When a company like Amazon.com chooses to locate a facility in Indiana, the press announcements generally tell you why the company decided to move here:  a skilled workforce, great location, strong business climate, and so on.

But what you might not know is how the Indy Partnership and its state and local partners worked with the company to help it make that decision.  So this, Paul Harvey fans, is the rest of the story.

The process usually starts with a site selection consultant and the Internet.   Many companies rely on outside consultants for two primary reasons:  (1) the consultant provides a level of expertise in helping the company identify potential sites for expanding or relocating its operations, and (2) the consultant can protect the company’s anonymity while it conducts its process. 

Why does anonymity matter?  Well, think back to the media frenzy that accompanied Boeing’s announcement a few years ago that it was looking for a new home for its corporate headquarters.  Nearly every community in America that had a municipal airport fancied itself a contestant in that derby.  While the attention might be flattering, it can also be a major distraction.  So for any company, and particularly a high-profile company like Amazon.com, anonymity means it can do its preliminary due diligence well under the radar.

And that brings us to the other part of the initial process:  the Internet.   According to Site Selection Magazine, site consultants complete 90 percent of their site selection research online – meaning that long before they pick up the phone or send an email to a group like the Indy Partnership, the company has typically narrowed its list of potential sites down to a handful of finalists. 

And that was the case here:  when a nationally-known consultant called us in mid-November, 2007, he and his client had already decided that the Indianapolis region was on their short list.  All we knew, though, was that an anonymous company wanted to meet with representatives from three communities in the region to get more information about a potential logistics/distribution project.  And they wanted to meet fast.

So two days after getting that call, Scott Fulford, one of our business development directors, arranged for the consultant to meet with representatives from Boone, Hendricks, and Johnson counties, as well as with staff from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.  Over the next several weeks, the Indy Partnership research department provided the company with reams of data about area employers, local demographics, workforce, utility data, lease rates, tax information and cost of doing business, among other topics.  The IEDC and the local communities provided additional information on incentive programs and local sites.

Finally, in March 2008 (a fairly short turnaround time from the initial inquiry), the news broke that Amazon.com had chosen a site in Boone County for a major facility.   With the IEDC and Boone County making the formal announcement, we all celebrated another successful collaboration to bring new jobs and investment to the Indianapolis Region. 

And while that success was still in the headlines, we were back on the road, meeting with site selection consultants around the country to continue telling them about the advantages that our region can offer their clients. 

Meanwhile, back at the main office, we’re working on exciting plans to make our website even more robust and user-friendly for all of the companies that are looking for a great place to relocate or expand.   Like Amazon.com, we’re working hard to get them to check us out.