Last Word: When Incentives Lead, Projects Follow—Often In The Wrong Direction

Ihave worked in economic development at the state level for longer than I want to talk about. I have worked on projects that made international headlines and projects that may not have even made the local news. Through the years I saw and learned a lot. One of those things was that it was a rare exception for something good to come from a project that asked what their incentives would be when they first walked in the door. There are just so many more things that go into a location decision that have a greater long-term impact than incentives. Sure, you get a little financial “pop” for a good incentive package, but what about when the pop goes away? Do you have what you need to be successful?