An Introduction
to the
Enterprise Development Process

by Bob Glover

The Site Selection Directory, Site Location Assistance.com, has links for getting started with site selection and enterprise development.

Site selection is work done within an enterprise development project. It's location work. Before there can be a project, however, there needs to be a plan that addresses issues such as financingsee business plan.

Enterprise developers take the risks and control the process. They work solo, run small businesses and manage large, fast growing, companies
enterprise developers make the risky decisions for companies on the
move and manage large, fast growing, enterprises they are site selectors
Enterprise developers make plans and move forward with projects for expansions, relocations and new-ventures. They also act on opportunities to improve operations, for example by investing in their employees, as they continuously strive towards an ever higher level of excellencemore.

Success-oriented enterprise development is driven by the voice of the customer. In one way or another, those to whom an enterprise provides products and/or services speak to issues of quality and costs. When heard, customer-speak can lead to expansion or a new startup. Sometimes when employers hear customer-speak, but employees don't, the result is relocation. When no one pays attention to customers its an indication that the enterprise has strayed from the path to success .

As indicated, enterprise development begins with a plan which precedes the organization of a project. Even a tentative project status sets the stage for reaching out to service providers and others who will be needed to assist with moving forward. The Resource Report, 2005.4 breaks project status down into three easy-to-use identities for presenting a profile along with what's wanted and needed for fulfillment.

Enterprise developers generally begin asking outsiders for information and assistance once they are able to determine project status. In other words you as an enterprise developer or someone seeking prospects from their ranks should begin networking as soon as there's the possibility of a projectsee networking links for expanding the mission statement of the Location/Site Selection Network.

In the 1990s, in the interest of enterprise and economic development, a marketing consulting firm began a series of reportings on surveys of business executives and their advisors. At each reporting instance business networking is indicated by decision makers involved with enterprise development to be the preferred means, over all else, for gathering information and building relationships. The source of this information is Development Counsellors International which offers a download or review of the latest installment of its survey results online.

FYI: The word networking shows conspicuously as a link on entry pages to websites of The Network .network hubsites) to emphasize importance.

Business networking helps gain input for decision makingWhat do you think? It's the activity of gathering information such as that used in making comparative analyses. It would seem that site selection doesn't actually occur without comparative analysis. If you selected the location work link in the opening paragraph to this paper, you read that site selection is ... the process of heedfully eliminating (potentials) from consideration, while zeroing in on acceptable choices ...

Site evaluation is the substitute term for comparative analysis when a single place of interest or piece of real estate is under consideration.

In either case, evaluating or comparing, enterprise developers should know about the various types of location data suppliers. If you are in the role of enterprise developer or site selector you need understand how to choose location data suppliers with whom to open networking relationships and when its the right time to do so. This is especially true if you are thinking about paying for data or site selection services (there are many excellent sources of information about locations that will do gratis work in exchange for involvement in economic development).

In answering questions about the best way for the site selector to go about finding the right location, .network advice is ... to reach out to contacts you know and trust, networking to find those not yet known well enough to say for sure that they will respond without bias to selection criteriafull quote.

At the top of the list of location data suppliers are the development representatives of places seeking economic developmenttake a look at the local economic development file in the .network glossary. In answering questions about the best way to find service providers to the enterprise development process, The Network makes the assumption that certain ones are in place at the start up of a project: For example, an operating enterprise getting ready to expand or relocate generally has a relationship with a financial institution and may have established relationships with specialized consultantsfull quote.

Specialists such as site location consultants or real estate consultants are classified under the general heading of management consultants. Taking all that an enterprise developer does into account, specialized consultants include those who are experts in implementing excellence programs. The .network glossary definition of excellence points to Pinnacle Partners, Inc as the example of consultants working to create an understanding that all enterprises are driven towards success by customer satisfaction and choicemore information about creating excellent enterprises.

There are various lists of categories of information and data elements generally addressed by area and local development representatives in their location packages. Links to a number of lists that appear to be the most useful are available in The Resource Report, 2000.3. The information in the report is intended for anyone interested in the development and distribution of selection criteria as part of the specifications of a project. It's up to the individual to extract from one of the lists the items that are most important as want and needs when requesting a location package.

4 essential data categories

demographics

According to a survey by Development Counsellors International 67% of business executives and their advisors would want to see demographic data published online by a place seeking economic development in order to make a determination about the usefulness of its website features. Those surveyed were asked to choose from 12 possible website features, all of which are listed among thought of in terms of market analysis but they may be expanded to include information about labor markets. Here demographics covers all people-related information.

transportation

Transportation infrastructure and services are obviously critical for getting people and products to and from a location whether its a real estate site or a community.

communications

Communications infrastructure and services are no doubt of importance to the commercial or industrial enterprise. Customers and suppliers expect lines of communications to be open.

place-data (location)

Here the word is a substitute for location and refers to everything surrounding real estate or in a place that is assumed to be of interest to economic development prospects in general and that doesn't fall under demographics, transportation or communicationssee the .network glossary definition of location, location, location which emphasizes why a site's surroundings should be taken into account when it is being considered for development.

Suffice it to say that risk is involved in using information gathered within all categories of site selection criteria, whether hundreds of items are specified for consideration during a project or just the four described. Site location project is defined at the end of this paper with examples of selection criteria items that representatives of places wanting economic development can be expected to ask about.

Enterprise developers have to know how to handle risk management. Risk is a factor in change initiatives. In the CEO Refresher ... brain food for business! / New Thoughts on Strategy and Change Initiative Implementation: Emergence, Readiness, and Adaptability, Lawrence E. Wharton and Richard Roi state the following:

Many organizations experience difficulties implementing strategic projects. And even more have trouble successfully putting internal change initiatives into play, themselves often connected to strategic efforts. Depending on whom you read, between 70 and 85 percent of all change initiatives limp along or fail outright, and poorly implemented strategic efforts are legion.

It can probably be argued to go along with the above quote that a substantial number of strategic projects (enterprise development projects) are poorly implemented because people simply don't communicate the right information or, worst, communicate information that they shouldn't, thus revealing confidential plans and activities.

Is there a government anywhere that doesn't take notice of enterprise development? Politicians embrace it for its role in economic development. It's difficult to find an organized community with an interest in development that doesn't have its government in the process to either regulate, collect taxes, or encourage the creation of jobs.

Alert leaders and developers of enterprises continuously monitor the attitudes, controls, and actions of the governments under whose shadows their operations fall. Experienced enterprise developers in the site selection mode know to evaluate locations or real estate in light of what government can do to facilitate or destroy project objectives. Consider the following paragraph (a quote) in light of the fact that government collects taxes and controls zoning.

When deciding to acquire property, real estate asset managers take several factors into consideration, such as property values, taxes, zoning, population growth, transportation, and traffic volume and patternssource

Note that the quote covers three of four data categories described earlier for decision makers moving from the idea and initial funding of an project to the steps for determining a location. If the four categories and others are considered in light of a request for a location package, it's suggested that questions about taxes and regulations, i.e. information about the role government will play during and after the enterprise development process, be included. In addition, the request should include asking for information about incentivessee The Resource Report 2004.5.4 (location data checklist).

Much of site selection as search process began shifting to the Web in the mid-1990s (for example). Most of the institutions that had pioneered the structure base and techniques for getting things done in a combined enterprise and economic development environment failed to anticipate the opportunities for change (for example). They failed and some of them are no longer around. The Internet is strewn with broken links and dead-ends where webfiles with resources for enterprise development were once available.

A 2006 search of the Internet for the phrase, introduction to the site location process, produced http://www.rural.org/lgg/Ch12_EconDev.html, a website that is a disaster in terms of broken links. An earlier search for the phrase, introduction to the site selection process, produced a webfile named, Leaders in Development, which provided access to hundreds of records of valuable contacts for site selectors. The message online at the time of the writing of this introduction to the enterprise development was file-not-found in the case of Leaders in Development.CLICK HERE for a simulation of the message and read about what action The Network started taking when Leaders in Development was found missing from the Web.

If you are reading this as a .network user interested in enterprise and economic development note that the links throughout resource paper this give you the control to select as much or as little information as you want. Also, notice that there is a search promise link at the top of page under the search results button or the about us link at the bottom of the page. Use the links in the paragraph below if you want search tools now.

If you are reading this as an enterprise developer ready to start looking for information, it's likely you don't need more introduction to the Web but, if you do, CLICK HERE for the .network search help file. Notice that the links throughout this resource paper give you control of the amount of information you gather from it. If you're ready to access search tools, go to the .network search tools directory. If you want access to the most-used Internet search engines, go to .network WebSearch.

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This paper was written and contributed to the .network inventory of free-access resources by Bob Glover. You are welcomed to quote or copy and/or distribute it. Please, however, acknowledge that you found it in ...

http://www.EconomicDevelopment.net

Economic Development.net. is a .network hub. If you are interested in writing and contributing a similar resource paper, CLICK HERE, or read the answers to the following questions if you are willing to consider suggesting a resource link:

Why should I consider recommending a resource to The Network? (answer)

Do .network websites belong to the Site Selection Network? (answer)

Are the websites under the control of any special interest group? (answer)

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Development projects are strategic initiatives for making changes. Add to your understanding of what enterprise developers do as strategic project managers by reviewing the five items listed under the .network glossary definition of change initiative (the glossary file is titled Change and Development). All strategic projects involve risk.

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raising capital / links:

Entrepreneurs believe that a Business Plan is an important tool for raising capital

quoted from Do Entrepreneurs Really Need A Business Plan? by Brian Hill, Capital-Connection.com*

and from ...

What Do Entrepreneurs Think About Business Planning by Dee Power, Website101.com*

* Brian Hill and Dee Power co-founded Profit Dynamics Inc. It's indicated that the website http://www.capital-connection.com is Powered by SOHOWeb. SOHO is an acronym for Small Office/Home Office (The Resource Report 2001.2). The writer of this resource paper first encountered SOHO in a book by Daniel H. Pinksee the .network glossary / Free Agent Page.

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The enterprise developer is a risk taker as much as anything else and may either be the one who does the work of a site selector or the one who makes the decisions based on the findings and recommendations of someone, such as a site selection consultant. Either way, the enterprise developer is responsible for risk management. For additional information the guides file in Site Location Assistance.com offers ...

entrepreneur guides

fast-growing business guides

small business guides

The Resource Report, 2002.1 has information for the enterprise developer who works solo (a freelance worker) or runs a nanocorp.

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Real estate asset managers, generally found in large enterprises, are often involved in enterprise development. With management-level responsibilities they may be referred to as corporate real estate executives.

real estate asset management / links:

real estate asset managementdefined in the .network glossary

What is a real estate asset manager?All Property Management.com

FacilitiesNet.comarticles by categories from Trade Press Publishing

Occupational Outlook Handbook / Property, Real Estate, and Community Association ManagersUniversity of Missouri / St Louis.

Real Estate Asset ManagersAll Property Management.com

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enterprise development / getting started on the path to success:

(1) Go from plan to a project profile with at least initial specifications.

(2) Select contacts for providing informational input and assistance.

(3) Shortlist possibilities, drop the unworkable, prepare to negotiate.

(4) Don't linger when negotiatingconfirm promises / incentive offers.

Sometimes enterprise development is called business development. An explanation of business development in Wikipedia brings marketing to the forefront as does the definition of the term in the .network glossary. Various marketing efforts, including business development networking, are opportunities to let customers speak-out.

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site location project:

... an enterprise development project or that part of such a project in which location work is done. It may be referred to as a site selection project or facilities location project. All these projects are classified under the enterprise and economic development process by The Network.
definition of site location project defined definition of location project
definition of site selection project definition of facilities location project
Items listed below may be of interest to you as a business decision maker at the time you make plans to gather information (location data) for a location or real estate site selection project. Some items are presented as example questions asked of location development representatives or other location data suppliers.

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The following list of five boldface location data categories are the the essential four (above) with real estate added separately. Items listed under each category make up a composite of various selection criteria questions asked in the past by users of the Site Selection Directory. The categories themselves may be seen as links to specific location data within the typical website of a place seeking economic development prospects. Look under Forms and Questionnaires in the Site Location Assistance.com tool box for more information and resources for organizing and distributing or supplying location data.

historical population data: (demographics)

demographic look-back 10-20-30 years up the the present time

ethnic composition of the area with identities of ethnic communities

page down to labor force and work force under the next data category

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location: (place-data)

request community profile(s) / area development materials.

request information about utilities
List the supplier and distributor of the community's utilities
request list of contacts for government provided utility services
List the suppliers and distributors of the community's utilities
request list of contacts for other than government utility services
request information about utilities (water, sewer, energy, telephone)
What is the source(s) of potable water before treatment?
What is the source of the community's water?
request the maximum daily delivery capacity of potable water system(s)
What is the maximum gallons per day capacity of the water system?
What is are the five highest / most-recent water usages? (dates)
What is the highest recent usage? gal/day
What restrictions have there been on portable water usage? (dates)
What is the longest runway? Is runway lighting available?
Are there sources of non-potable water for industrial processing?
number of hospital beds in community(s) number of doctors and nurses
request information about sanitary sewer system(s)
Who supplies the community's sewer service?
What is the maximum capacity of sewer treatment plant(s)?
What has the peak usage been to date?
request information about BOD / COD / TSS discharge surcharges
discharge level of the following is permitted without a surcharge?
Are energy services provided by government(s) in the the area?
Who handles the community's non-hazardous waste?
What services are available for non-hazardous waste disposal?
Is there a hazardous waste facility located in the community?
What facilities / services are there for hazardous waste disposal?x
What is the basic property tax levy per $1000 assessed value?
request a spreadsheet of all applicable taxes and government fees
property tax rate assessment city county school total percentage
request a spreadsheet of all applicable taxes and government fees
are there property tax abatements
Are there tax abatements available?
what incentives are offered for enterprise development?
What incentives are offered for business development?
what incentives are offered for small business development?
request an area labor force profile with commuting patterns
What is the community's civilian labor force?
request an area work force profile / history of labor relations
What unions are active in the community? union work stoppages
Is there right-to-work protection for non-union workers?
banks credit unions savings and loan hospitals health care services
What is the community's total employment?
What is the number of the community's unemployed?
What percentage of the local labor force is unemployed?
What is the number of the community's unemployed?
request the number of unemployed by community
What is the number of the community's underemployed?
Are there studies of underemployment in the area?
Is a current employment or labor survey available?
request a copy of the most recent employment survey or labor survey
request a list of major employers (addresses, products or services)
request a directory of major employers in the area
list of public schools with numbers of teachers and total enrollments
request identities of public schools in area with student/teacher ratios
schools in communities numbers of teachers and students enrolled
request identities of private schools in area other than higher education
are there private grammar schools are there private high schools
request identities of colleges, universities, engineering schools in the area
list of colleges list of local universities list of local colleges of engineering
request information about workforce development programs
list of workforce training programs available
request identities of technical schools
list of services or programs for technical training
request identities worker recruiting services / employment agencies
list of pre-employment training and recruiting services
employee recruiting and pre-employment training services
Are vocational schools post high school?
request chamber of commerce membership directory

transportation services / infrastructure data:

Note: The Network collects and publishes the names of places that want economic development by asking inquirers to provide the location identities of commercial airports in their local regions. See the answer to the FAQ: Why do you want to know the location of a commercial airport?

map(s) of highways and other systems for moving people and goods
locations of distribution centers (road, rail, water)
What major highways serve the community?
How far is it to the nearest north-south interstate?
What railroads serve the community?
How far is it to the nearest east-west interstate?
Where is the nearest regional or greater commercial airport?
Are local industrial sites served by rail?
What commercial airlines serve the community? At what airport(s)?
Is daily truck service available?
What airports are there in the area for private aircraft? (details)
Does UPS or Federal Express serve the community?
Where are the nearest port facilities for water transportation?
List the truck lines that regularly serve the city
What truck lines serve the community? Where are their terminals?
Fed Ex Terminal in the city
What delivery services are there for the community? (schedules)
Does the community have a commercial airport?
Where are the nearest rail piggyback services?
Does the community have a private airport?
Where are the nearest airfreight terminals? (details)
Will the private airport accommodate corporate jets?
Where are is the nearest container port for water transport? (details)

communications services / infrastructure data:

See communications infrastructure defined in the .network glossary

Who provides communications services in the area? (contact data)
Who provides telephone services in the community?
request a profile of the existing communications technology infrastructure)

real estate:

request specific site profiles / property proposal(s)
What is the distance to the nearest piggyback service?
request area map with real estate sites / proposed properties marked
When is the peak demand time (day/week/month)?
What energy infrastructure is there available or at each site?
Who supplies the community's electricity?
request contact data for electrical service provider for each site
What is the electricity rate in cents per KWH
request contact data for natural gas service provider for each site

What is the heat content of your natural gas?

Are there site specific tax abatements?

Is a site submitted in an economic development incentive zone?

Is a site submitted classified as a brownfield?

What environmental restrictions are there at each site submitted

request contact data for each site / property submitted

industrial development:
request contact data for economic development agency
request contact data for industrial development authority(s) / agencies(s)
how many tool and die services are within 30 miles?
request copy of community(s) industrial directory / list of manufacturers
how many machine shops are within 30 miles?
request a directory of industrial services: machine shops / tool and die
how many electric motor repair services are within 30 miles?
What is the total manufacturing employment?

What unions are there in local industrial operations

When was the last unionization attempt whether successful or not?

request most recent news articles about local industrial development

request average hourly entry and top wages for the following (job examples):

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The Network definition of business development emphasizes a relationship to building and maintaining networking. You will find it, however, that it is often interchangeable with enterprise development. Try the following keyword searches for more information.

Search the Web or Economic Development.net for the meaning of ...

business development

commercial development

community development

economic development

enterprise development

industrial development

manufacturing development

manufacturing industry development

retail development

small business development

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Three hubs (websites) combine to make up The Network, each represented by a unique file-folder-button as shown below with the initials: SLA / FMH / EDN

Select a file folder to enter a .network hub.

A resource paper published in The Network serves enterprise and economic development. If that is your interest, this paper is presented by the founder and developer of The Network in the hope that you will find it of value. The .network promise goes along with your use of it. This paper is a work in progress. You are invited to critique this paper as a whole or any part of it We will give serious consideration to publishing your critique and/or comments in The Resource Report. Also, we invite you to write an original resource paper of your own that will help move plans and projects for enterprise and economic development forward as this one does.more about suggesting or contributing a resource.

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