The Site and Facility Planning Podcast

Four conversations from the field, all pointing in the same direction. First, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves joins us at SelectUSA to talk about his state's second consecutive Gold Shovel in Area Development's State Shovel Awards. He makes a direct case for why Mississippi is winning capital-heavy, power-intensive projects — and what the $85 billion in announced investment since he took office a...

Episode 13: The Infrastructure Bet America hasn't broken ground on a new primary aluminum smelter since 1980. That changes in Oklahoma. In this episode, we look at three stories about how the rules of where things get built are being rewritten right now — and what they have in common. Story 1 — The Oklahoma Aluminum Deal John Budd, CEO of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, walks us through how t...

Capital Wants Clarity: PMI’s Fast-Track Aurora Build, Shifting FDI, and FTZ Strategy in a Tariff-Heavy Era Host Andy Greiner connects three themes shaping 2026 site selection and industrial investment: speed, certainty, and readiness. The episode opens with Philip Morris International’s $600 million, 600,000+ sq. ft. Aurora, Colorado facility dedicated to ZYN nicotine pouches, built on a roughly t...

AI infrastructure is forcing a new siting calculus—one defined by power, speed, and execution risk. Host Andrew Greiner speaks with Matt Landek (JLL) and Michalis Grigoratos (Infra Partners) on compressing “Time to First Token” with prefabricated delivery, then with Justin McAfee (WrightOne) on what communities must do to win and execute advanced manufacturing projects. Mark Cote closes with a sca...

North Carolina’s Growth Playbook: Talent, Infrastructure, and Supply Chain Resilience Host Steve Kaelble interviews North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina CEO Christopher Chung about why North Carolina ranks highly for business, including No. 1 in access to qualified labor and a 2025 Platinum Shovel Award. They credit long-standing in...

From next-generation energy to next-generation cities, this episode of Frontline looks at how innovation is reshaping the foundations of American industry. Segment 1 — Nano Nuclear: James Walker, CEO of Nano Nuclear Energy, explains why small modular reactors could soon power data centers, defense sites, and remote industries — and what’s holding them back. Segment 2 — Building with Timber: Grayco...

Recorded live in Chicago, this episode of the Area Development Podcast brings together some of the most engaging voices from the 2025 Women in Economic Development Conference. Nicole McBride (CBRE) opens with a deep dive into workforce dynamics and what companies are learning from shifting labor trends. Then, we drop into a lively incentives panel with Brooklin Salemi (Newmark), Shannon O’Hare (Cu...

Parker Poe's Hector Ibarra, Azad Khan, and Sven Gerzer, discuss their trip to Select USA to talk about volatility in global trade and why countries remain interested in spending capital in the United States. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is sponsored by TNECD

JLL recently launched an Advanced Manufacturing group to meet the moment, and Area Development spoke with group leaders Greg Matter, Vice Chair for Site Selection and Industrial Leasing, and Meaghan Elwell, Division President of Global Industrials, to get their real estate playbook for the new era. [Read the Q&A on Area Development →] (https://www.areadevelopment.com/advanced-manufacturing/q3-...

Area Development magazine caught up with its Q2 guest editors, Ford Graham and Steven Pearce from McGuireWoods consulting, to talk about their reporting on data center supply chains. We invited Ermengarde Jabir Director of Economic Research at Moody’s who also explored data centers for an Area Development article to join the discussion. This conversation has been edited for style and length. For a...

Industrial Design for Engagment with Burns & McDonnell [Area Development Podcast] by Area Development Mentioned in this episode: This episode is sponsored by TNECD

Tariffs with Charlie Smith, Carlos Sanchez, and Gregg Wassmansdorf from Newmark [Area Development Podcast] by Area Development Mentioned in this episode: This episode is sponsored by TNECD

We conducted a fascinating discussion with JC Renshaw, Senior Supply Chain Consultant in Savills, Joe Dunlap, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Legacy Investing and Matt Powers, Lead for Site Selection and Supply Chain Strategy Solutions for OnPace Partners, about the current state of rail infrastructure for site selectors. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is sponsored by TNECD

Area Development's Andrew Greiner speaks with economic development incentives experts Amy Gerber of Cushman & Wakefield and Kathy Mussio of Atlas Insight. Together, they discuss the evolving landscape of tax incentives, the shift toward workforce development, and the role of sustainability in attracting new industries. Mentioned in this episode: This episode is sponsored by TNECD