LOCATION  

WDG Consulting will advise companies on the best locations both over the near term and long term for the respective business operation. A sequential process is followed until the optimal area emerges. Among the questions addressed are:

Phase One: Location Screening

	What are the business' current and future operating requirements (e.g., labor, occupancy, transportation, etc.)?
	What are the key assumptions underlying the study (e.g., ultimate size)?
	What are the main locational criteria and their relative importance?
	Which states and/or countries should be initially considered?
	Which 8-12 areas emerge as the most promising for the project?
	Which 3 areas among the 8-12 should be subject to comprehensive field investigations (due diligence)?

Phase Two: Location Evaluation

	Based upon comprehensive research, including field investigations, how do the three finalist areas compare on the most critical considerations (e.g., labor market, business costs, logistics)?
	Which geographic sector of each area is best suited from a business operating perspective (e.g., proximity to labor pools)?
	Are there buildings/sites within the preferred geographic sectors that satisfy key criteria?
	Using a matrix comparison model and independent judgment, how do the final three locations compare? Business costs Real estate Labor market Environmental Transportation Incentives Utilities Risk potential Quality-of-life/transferee appeal
	Which location will be tentatively chosen, given successful negotiations?
	Should real estate and incentive negotiations be conducted in one or more locations?
	What immediate steps should be taken to implement the locational decision?
	Should the internal project team now be expanded?

Key Location Factors:

	Labor market Competitive demand Supply of qualified workers Costs Near term Longer term Quality/stability Unionization, legislation
	Training/education resources Vo-tech University
	Transportation Highways Motor carrier Rail Air Small package
	Business costs Payroll Transportation, occupancy, taxes, incentives (offset)
	Business support services National vendors Local suppliers
	Risk Natural disaster Terrorist threat Political stability, financial stability, site security
	Environment Air Water Site contamination Permits Timing Cost
	Utilities Power supply, reliability, redundancy, cost Gas supply, cost Water/sewer capacity, cost Telecommunications Local Long-distance Internet Redundancy
	Sites/buildings Physical characteristics Costs Accessibility Geotechnical
	Quality-of-life Ability to relocate professional talent Cost-of-living Housing Education Climate Recreation Amenities Arts/culture Crime

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