McGuireWoods Consulting senior vice president Ford Graham was featured in an article titled “2025’s Top States for Business: How the Winners Are Outpacing the Rest” for Area Development magazine.
The piece highlights the integrated economic development approaches that the top three ranked states, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, respectively, take in attracting and retaining industry. The article asserts that while many states still utilize traditional methods of recruitment through incentives and business-friendly tax structures, the leading states go the extra mile by seamlessly incorporating expedited permitting, novel workforce training initiatives and development-ready sites through ongoing legislative investments in communities.
“Although discussions about incentives will never go away, workforce availability, recruitment support, and training programs will be the most important parameter set over the next 12 months,” said Graham.
The industrial sector has had a slow start this year, according to Graham. This is primarily due to the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s tariff policies. However, this should not deter states from preparing for an eventual breakthrough in trade negotiations.
“Communities who win will be those that have development-ready sites and existing buildings, and who have been in ongoing communications with target companies despite the natural tendency to wait until things start moving again,” Graham said.
