Winston-Salem Listed Among the “Hottest Cities” for Business

Winston-Salem’s effort to attract new employers has paid off with a listing among “America’s 50 Hottest Cities” for business relocation or expansion, according to Expansion Management magazine.

The magazine’s January-February issue ranked Winston-Salem 34th on its list of cities that site location consultants consider the best locations for future facility expansion.

The magazine asked more than 80 of the industry's most prominent site location consultants to list their top city choices for relocating and expanding manufacturing companies, taking into consideration such factors as the business climate, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs, and the ease of working with local political and economic development officials.

Mayor Allen Joines said that the listing validates the broad community effort to rebuild Winston-Salem’s local economy. “I think that Winston-Salem opened a lot of eyes when we were successful in securing the location of the new Dell computer facility,” Joines said.

“That effort required unprecedented cooperation by the public and private sectors of our community, and that’s what this poll measured - the ease of working with local government and local economic development organizations,” Joines said. Successful efforts to retain the US Airways reservations center and recruit Tengion Inc. and the Lowe’s data center reinforced the perception that Winston-Salem is serious about fostering economic development, he said. “As we look to the future and the opening of the Fed Ex hub, rankings such as this can only bolster our efforts to attract new jobs.”

Three other North Carolina metropolitan areas were also listed: Charlotte at No. 6, Raleigh-Cary at No. 16, and Greensboro-High-Point at No. 47. More information about America’s 50 Hottest Cities is available online at www.expansionmanagement.com.

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