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Texas once again tops Chief Executive’s list of Best States for Business, and comments by CEOs make it clear why they are attracted to the Lone Star State. “Texas continues to offer the most conducive environment to business growth with moderate tax rates and an accommodating regulatory environment,” one CEO said. “I have found the state of Texas to be the best with regard to tax and regulations, as well as their incentives!!!” said another.
The U.S.’s No. 1 exporter, Texas exported $232 billion in goods in 2016, according to the Texas Economic Development Corp. Texas has the second-largest state airport system, with 380 airports, including the world’s first purely industrial airport at the Fort Worth Alliance Global Logistics Hub. Texas also has 11 deep-water ports, including the Port of Houston, one of the nation’s top 10, and 10,425 miles of freight rail—more than any state.
The Lone Star State is home to 51 Fortune 500 companies, including ExxonMobil, AT&T, Kimberly-Clark, Texas Instruments, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Texas continues to offer the most conducive environment to business growth with moderate tax rates and an accommodating regulatory environment.
Florida ranked No. 2 on Chief Executive’s Best & Worst States for Business, with affordable labor, land and capital costs, according to Enterprise Florida. Moreover, the Tax Foundation ranked the Sunshine State No. 4 on its 2017 State Business Tax Climate Index. Companies headquartered in Florida include CSX, Office Depot, Hertz, Ryder and ADT.
Ranking third is North Carolina, with rapidly-growing business sectors such as biotechnology, energy, finance and information technology. Bank of America is based in the Tar Heel State, as is Duke Energy, Sealy, Deere Hitachi, SAS and Hamilton Beach.
North Carolina is a cost-effective place to relocate or expand because of its performance-based incentive programs, competitive cost structure and low business tax burden, according to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
South Carolina ranks fourth, with a favorable corporate income tax structure and zero taxes on state property, local income, inventory and wholesale products, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce. There also are no sales taxes on manufacturing machinery, industrial power or materials for finished products, and no unitary tax on worldwide profits. Companies calling the Palmetto State home include Michelin North America, Sonoco and Denny’s.
Rounding out the Top 5 is Indiana, the home state of the U.S. Vice President, Mike Pence. Indiana is one of only a handful of states with a AAA credit rating and an actual budget surplus, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. For any company that may be interested in moving or expanding, the Hoosier State is lowering business taxes this year, next year, and every year after that through 2021. Eli Lilly, Cummins, Kimball and others are based in Indiana.
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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:
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.
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.
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.
