June 27, 2017 – Mid-MO RPC’s Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) met last week and heard from Clint O’Neal of the Missouri Partnership. Mr. O’Neal spoke to the group about the role that the Missouri Partnership plays in economic development in Missouri and how site selection takes place in Missouri.

The Missouri Partnership is a public-private partnership that focuses on business recruitment in order attract new jobs and investment to Missouri. It does this in part by building the Missouri brand and marketing Missouri as a smart place to do business. Attending national and international trade shows and conferences is a key part of this Missouri brand building process.

The Missouri Partnership also works directly with businesses that are in the process of selecting sites for new facilities. While factors such as incentives are important to the site selection process, the key factors that site selectors are looking for are skilled labor, highway accessibility, quality of life, construction cost and available buildings.

According to Mr. O’Neal, large sites–especially those with rail access–are of particular interest to site selectors. Missouri has a lot of land along interstates, but very few 100+ acre sites that have utility access reasonably close. Mr. O’Neal cited a recent example where Missouri was eliminated from consideration on a project where the site selector was looking for 500+ acre sites with rail access. Missouri simply does not currently have this type of site available anywhere in the state. Additionally, there appears to be a nationwide shortage of good buildings; however, using public dollars for spec buildings can be risky. Missouri’s success has come when private developers invest in large spec buildings. 

It is important for communities to be ready when opportunities present themselves. Too many communities do not have adequate information on available sites. Site selectors often want information on available sites quickly. Communities need a good inventory of sites and information on these sites before inquiries take place. There simply is not enough time to gather all the relevant data on potential sites at the time a company is showing interest.