SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – When starting a business, there’s tons of thinking you have to do. There are also tons of questions you have to ask yourself. And then, you’ll have to also think about the industrial development of this business. Ryan McCrady, CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance was a guest on the WTAX Morning Newswatch discussing the topic of industrial development.

“Our first goal is to get to know the site selection consultants because they’re the consultants that companies hire when they look to locate their operations around the country, but we also get to hear from them what’s going on nationally and globally and industrial development trends, and that helps us understand what we can do to best position our community, to take advantage of those things.”

McCrady goes onto discussing the processes of business dealing with industrial development.

“I think it’s always been a difficult process for a business. 
And for many, many years, they hired consultants to do it because these consultants are specialized in that function, and it gives the company a bit of anonymity, uh, when they’re looking around to help protect them from competitive moves and things like that, based on things going on in the global economy and things like that. So, the process is basically the same.”

McCrady also brings up the major two things about developing.

“It seems like one of two things matter the most, either the close to a supplier or close to a customer base. That tends to be one of the things that draw them one way or the other. Lately, it’s been the availability of sites that are ready to go. 
That’s been very important. And also access to electrical infrastructure, not just because of the data centers.”