Site Selectors critical to business attraction efforts will get some great face time in our own backyard this summer thanks to the efforts of Cornerstone Alliance. Cornerstone President Rob Cleveland will host the first round of activity bringing these influential people to our shores by welcoming them to the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores. He will earn another bonus opportunity thanks to ties with neighboring agencies around the region.
Embracing cross-border collaboration and cooperation, Cleveland says that Cornerstone Alliance will be among those playing key roles in this summer’s economic development conference dubbed SiteLink, hosted by the Economic Development Corporation Michigan City in partnership with Webster Global Site Selectors.
Slated for a three day run from August 1st to the 3rd at the Blue Chip Casino, Hotel and Spa, the event features sponsorship by several Economic Development Organizations in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana, by South Bend International Airport, as well as private sector companies like Indiana Michigan Power, the event convenes a forum of seven internationally recognized site selectors who will make presentations on their areas of expertise.
I talked with Cleveland about these great opportunities and he says, “We are fortunate to have two great events in our area that allow us to bring in site consultants — the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and SiteLink.” He adds, “Site consultants work on approximately 30-percent of the new business projects annually. Having SiteLink within our region gives us the opportunity to get in front of site consultants at a reasonable cost.”
The benefit for all players is that the Site Selectors will meet with attendees one-on-one to provide feedback and advice regarding business recruitment strategies. Additionally, there will be a variety of networking events providing individuals the opportunity to build relationships with the site selector community and regional economic development leaders.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, site selectors are specialists hired by companies across the nation to evaluate needs and make recommendations on the best places in the country for business expansion or relocation.
SiteLink’s one-on-one meetings help everyone to take away best practices to implement in their individual communities and learn from Site Selectors what it is they are looking for in communities across the country. It is an opportunity to familiarize site selectors with what local communities on both sides of the Michigan-Indiana border have to offer and move the collective community to the top of the list.
Site Selector events similar to SiteLink occur a handful of times each year at various cities across the country in Denver, Chicago, and Orlando. What is unique about SiteLink is that it is being held outside of a major city and will specifically address the challenges of business recruitment in smaller communities.
The Economic Development Corporation Michigan City is hosting with several Gold sponsors that include Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, La Porte County Office of Economic Development, Lake County IN Economic Alliance, and Webster Global Site Selectors, the firm primarily hosting the conference. Cornerstone Alliance and Indiana Michigan Power are among the Silver Sponsors for SiteLink. It is a great opportunity for the communities around the region to meet with site selectors and for site selectors to learn more about we all have to offer. Site Selectors will also have an opportunity to take a closer look at the region first-hand.
More information about the site selectors, list of all sponsors and attending the event can be found at www.sitelinkforum.com.
Economic Development Corporation Michigan City, Indiana is committed to growing and attracting new industry and business to the community as well as strengthening existing business.
Webster Global Site Selectors has been in business since April, 2011. They work to bring together a unique combination of skills, including many years of experience in Site Selection Analysis, Economic Development Consulting, as well as Marketing and Business Development Planning and Implementation. Their Site Selection clients have included companies of all sizes and types seeking optimal relocation/expansion locations throughout the United States. Their broad spectrum of Economic Development Consulting activities range from Marketing Plans, Marketing Communication Visuals, Labor and Logistics Analysis, Cost Comparison Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Business Mission Tours, Strategic Planning, Feasibility Studies and more – essentially, whatever is necessary to enhance and increase economic viability for communities, counties or regions they engage.
