10 Best States for Business 2012: Slideshow

“North Dakota and Texas clearly provide the best business climate due primarily to limited and sensible regulations and taxation.”

“Poor governorship in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and others, results in negative international press attention, a contentious environment, hostile unions, ineffective work force training, and marginal support services.”

“Texas – what else needs to be said – great people, low tax, low regulation, great central location.”

“Texas continues to be a state where we will expand.”

“Texas continues to develop and grow businesses. The State attracts Top level talent across the income divisions. Laws and taxation are creating opportunities that benefit expansion and job growth.”

“Texas is extremely business friendly. Virginia is also excellent for business. Between the two they provide excellent options to relocate a business and grow the business.”

“The lack of government interference in Texas makes it an ideal state for business.”

“We are moving our headquarters from Oregon to Texas. We looked at all of the other surrounding states to Oregon and found that in order to get pro business environment, quality workforce and great living environment we needed to move into the southern US.”

“Weather, time zone, politics, airport, taxes all make Texas best.”

“Florida is not that banker friendly. The foreclosure process takes several years on average and this is holding their recovery back.”

“Florida has a bad business environment for insurance companies with tough regulations.”

“I am a one-woman business. The only things important to me are weather/climate and status of state income taxes. Florida nor Texas have state income taxes, and they have great weather—with El paso topping everything.”

“The Carolinas, Florida, and Texas have become very business friendly, with excellent workforces, high quality of life, and moderate cost of living.”

“Florida is now the worst state for third party bad faith. Trial bar is running the state. Citizens Insurance is a major problem that could bankrupt the state if a major disaster hits Florida.”

“Texas and North Carolina are easy to work with but NC taxes are beginning to cause us to look elsewhere.”

“Good states have quality work force, affordable housing, good infrastructure and business friendly regulations with low income taxes, none of these apply to Illinois or California but do so in Tennessee and Texas.”

“I applaud what Wisconsin and Indiana are trying to do. As a “Badger”, I’m hopeful Gov. Walker is allowed to complete his term and I hope that the Right to Work legislation takes effect in Indiana.”

“Indiana is centrally located, has a balanced budget and excess reserves on hand, is a low overall tax environment, is business friendly and is now a right to work state. If you want to locate in the Midwest, there is no other state in its class.”

“Indiana is like a breath of fresh air. I have operated on both coasts, the southeast, and Chicago, and Indiana is where I will keep my manufacturing operations.”

“Indiana’s workermens compensation laws and insurance costs are very good. Illinois’s workermens compensation laws and insurance costs are anti-business and very expensive.”

“Ohio, Indiana & Texas are very pro business in many areas.”

“Texas is extremely business friendly. Virginia is also excellent for business. Between the two they provide excellent options to relocate a business and grow the business.”

“It’s not only low taxes; it’s a bi-partisan environment that views business as positive and works to address issues. Virginia is terrific at this.”

“The tax and regulation climate in Illinois has become stifling. Add to that the additional taxes of being in the city of Chicago, and it makes it difficult to stay here. California is a basket case, and we do all we can to avoid being there. The tort bar in South Carolina is very difficult, and nuisance lawsuits are out of control in that state.”

“Georgia is a great place to do business, the airport the weather the cost of living. Good talent pool to pick from.”

“Georgia understands business needs, even industry specifics, and goes all out in ensuring the atmosphere is staged for business success.”

“Would love to live and retire in Texas, Utah or Idaho due to quality of life, west of the Mississippi, Not gun restrictive and in Utah and Idaho’s example, limited population.”

“Arizona only appears on the surface to be business friendly – for micro mainstreet businesses they appear to do their best to make it difficult to do business in this state – counties and cities are difficult to work around.”

“Arizona provides the best bottom line operating environment and the least regulation – so that business needs get met. It’s an overlooked west coast location.”