center, earned a logistics credential and sent up to 30 applications a day. By June: a full-time lift truck job. Next: welding. locationdecision.com/p/second-shift… More stories like this, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Project Taurus opponents vs. developer Raeden in Colorado Springs: The Gazette reported four arrests at a contentious hearing, one person tased. Council voted 7-2 to delay its decision to April 2027. locationdecision.com/p/project-taur… Every case, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Greg Alexander hires people experiencing homelessness to fix up rental homes in Wichita. At least 26 repaired so far, and some workers have moved on to full-time jobs and stable housing. locationdecision.com/p/second-shift… More stories like this, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Marshall, Mich., police investigated threats against council members’ lives during a data center fight. A day later, police said they lacked enough evidence to file charges. The moratorium stands. locationdecision.com/p/marshall-mi-… Every case, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Seth Callagy, 24, went to a plasma center for years to make ends meet. On Sept. 24 he parked his own hot dog cart in that same lot. His SCORE mentor said he brought a 75-page business plan. locationdecision.com/p/second-shift… More stories like this, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Emporia, Kan., moved commission meetings online and cancelled in-person comment amid a data center fight after the police chief cited “credible threats” against commissioners and city staff. locationdecision.com/p/emporia-data… Every case, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

In 2017, Scott Maxey was deep in a gambling addiction. A friend spotted a TV ad for Nehemiah Manufacturing in Cincinnati. Nearly a decade into recovery, he runs its warehouse team of about 40. locationdecision.com/p/second-shift… More stories like this, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Protesters vs. commissioners over Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, N.M.: three arrested. The sheriff said she was referring a security guard to the DA for possible felony assault. locationdecision.com/p/project-jupi… Every case, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Rebeca Reyes left high school at 19 with a baby. After a 2023 bank layoff, she earned her diploma and became a hospital medical assistant. Now she’s applying to nursing school. locationdecision.com/p/second-shift… More stories like this, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Supervisor vs. critic in Warren County, Va.: Hugh Henry was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery after a data center meeting. A resident alleges Henry shoved him to the ground. locationdecision.com/p/warren-count… Every case, free each week: locationdecision.com/subscribe?utm_…

Nearly 24 years at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the last six as deputy commissioner. Now he advises the companies. Tom Croteau of Maxis Advisors on what wins a project: “Don’t tell me nothing can go wrong. Tell me what can go wrong.” locationdecision.com/p/across-the-t…

About $2.71 million an acre. That’s what GI Partners paid for a 5.43-acre data-center site south of downtown Phoenix, per Colliers, roughly 4.7 times the 2012 price. Acreage alone no longer sets a site’s value. This week’s Research Round-Up: locationdecision.com/p/research-rou…

At @Ford, we care a lot about the Essential Economy, which is the workers who build, fix, and maintain the physical world around us. These skilled trades are the backbone of American manufacturing and we need solutions for closing the skills gap, and providing the education and resources that will power the productivity and growth of the #EssentialEconomy. Across industries and public and private sectors, we all need to work together. That's why this summer, Larry Fink from @BlackRock, Ruth Porat from Alphabet Inc. & @Google, Linda Hubbard from @Carhartt, and I launched the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades. Among other goals, we wanted to build a shared, trusted foundation of data on the state of skilled trades across America. So today, in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and The Burning Glass Institute, we’re officially publishing — The State of America's Skilled Trades: A National Report. Take a look: skilledtradesreport.com The report examines the forces shaping supply and demand across occupations and regions, to show where workforce systems are working well, where they're under strain, and where focused action can make the biggest difference. Alongside the report, we're launching America's Skilled Trades Dashboard — a first-of-its-kind interactive tool that makes the data accessible in one place. It breaks down the data by occupation and state, making it easy to explore local labor market conditions, identify where the need is greatest, and compare progress across regions. The dashboard is available at skilledtradesreport.com We also set out to grow this movement. Today, we're welcoming 14 new partners - @ATT, Barton Malow, @blackstone, @CintasCorp, @DEWALTtough, Dycom, @Hersheys, @ManpowerGroup, @Meta, @Microsoft, @MilwaukeeTool, @nvidia, @Verizon and @Waymo. Each has already stepped up individually. Now we're stepping up together. You can read more about today’s news here: fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles… #FordAccelerate #Accelerate2026 #SkilledTrades

A $15 billion steel mill, about 1,750 permanent jobs, and no confirmed site. Mesabi Metallics says only “eastern Iowa.” Lee County leaders aren’t confirming it either. We asked what a site would need: power, water, gas, rail, labor. locationdecision.com/p/why-here-iow…

Camco Chemical got roughly 15 acres it didn’t need when it bought a Northern Kentucky distribution center in 2015. Now it’s building a 130,000-square-foot warehouse on about 14 of them, with no state incentives attached to this phase, its CEO says. locationdecision.com/p/behind-the-d…

In April, someone fired 13 rounds into the Indianapolis home of a councilor who backed a proposed data center. A note read “No Data Centers.” Much of the opposition is legitimate civic activity. Intimidation is not, and it is now a project risk. locationdecision.com/p/when-data-ce…

The EDO AI Playbook: 15 practical AI workflows for economic developers. Three are public: audit your website like a site selector, turn an RFI into an operating plan, stress-test a site before the prospect does. The rest are free for subscribers. locationdecision.com/p/edo-ai-playb…

Site selector Devin Hillsdon-Smith may screen 100 to 110 communities across eight states per project. Executives may not see the names until five or 10 remain. “The CEO who’s announcing the plant isn’t the one who would have ruled you out in week two.” locationdecision.com/p/across-the-t…

Phoenix direct vacancy in warehouses over 300,000 sq ft hit 32.5% in 2022. By Q2 2026 it was 5.8%, per Cushman & Wakefield. Now 34 tenant requirements totaling 21.5M sq ft are chasing 4.1M sq ft of available bulk space. locationdecision.com/p/research-rou…

A six-month permitting delay is not merely six more months of carrying cost. It can mean missing a production window or losing a customer. Why the cheapest location is not always the lowest-cost location. locationdecision.com/p/certainty-ha…