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An Inside Look: Feat. Tim Feemster of Foremost Quality Logistics

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Tim FeemsterTim Feemster has over 35 years of experience with a variety of hands-on problem solving situations in site selection, logistics, supply chain, real estate, transportation, distribution, lean six-sigma process improvement and marketing. Tim is quoted frequently in the industry press and makes over 20 presentations a year to professional organizations. Tim has been with Foremost Quality Logistics for over 20 years, and is recognized as a thought leader in logistics and real estate.

Before forming Foremost Quality Logistics, Tim was a senior manager in three manufacturing companies, a general manager, a consultant, an executive in two third party logistics providers, most recently over 13 years with Menlo Worldwide Logistics and a Practice Group Leader for two real estate companies. Tim has been responsible for building construction management, transportation & warehouse operations, real estate site selection, strategic planning, lease management, marketing, inventory planning and deployment, lean systems & quality management, economic development strategy consulting and private fleet management.

Tim is passionate about Hire our Heros, Upgrade Soldiers and speaks a little French. Tim is an active member in the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC.org), where he is a past president; Council Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP.org), Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC) and International Economic Development Council.

Tim holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Peter Wirth formerly of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank

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*please note: at the time this recording took place, Peter was with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. He has since moved on to new opportunities, but still offers incredible insight into the field of site selection in this interview.

Peter WirthPeter Wirth joined Newmark Knight Grubb Frank’s Dallas office in 2010 to fulfill a commitment to strengthen and expand the integrated services operation of the real estate platform of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Global Corporate Services division, being one of a distinguished and select few certified GCS Brokers. Peter assists in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to companies around the globe and has a keen understanding for fully leveraging Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s operational consulting arm with the global real estate strategy offerings. Peter’s specialty is location strategy, helping clients identify the fundamental for where they should be and why.

Peter has assisted such clients as Kohl’s Department Stores, Nokia Siemens Networks, AT&T, SuperMedia (Verizon Wireless Yellow Pages), Just Energy, Momentis Energy, Hancock Bank and Huntington Bank, among others. Peter is recognized by both his peers and his clients as a source of trust and integrity.

Prior to joining Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Peter served at GVA Cawley as a global corporate services associate. He has been awarded Power Broker, CoStar, 2013; and Top Office Deal of the Year from DCEO Magazine, 2013.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University’s M.J. Neeley School of Business, where he majored in both finance and real estate.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Dan Breen of Jones Lang LaSalle

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Dan BreenDan Breen is Executive Vice President in the Business and Economic Incentives (BEI) Practice of Jones Lang LaSalle. Dan has sixteen years of experience in the identification and implementation of state and local tax credits and the development of financial and tax analysis. Dan specializes in helping clients identify, negotiate and implement tax and financial credits and incentives.  Dan has successfully secured a variety of significant incentives for projects throughout the U.S. and Caribbean, including major manufacturing facilities, distribution, disaster recovery and call centers, and headquarters, administrative and retail locations.  Dan has served clients in multiple industry sectors, including manufacturing, distribution, financial services, information technology, health care and pharmaceutical businesses.

Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Dan 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 the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP State and Local Tax Credits, Site Location, and Incentives Practice, all in New York City or New Jersey.

Dan is a member of the State Bar of New Jersey and a Certified Public Accountant in New York and New Jersey.  Dan has presented at numerous conferences and symposiums on taxation and economic development and has authored multiple published articles on issues relating to credits and incentives. Dan is a member of the Hanover Township Economic Development Advisory Committee, Hanover Township Board of Adjustment and the Board of Directors of Hanover Hockey.

Dan received a Masters of Law (LL.M) in taxation from New York University School of Law, a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Scranton.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Brian Corde of Atlas Insight

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Brian CordeBrian Corde is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Atlas Insight, an independent member of the BDO Seidman Alliance Firm Network. Atlas assists businesses from all sectors in helping them choose strategic locations for their operations, helping create competitive advantage and achieve overall corporate goals by using location and incentives as ways to reduce operating costs and produce optimum results.

Brian brings 18 years of economic development experience to the Atlas team. Prior to founding Atlas, Brian was a Regional Practice Leader within BDO Seidman’s Business Location Incentives and Site Selection (BLISS) group and was the point person on the firm’s US and European site selection clients. Prior to joining BDO, Brian was a Partner with Mintax, where he developed their site location and discretionary incentive practice.

Brian also held the position of Executive Director over the Location Advisory and Economic Development Incentive group at ADP. Throughout his career, Brian has assisted numerous Fortune 500® companies such as Wells Fargo, Allstate, HSBC, Kraft, Philip Morris, Pfizer, Computer Sciences Corporation and Yahoo with their site selection and incentive needs. Brian has also assisted various government agencies with their business attraction and retention policies, and has helped write incentive legislation to keep them competitive within the global marketplace.

Brian has authored numerous articles for various trade publications including Expansion Management, Site Selection Magazine and The Business Xpansion Journal, and has been the featured speaker at conferences such as Industrial Asset Management Council, CoreNet Global, Tax Executive Institute and The World Research Group. Brian currently sits on the editorial advisory board of Business Xpansion Journal, an industry trade publication and is the former Chair of the Associate Membership Committee for IAMC.

Brian is a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Economics with concentrations in Accounting and Finance.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Josh Bays of Site Selection Group

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Josh BaysJosh Bays is a Principal of Site Selection Group where he manages the company’s industrial, education and economic development business practices. He is a critical part of the company’s management team and helps develop and implement strategic plans for SSG. Throughout his career, Josh has been a key contributor in the continued development of new service lines offered by the company. These contributions include the development of various cutting-edge analytical platforms that have enabled clients to optimize their location decisions.

Previously, Josh was an associate at Trammell Crow Company in the Corporate Site Selection Group. There, he supported all location advisory projects through the research of critical site selection variables, including economic incentive and real estate conditions for corporate operations.

Josh has completed more than 250 projects for global clients, including Amazon.com, W.W. Grainger, Novartis, Glanbia Foods, Bimbo Bakeries, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Lincoln Education Services, Bryant & Stratton College and the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition.

Josh received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Josh holds a bachelor’s degree in geography with concentrations in urban geography and geographic information science from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

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An Inside Look: Feat. Ann Petersen of Jones Lang LaSalle

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Picture1Ann Petersen is a vice president and member of the Business and Economic Incentives division of Jones Lang LaSalle. Ann’s primary responsibilities include researching state and local economic development programs, coordination of state and local economic development programs, coordination and negotiation with state and local economic development officials and implementation of incentives. Ann provides complex financial analysis to her clients which includes 10 year P&L cash flow modeling of each project.  In addition, Ann utilizes her legal background to provide creative savings solutions to her clients through legal analysis, tax legislation and letter rulings.

Prior to joining the BEI Team, Ann was with the State and Local Tax practice at KPMG LLP where her practice was focused on state and local income and incentives advisory and compliance services. At KPMG, Ann worked with a broad range of multi-state clients that included leaders within the retail, manufacturing and financial services industries. Ann advised her clients on a variety of transactions including tax compliance, state tax return review, advisory, state audit defense, tax due diligence and business restructurings. In addition, Ann’s practice was a leader in state and local RAR exam reporting, state pass through taxation and state-level income and franchise taxes imposed on disregarded entities and partnerships, nonresident withholding and negotiation of specialized filing methodologies.

Ann has served as an executive board member and officer of the Tax Council for the MSBA Tax Section and as Editor in Chief of the MSBA Tax Section Newsletter. She is a member of the Minnesota Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women and served on the Board of the National CREW Foundation – the philanthropic arm of CREW Network. She has also served as an Economic Development Commissioner for a local Minnesota community and was awarded Economic Development Project of Year in Des Moines, IA.

Ann received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Hamline University and Juris Doctor Degree from Hamline School of Law.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Brett Bayduss of Site Selection Group

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Bayduss-colorAs executive vice president and founding partner of Site Selection Group, Brett Bayduss is a critical part of the management team and manages all aspects of the location advisory division.

Bayduss brings 15 years of location advisory experience to the company. He has completed more than 400 site selection projects for clients, including American Express, Becton Dickinson, Marriott, McKesson and Medtronic.

Prior to joining Site Selection Group, Bayduss was vice president of the Corporate Site Selection Group at Trammell Crow Company, where he conducted in-depth site selection research of locations across the world on behalf of corporate customers.

Bayduss was a team recipient of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 William Dorsey Site Selection Award, presented by Site Selection Magazine. He was recognized for his career accomplishments by the Dallas Business Journal for the “Heavy Hitter” award in 2005 and the “Top 35 Under 35” in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. He also was recognized as a “Power Broker” by the CoStar Group in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Bayduss is a noted expert in trade publications, including as Area Development and National Real Estate Investor.

He is a licensed real estate salesman in the State of Texas and holds a master’s degree in geography-site selection from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in urban planning-geography from Binghamton University.

 

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An Inside Look: Feat. Les Cranmer of Savills Studley

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Les CranmerLes Cranmer is the Senior Managing Director of Savills Studley and has over 40 years of experience in consulting services associated with corporate real estate and facilities. Les’ professional expertise covers virtually all corporate facility types including: headquarters, back office operations, customer services, shared services support, research and development, data centers, manufacturing, distribution, and other special purpose real estate holdings.

Les has been responsible for developing real estate strategy and facility rationalization scenarios for over 200 separate organizations experiencing corporate restructuring. In addition, Les developed and analyzed occupancy cost reduction programs for large multi facility users – and has developed facility consolidation plans for merged organizations and developed real estate disposal strategies for manufacturing and administrative facilities.

Prior to his current role at Savills Studley, Les was a director at Deloitte & Touche, LLP and also a partner at PHH Fantus Consulting. He was awarded the Industrial Deal of the Year by the Tri-State Realtors Commercial Alliance for TJX / Marshalls Distribution Facility of 1.4 million square foot build-to-suit project.

Les holds memberships in many professional and industry trade associations. Les is frequently quoted in industry trade publications and newspapers including; the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Real Estate Forum, Expansion Magazine, Area Development, and Site Selection Magazine. Les holds membership in many professional and industry trade associations and sits on the Editorial Board of Area Development Magazine. In addition, Les has authored numerous articles for professional journals.

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An Inside Look: Feat. Frank Spano of Austin Consulting

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Frank SpanoFrank Spano is the managing director of Austin Consulting, where he has worked for almost 30 years. In that time, Frank has served as site location consultant, associate director, director and now managing director. In this role, Frank is developing new strategies to increase The Austin Company’s leadership in food and beverage, nutraceuticals and other manufacturing sectors.

Frank also serves as a senior project manager, directs site location studies with the Austin Consulting staff and continues to conduct detailed field investigation analyses for clients. Frank has worked on behalf of clients in conducting incentive negotiations with state and local governments and completing comprehensive property due diligence services for Greenfield sites and existing buildings. Frank has represented clients on projects throughout urban and rural areas throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

Prior to joining The Austin Company, Frank worked for a commercial real estate appraiser for a private real estate consulting firm. Frank was also employed as a consultant for Thompson Associates, the nation’s leading retail site location firm.

Frank is a writer for many publications including Food Processing and Area Development and is a frequent presenter on the topic of “Understanding Your Labor Market – How to Prepare Your Community for the Consultants Visit.”

Frank received a Bachelor of Science in business administration and marketing and a Master of Arts in economic geography from Kent State University.

 

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An Inside Look: Feat. Larry Gigerich of Ginovus

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Larry GigerichLarry Gigerich, managing director at Ginovus, is a nationally recognized economic development leader with more than 20 years of local and state government, not-for-profit and private sector experience. Larry has worked on approximately 500 economic development projects resulting in over $10 billion of capital investment, the creation of over 80,000 new jobs and the retention of over 160,000 existing jobs. At Ginovus, Larry has served nationally recognized companies such as: BP, Coachman Industries, Comcast, Dorel Juvenile Group, Dow AgroSciences, ExactTarget, Formica, Genesco, Interactive Intelligence, Multi-Color Corporation, Oracle, Reckitt Benckiser, Redcats, The Capital Group Companies, The Finish Line and Roche Diagnostics.

Prior to founding Ginovus in 2002, Larry worked in a variety of economic development settings, including Deputy Director of Business Development for the Indiana Department of Commerce, Senior Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis for Economic Development and Workforce Development and President of the Indianapolis Economic Development Corporation.

Named by Governing magazine as one of the nation’s best economic development officials, Larry is a regular speaker and panelist at national site selection conferences and has authored numerous articles for national publications. In addition, he was instrumental in the launch and leadership of the Indianapolis and Central Indiana Technology Partnership (TechPoint), an initiative designed to nurture growing and emerging technology companies throughout Indiana.  Larry currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is a member of the Site Selectors Guild.

Larry received his Bachelors of Science degree in political science from Indiana University Bloomington.

 

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