June 17, 2008

Dusting Off the Files of Success

The Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. (GRP) is sometimes asked, how did you assist these new companies coming into the region? What was your role in helping the 370 new businesses noted on your list of "assisted companies"?

The GRP has two tests it uses to determine if we should include the new business on our "assisted company" list:

1. Did the company give us credit in assisting them in their site search? In their minds, did we add value?

2. Did the local government acknowledge our help in the location process? If these two tests are met, we include them on our "assisted company" list. If not, they are not included.

Below are the first in a series of 13 case studies that are designed to show our current and prospective investors the role the GRP provided in attracting a variety of new businesses to the region over the last 14 years.

We have opened the "vault" - so to speak - of our prospect files to provide you a peek at the complexity of courting new business and how the GRP has assisted as part of the team made up of the State, private businesses, the Greater Richmond Chamber and local governments.

Economic Development is a team sport and sometimes the GRP is the quarterback, at other times the cheerleader. You will not find the GRP pounding its chest saying "we brought in this new business," rather you will find us listed as part of a group that together, recruited this new business to the metro area. We leave it to our elected officials to make the announcements and claim the credit they rightly deserve.

Below are two case studies: Aspen Products is a new manufacturing company from Kansas City that opened an east coast operation in the City of Richmond earlier this year.

Click here for Aspen's case study. The second is a detailed chronology of our role in recruiting the headquarters of Philip Morris USA from NYC several years ago.

Click here for the Philip Morris Corporate Headquarters case study.

We hope you enjoy these snapshots and after reading all 13 over the next several months have a better understanding that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to helping new business navigate the shoals of site location.