• Introductions
• Roundtable Discussion
• One-on-Ones
• The Summit Experience
• Breakfast
• Roundtable Discussion
• One-on-Ones
Alma Mater: West Point (Army)
Interest(s): Cooking, college football
Region: Central Texas
Notable Employers:
• McLane Company (HQ (Food Distribution))
• Meta (Data Center)
• Wilsonart (Manufacturing)
Adrian has led the Temple EDC over the last four years as its President & CEO. In that time, Temple has supported a number of investments that total over $2 billion and the creation of over 1,500 jobs. Adrian was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas Economic Incentives Oversight Board where he served from 2019-2022. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Texas Economic Development Council and is a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Economic Development Corporation board.
Alma Mater: Clemson University
Interest(s): Shooting skeet and trap, Yoga, Fly fishing, Mahjong
Region: Central South Carolina (Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland Counties as well as the Capital City of Columbia).
Notable Employers:
• University of South Carolina (Education)
• Scout Motors (VW EV OEM) (Automotive Manufacturing)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (Insurance) – Mark Anthony Brewing (White Claw).
Alma Mater: Prairie View A&M University
Interest(s): All things cars and live music!
Region: Austin, Texas metro area
Notable Employers:
• Firefly Aerospace
• TDK
• NOV
• Hanyang Engineering
• Nissin Ion
Arthur Jackson joined the City of Cedar Park as Chief Economic Development Officer in April 2024. As the Chief Economic Development Officer, he is responsible for the City’s economic development and tourism-related activities and team. Before leading the City of Cedar Park’s economic development corporation, Jackson led large regional economic development corporations such as Tulsa’s Future, when the City landed the largest and second-largest economic development deals in Oklahoma state history. Before his Senior Vice President role in Tulsa, Jackson was the Senior Director of economic development with Opportunity Austin for over five years, where he landed companies such as Tesla, Apple, and Merck. Arthur brings more than 16 years of economic development experience and a wealth of business knowledge from his eight years of experience working in the for-profit sector. Due to his continued achievements in economic development, Jackson was recognized as a top 40 under 40 economic developer in 2021. He led the Tulsa’s Future organization to be recognized as the top economic development organization of the year for 2023 by the International Economic Development Council and most recently was recognized as a Top 50 economic developer of North America by none other than Consultant Connect. Arthur holds an Executive MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Prairie View A&M University. Jackson and his wife enjoy attending Texas Stars and Austin Spurs games at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, as well as Formula One. They also have their hands full looking after their 4-legged kid (dog), Oreo.
Alma Mater: Auburn University
Interest(s): Running, sourdough making, and playing mahjong
Region: Greater Birmingham Region (Shelby, Jefferson, Walker, Blount, Chilton, Bibb, St. Clair)
Notable Employers:
• Regions Financial Corporation (Finance)
• Vulcan Material Company (Advanced Materials & Manufacturing)
• UAB (Research & Bioscience)
Caroline Mungenast joined the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) in 2022 and leads business attraction efforts for the seven-county Greater Birmingham Region. Through her role, she works to recruit new companies to the region, supporting job creation, capital investment, and long-term economic growth. She collaborates closely with state and local partners, elected officials, utilities, site consultants, and commercial brokers to position the region competitively for domestic and international projects.
Alma Mater: University of Charleston (WV) University of Pennsylvania
Interest(s): Pittsburgh sports teams / traveler / foodie
Region: Southern New Jersey
Notable Employers:
• F&S Produce (Food Processing)
• Durand Glass (Glass Manufacturing)
• First Choice Freezer (Cold Storage & Logistics)
Ethan is the third generation of leadership at a Design-Build construction company that pairs its real estate portfolio with the execution of industrial development projects. Based in Vineland, NJ, the company offers build-to-suit industrial sites of up to 70 acres in New Jersey, ideal for manufacturing, distribution, and food processing operations. The company provides a full turn-key approach, from project envisioning and obtaining all local approvals to the execution of construction.
Alma Mater: James Madison University (B.S.), The College of William and Mary (M.B.A.)
Region: The Commonwealth of Virginia
Notable Employers:
• Freddie Mac
• Boeing, RTX
• Capital One
• General Dynamics
• Northrop Grumman
• Performance Food Group
• CarMax
• Dominion Energy
• Altria
Graham Griffith is Managing Director of Aerospace & Defense Innovation at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), where he leads industry engagement and supports aerospace, defense, and space companies evaluating growth and investment opportunities in Virginia. A current U.S. Air Force reservist, former Active Duty MQ-9 pilot, and defense tech acquisition manager, Graham brings more than a decade of experience in military operations, strategic planning, and program development. He leverages his operational and national security expertise to help companies navigate site selection, workforce, innovation, and partnership opportunities across Virginia’s aerospace and defense ecosystems.
Alma Mater: Northwestern College
Interest(s): Benchmarking, Trends for site selectors, Lessons Learned from past pursuits
Region: In partnership with 50+ communities across two states (Missouri & Kansas) and 18 counties, we position OneKC as a single, competitive region — working together to win on the global stage.
Notable Employers:
• Hallmark Cards
• H&R Block
• CPKC Railway
• Garmin
• Lockton
• American Century Investments
• AMC Theaters
• Dairy Farmers of America
• Russell Stover Chocolates
In his role, Jason leads KCADC’s business attraction strategy, leveraging deep industry expertise, strong relationships and a results-driven approach to connect companies with the opportunities and strengths of the Kansas City region. Jason brings nearly three decades of experience leading high-impact business development strategy, most recently as Vice President, Food + Beverage at CRB, working with clients both domestically and around the world. He is well known across the KC region through his longstanding engagement with KCADC, KC SmartPort, the Animal Health Corridor and KC Global Design, as well as his involvement in numerous recruitment efforts over the years.
Alma Mater: East Texas A&M University University of North Texas
Region: DFW Metro, Texas
Notable Employers:
• Pennymac
• BuzzBallz
• PPG
• Fisher Investments
• Fujifilm
Jenny Zeilfelder is the Director of Economic Development for the City of Carrollton, bringing more than 16 years of experience in economic development with a proven record of impactful results across the Dallas-Ft. Worth region. Over the course of her career, she has led and supported projects representing nearly $1 billion in capital investment and over 10,000 jobs. Prior to Carrollton, Zeilfelder spent nearly 12 years with the City of Plano, focusing heavily on corporate headquarters and international business.
Alma Mater: University of South Carolina
Interest(s): South Carolina Gamecocks! Running Marathons
Region: Gulf Coast
Notable Employers:
• Formosa Plastics
• Dow Chemical
• Caterpillar
Jonas Titas was named President of VEDC Regional Partnership in July 2021. Prior, he led the Copperas Cove EDC, was the Director for manufacturing and logistics with the Greater Houston Partnership, the Executive Director of the Kerrville EDC and staff of the Tyler EDC. He earned his bachelor’s in Geog, Gov/Intl Studies & History from the University of South Carolina and his MPA from the University of Texas at Tyler. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at Oklahoma University and is an International Economic Development Council Certified Economic Developer.
Alma Mater: St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Alma Mater: Arizona State University (undergrad), South Texas College of Law Houston (grad – JD)
Interest(s): Cooking/Baking, Great Food, Hunting, Fishing, Soccer
Region: SW/Arizona
Matthew Laudone is a Senior Project Manager at Salt River Project (SRP). He joined the Economic Development department in 2024 and previously served in Regulatory Affairs/Government Affairs, the President’s Office and the Corporate Secretary’s Office. With over 18 years in the utility industry, Matt has a broad knowledge base in many aspects of the business. Before SRP, he worked at the Arizona Corporation Commission and Constellation Energy. Matt holds a Juris Doctor degree, a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU, and an associate degree in classical studies. He is a licensed member of the Arizona and Texas Bar (inactive), an active member in the Energy Bar Association and an Eagle Scout. Matt currently serves on the board for Pinal Partnership and previously served on the board for the Grand Canyon Council BSA.
Alma Mater: University of Wisconsin (undergrad) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (masters)
Interests: Going to concerts, hiking, biking, travel, cooking and baking, reading, and playing piano.
Region: Kenosha County, WI
Notable Employers:
• Haribo – candy manufacturer • Snap-On (HQ) – leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of tool & equipment solutions
• ULINE (HQ) – leading distributor of shipping, industrial, and packaging materials
• Eli Lilly & Company – global leader in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing
As the President of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Nicole leads initiatives that position Kenosha County, WI as the premier destination for new investment and talent in the Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor. Nicole’s past positions include leading economic development efforts for the Texas Governor’s Office and serving as the Chief Strategy Officer of the Virginia-based Hampton Roads Alliance. Nicole was recognized as one of the top economic developers in North America in 2022.
Alma Mater: Brigham Young University
Interests: Outdoor survival excursions, HAM Radio, Fishing and Hunting
Region: Northwest Arkansas
Notable Employers:
• Walmart + Sam’s Club HQs (Retail)
• Tyson Foods HQ (Poultry Food Processing & Genetics Research)
• JB Hunt HQ (Transportation) • Simmons Foods HQ (Poultry Food Processing)
Ron’s current focus is on strategic game-changing transformational recruitment efforts, along with strategic planning, marketing and promotion, international, lead generation and project management. He has 24-years experience starting with the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance for a decade. Since then he has worked on the Gulf Coast of Florida and Mississippi before moving to Northwest Arkansas.
Alma Mater: Harvard University; Georgia State University
Notable Employers:
• JP Morgan and Chase (Finance)
• Pfizer (Life Sciences)
• Google (Technology)
Youcif Almegaryaf has been an AVP on NYCEDC’s Business Development team since January 2019. He has a wide-ranging economic, infrastructure, and business development background across the public and private sectors. His focus industries are life sciences, finance, insurance, real estate, tech, and manufacturing.
Alma Mater: Harvard University
Interest(s): Fitness, sports, and culinary exploration
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Healthcare
• Life Science
• Pharmaceuticals
• Biotech
Alan currently serves as a senior managing director within the Global Strategy consulting group. He leverages his 10+ years of experience in economic development and real estate consulting to advise clients on global location and site selection strategy. Prior to joining Newmark, Alan was a project manager at the Birmingham Business Alliance where he managed a variety of economic development projects and initiatives. Since joining Newmark, he has worked with a diverse range of industries, but maintains a specialized focus on the life sciences, medical devices and enterprise technology sectors.
Alma Mater: Kansas State University and The University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute
Interest(s): Family, reading, travel (for fun!), and being in the mountains
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Incentives
Ann specializes in assisting companies with their real estate strategy and where to locate headquarters, manufacturing, logistics and back office facilities globally for optimal success. These capital investment projects include and involve new location investments, relocations and real estate portfolio optimization, with a focus on real time labor analytics and incentive negotiations. Ann is a highly skilled and collaborative negotiator, who has successfully secured and facilitated the administration of incentives such as, cash grants, tax abatements, PILOT agreements, sales tax exemption agreements, employer training grants, payroll rebates, sales and use tax refunds and utility benefits, among other economic incentives that have a direct impact on the client’s bottom line.
Alma Mater: Binghamton University (BA), UNC Charlotte (MA)
Interest(s): Spending time with family. Travel. Watching a good series or movie.
Focus Industries:
• Office Site Selection
• Labor and customer analytics
Founding partner of Site Selection Group. Brett brings more than 25 years of site selection experience to the Site Selection Group. He manages the site selection consulting process and is responsible for maintaining the company’s proprietary information databases. He serves his clients by maximizing efficiencies of labor, economic incentives, and real estate conditions of corporate operations, and by consulting with communities on optimal methodologies to increase economic growth. Prior, Brett served as Vice President of the Corporate Site Selection Group at Trammel Crow Company. His responsibilities included in-depth site selection research of locations across the world. He completed more than 1,000 site selection projects, including American Express, Applied Materials, Marriott, and McKesson.
Alma Mater: Rutgers University
Interest(s): Baseball/softball and cooking
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Food & Beverage Processing
• Workforce Development
Brian performs lead negotiations for some of Atlas Insight’s largest economic development projects. He has been working in the site selection and incentive negotiation business for 21 years and is widely considered an industry expert. Before co-founding Atlas Insight, he was a Regional Practice Leader for BDO Seidman. Prior to BDO, he was a former partner in the site location division and discretionary incentive division of Mintax (acquired by ADP in 2006). Brian was invited by the Governor of Louisiana to Washington DC after Hurricane Katrina to help develop a plan of action in rebuilding the areas of the state that were damaged. He has been a frequent guest of state governments (Georgia, Oregon, Washington and others) to assist with business attraction strategies
Alma Mater: NYU School of Law (LL.M Taxation); Rutgers Law – Newark (J.D.); Univ. of Scranton (B.S. Accounting)
Interest(s): New York Jets/Yankees, New Jersey Devils, history, politics, and reading
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Incentives
Dan, a Managing Director, is one of the leaders of JLL’s Location Economics practice, with over 25 years of experience in assisting companies with location decisions and the associated tax and financial incentives. Dan has secured incentives for projects throughout the U.S. and internationally –including headquarters and back-office operations; major manufacturing and distribution facilities; R&D laboratories and data centers – across multiple industries including life sciences, financial services, IT, food, automotive, and other sectors. Previously, Dan, an attorney/CPA, served as Director and Northeast C&I Practice Leader with Grant Thornton LLP, National Economic Development Services Leader for ADP, and New York Metro Practice Leader for PwC.
Alma Mater: Hult International Business School (San Francisco); Laval University (Quebec City, Canada)
Gabriel Dion is a Managing Director in Newmark’s Global Corporate Services and Consulting practice with a background in economic development including foreign direct investment, consulting and project management. In his economic development career, he has led multiple greenfield and reinvestment projects, representing more than $500 million in capital investment and over a thousand jobs in industries such as Video Gaming, Software Development, Food Processing, Advanced Manufacturing and Life Sciences. He also helped launch the lead generation activities for a major economic development organization in Canada. In 2014, he received a Young Professional Scholarship from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Apart from his experience in economic development, Dion worked for a private-public research center on smart cities where he oversaw business development, strategy and project management of initiatives involving academic researchers, SMEs and startups, and government services. Prior to joining Newmark, Dion was a Project Analyst for an innovation consulting agency in San Francisco where he helped clients in mobility, insurance and retail develop new ways to connect with their customers and integrate new technologies from startups and researchers into their process.
Alma Mater: University of Texas at Arlington
Interests: Avid cyclist, previous professional motorcycle road racer (still continues to test tires for one of the largest brands.)
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Logistics
• Life Sciences
• Healthcare
Garet Tomlinson is a Director at Mohr Partners, Inc., where he works alongside Managing Principal Stephen Hemphill in the Dallas, Texas office. An experienced business development leader, Garet rejoined Mohr Partners after leading strategic revenue initiatives for Hemphill’s team from 2019 to 2024. He will continue to focus on working with private equity executives and CEOs at growing healthcare, life science and industrial companies across the country to manage and achieve their strategic real estate objectives. Throughout his career, Garet has held a range of business development positions where he has leveraged his strong interpersonal skills with a broad technical background and is an effective presenter, especially when communicating complex technical subjects to large audiences.
Alma Mater: Pratt Institute and University at Albany
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
George has over 35 years experience assisting domestic and international companies with site selection and location analysis, business incentives and tax credits, and financial and tax analysis services. Prior to joining Maxis Advisors, George was a Managing Director in KPMG’s Global Location and Expansion Services (GLES) practice for 25 years where he supported major clients including IBM, JPM Chase, Verizon, Warner Media, Bayer Healthcare, Novo Nordisk, Samsung, Raytheon Technologies, Whole Foods, and numerous emerging technology companies in completing investment projects in the US and globally. During that period, George served as National Practice Leader for several years and led the development of KPMG’s international location services network.
Alma Mater: Juris Doctor, Rutgers Law School Masters in Taxation, Rutgers Business School Bachelor of Arts, New York University
Interest(s): Reading and exercising
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Financial Services
Gina is a Senior Manager in Deloitte Tax’s National Multistate Tax Practice, based out of New Jersey, with over 13 years of experience in the public sector and public accounting. Before working in public accounting, Gina practiced law as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office for 5 years. Gina has general state income/franchise tax knowledge and has concentrated on state tax credits and incentives and refund opportunities for the past 6 years. Gina is also a participant at state and local economic development agency sessions, with a particular focus on the New Jersey marketplace.
Alma Mater: University of South Carolina
Interests: Swimming, hiking, reading, travel
Focus Industries:
• Manufacturing
• Foreign Direct Investment
James Blair, Founder and Managing Director of Navigator Consulting, specializes in project management and site selection for international firms expanding into North America. With over 25 years of experience, Blair has facilitated the establishment of 25 clients, generating 5,600 jobs and $2.4 billion in capital investment since 2014. Prior to founding Navigator, Blair served in various roles, including Director for International Projects for the State of Georgia, where he coordinated FDI efforts across multiple countries. With a background in finance from Bank of America, Blair’s expertise extends to financial services for international corporate clients. Recognized as a “U.S. Site Selection Expert” by Swiss Global Enterprise, Blair is actively involved in promoting transatlantic business relations, serving on boards such as the Belgian-American Chamber of the South and the Transatlantic Business & Investment Council. He is also committed to fostering German language study through his role on the Emory University Advisory Board. Blair, fluent in German and French, holds an international MBA specializing in Finance and Marketing. Blair has received recognition, including the “Officer of the National Order of Merit” from the French government for his contributions to French-American business relations.
Alma Mater: Northwestern University
Focus Industries:
• Aerospace
• Life Science
• Data Centers
• MedTech
• Automotive
• Food & Beverage
• Financial Services
• Heavy Equipment Manufacturing
Jason Hickey is head of Hickey & Associates, a global site selection firm leading projects in every corner of the world. This firm specializes in location strategy, incentive advisory, and workforce analytics for companies as they navigate the globe. Prior to working with the firm, Jason held several key roles in business and government functions, including the White House Domestic Policy Council and one of the founding members of the Site Selectors Guild.
Alma Mater: Hardin-Simmons University
Interest(s): Enjoys soccer and football, while currently being in a complicated love/hate relationship with both Glasgow Celtic and the Dallas Cowboys. Touring football grounds around the world. Traveling with my wife Maribeth in our Airstream named Depeche Rode. Having an emotional staring contest with a painting, and being a food enthusiast.
Focus Industries:
• Contact Centers
• Distribution & Logistics
• Headquarters
• Life Science
Jeff represents corporate clients on a global basis, managing their international real estate strategy through location advisory with a focus on labor market and real estate analytics. He has been honored to have published articles on site selection issues and methods, labor market analysis, and economic development, including topics of labor market evaluation, labor force trends, and emerging international Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) markets. Nearshore Americas has named Jeff to its prestigious Top 50 Latin America Power Ranking list multiple years, which reflects the very best in Americas-focused outsourcing services leadership. D CEO Magazine honored Jeff as a Power Broker of the Year, and the Dallas Business Journal recognized Jeff as a Top Broker in DFW. Lastly, Jeff is fluent in sarcasm, dad jokes, useless trivia, and movie quotes.
Alma Mater: University of Arizona, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Interest(s): Golf, scotch, and cigars
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
Joe specializes in demonstrating the economic and fiscal impacts of incentives for a wide variety of projects to both corporations and governments. He is particularly focused on domestic site selection and location analysis and economic incentives. Previously, Joe worked in the credits and incentives practice of a tax consulting firm based in New York City, has served as an executive director of a county economic development agency and has held both elected and appointed positions in his hometown. Joe has also held seats on many boards across the New York area.
Alma Mater: Penn State University
Interest(s): Fishing and construction
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Data Centers and Manufacturing
Joe specializes in data centers, focusing on helping clients with network deployments, Colocation, sale leasebacks, site acquisitions and dispositions, identifying new market opportunities and complex real estate transactions. Joe was a data center pioneer in founding NodeCom after holding corporate real estate positions where he was responsible for real estate holdings for DuPont, General Electric Company, GE Capital and HSBC Bank which included site selection, incentive negotiations, asset sales, management, property development and financing. NodeCom works on enterprise and hyper scale data center projects to maximize state and local economic incentives, strategies to reduce data center property taxes and assessments on data center sale leaseback transactions.
Alma Mater: University of Kentucky
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
Matt is a Manager at DuCharme, McMillen & Associates. At DMA, Matt supports site selection and incentive procurement engagements in jurisdictions across North America. He is experienced with both federal tax credits and state/local economic development incentives, and primarily serves clients in the data center, life sciences, and utility industries. Matt has approximately seven years of experience in credits and incentives consulting, including prior roles with a Big Four accounting firm and a publicly traded conglomerate. Matt graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Accounting and Finance.
Alma Mater: New York University Stern School of Business and Bucknell University
Interest(s): Basketball, golf, and cooking
Focus Industries:
• General Site Selection
• Manufacturing
• Incentives
Nick is a Manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Infrastructure & Real Estate (I&RE) practice, specializing in global location strategy. He supports clients across a range of industries, including Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), Consumer Products, Industrial, and Logistics. Focusing on large-scale site selection, incentives negotiation, and operational footprint optimization, Nick helps his clients navigate complex site selection decisions. With over eight years of experience in credits and incentives, Nick previously served as a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Multistate Tax – Credits and Incentives (C&I) practice. His expertise spans US and global incentives programs, economic impact modeling, and cross-functional project leadership. Nick holds a M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University with a focus on Real Estate, Strategy and Global Business, and received a B.A. in Economics from Bucknell University.