Pardon Our Dust
We recently launched this new site and are still in the process of updating some of our archived content. Some details of this article may be incomplete, links may be broken, and other elements may not display properly yet. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Benton C. Blaine has joined McGuireWoods Consulting as vice president in the firm’s infrastructure and economic development team. He advises clients on a comprehensive approach to site selection, economic incentive negotiation, and agreement drafting associated with business operation expansions and relocations across the country. He will be resident in the firm’s Atlanta, Georgia office.
Blaine most recently worked in Ernst & Young, LLP where he served as manager and leader of the firm’s Carolinas location investment services practice. He has analyzed hundreds of locations for companies across more than 30 states, resulting in capital savings and mitigated risks for clients of varying sizes across industry sectors. Blaine has also successfully orchestrated inbound U.S. projects from countries such as China, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the U.K.
In addition, Blaine offers clients insights gained as a licensed real estate broker and a member of a Fortune 500 company’s real estate legal team, through which he has helped clients locate headquarters, manufacturing, chemical, distribution and office projects.
“Benton’s experience in site selection, incentives negotiation and public-private partnerships builds upon our team’s existing strengths,” said Chris Lloyd, director of McGuireWoods Consulting’s infrastructure and economic development team. “Companies navigating ways to expand their geographic footprint and business presence seek creative approaches to leveraging economic development opportunities associated with attractive financial incentives. Benton has a proven track record of helping businesses realize the benefits associated with strategic site selection.”
“We are excited to have Benton join our team,” said Gov. Jim Hodges, president of McGuireWoods Consulting. “His leadership skills and knowledge of both inbound and U.S.-based companies will help to enhance the services our firm provides in the infrastructure and economic development space.”
Blaine is a frequent speaker at events such as SelectUSA Summit and AreaDevelopment’s Consultant Forum. He graduated from the Charlotte School of Law (J.D.) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (B.A.), and is admitted in North Carolina.
“We look forward to working with Benton to support our clients’ business goals – specifically in their expansion and development projects,” said Mark Bowles, chairman of McGuireWoods Consulting.
McGuireWoods Consulting’s national infrastructure and economic development team serves businesses across a full spectrum of industries and has a depth of experience maximizing site location incentives for corporations such as Capital One, Honda, Hilton, Lumber Liquidators, Smithfield Foods, Trane, and Starbucks.