Chief Executive Logo
Search
Close this search box.
ACCOUNT
Chief Executive Logo
Search
Close this search box.

5 Great Cities for Growing Your Manufacturing Business In

Picture of Dale Buss

Dale Buss

Many CEOs are in the midst of decisions right now about where to site or expand a factory. Here are 5 locations that are catching their attention as U.S. manufacturing hotbeds, either traditional-and-growing or up-and-coming.
  1. Reno, Nevada. Now that it has won over the Tesla-Panasonic electric-car-battery “gigafactory” from Elon Musk, the city is pivoting to leverage the most from its achievement in other economic development. That means it’s looking for other manufacturers to validate the ascension of the Reno area, and the state as a whole, beyond only gambling and mining industries. Posts on bettingnews.com report on legal online betting and have been alluding to these facts. Experts say the Tesla complex won’t spawn a lot of Tier One suppliers in the area like a conventional auto-assembly plant might do, but surely other companies will be looking to tap into the expanding infrastructure in the area and the rising skill base of Reno-area employees.
“BMW and Boeing are each spending $1 billion to build state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in South Carolina.”
  1. Chattanooga, Tennessee. The city got a boost when Volkswagen located its new U.S. assembly plant there in 2011. And while sales of the vehicles built there, the Passat sedan, have slowed lately, Chattanooga will get another bump when VW adds to its complex there to build a new SUV next year. Just as important for the long run is that Chattanooga now is benefiting from the high-speed Internet network that the city’s government-owned power board, EPB, installed there four years ago, one of four initial cities for such an installation. Manufacturers are sure to follow the digital-tech entrepreneurs and take advantage of the sizzlingly fast data network.
  1. Detroit. One of the oldest names in American manufacturing has become one of the newest names: the Motor City. Thanks to booming sales since their return from the Great Recession and government bailouts of two of them, the Detroit Three have been sinking resources back into hometown manufacturing, with each of them substantially beefing up important major factory complexes, including those that make the Ford F-150 aluminum-bodied truck and the all-new Chrysler 200 sedan. And key suppliers in the area are burgeoning as well.
  1. “Any City,” South Carolina. Throw a dart at South Carolina these days and it’s likely to hit on or near a hot manufacturing-growth city: Columbia, Greenville, Summerville and, especially, Charleston and Spartanburg. Boeing, for instance, has committed to spend $1 billion in adding 2,000 jobs by 2020 at its rising “aerospace hub” in the Charleston area, which should lead to siting interest by more aerospace suppliers. And BMW is in the midst of spending its own $1 billion to boost output at its Spartanburg plant by 50 percent, making models for the hot luxury-SUV market.
  1. Milwaukee. The hard-working belt buckle of Wisconsin makes just about everybody’s list of rising manufacturing towns. Its manufacturing history includes leather, beer and machine tools. But nowadays, the increasingly diversified factory base of southeastern Wisconsin relies on Harley-Davidson, Master Lock, Badger Meter water meters, General Electric medical-imaging equipment, West Bend kitchen appliances, Johnsonville sausages, Kohler sinks and a variety of other types of goods. A planned water-technology research hub will no doubt further diversify things.

 

 


Picture of Dale Buss

Dale Buss

Dale Buss is a long-time contributor to Chief Executive, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and other business publications. He lives in Michigan.
View More By This Author

MORE LIKE THIS

upcoming events

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CEO BRIEFING

In our weekly newsletter, get insight into the biggest issues facing CEOs, along with strategic ideas, solutions, and interviews.

GET IN TOUCH

  • contact@chiefexecutive.net
  • 203.930.2700
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
Chief Executive Group

Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.

Publications

Communities

About

Roundtable

Strategic Planning Workshop

1:00 - 5:00 pm

Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

  1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
  2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
  3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

 

Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

2:00 - 5:00 pm

Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

Limited space available.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

Golf Outing

10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS

General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.