Economic Development Consulting Services Argus Growth Consultants, Ltd. provides economic development consulting services to a wide range of clients from private businesses and real estate developers to governmental agencies and public entities. Argus is poised to assist clients needing various financial, regulatory, and other consultative solutions, and can facilitate a collaborative environment between communities and the business sector to accomplish the most complex economic development initiative. Argus’ economic development consultants partner with you to handle: Incentive Negotiations Site Selection Incentive Strategy and Design Project Consulting/Project Management Incentive Negotiations Incentive negotiations play a key role in a significant number of capital investment decisions, whether related to a new location, expansion, or consolidation. Many development agencies on the state and local levels are eager to create partnerships with existing industry or new industrial prospects to help companies achieve success and realize their maximum growth potential. Therefore, it is important that the negotiator of any economic development project is experienced due to the complex balance needed between maintaining a sense of cooperation and mutual benefit while securing the best project outcome for the client. It is prudent to note, however, that the discretionary or statutory incentives the development agency is willing to provide are typically driven by the needs of the region. Attention is often focused on the number of net new jobs, total payroll, and capital investment the project offers, since the economic health of a region depends upon the expansion of their tax base. Thus, Argus partners with its clients to leverage its strengths and facilitate development plans designed to achieve the best possible results. The services in which Argus lends its economic development expertise includes, but is not limited to, tax incentives, grants, workforce training assistance, financing, real estate, infrastructure enhancements, site improvements, and utility rate concessions. In realizing the goals of our client, Argus maintains the highest standard of excellence, ethics, and professionalism in each negotiation engagement. This professionalism, along with a successful track record, allows Argus Growth Consultants to serve as guide and guardian of clients seeking to realize their visions for growth in economic development. Site Selection Services Argus Growth Consultants provides site selection services to companies throughout the United States. Our services benefit firms seeking locations for new facilities or relocating operations, as well as those managing location decisions for competitive expansions or selective consolidations. In addition, Argus’ services provide value to firms faced with the complex mix of location decisions resulting from planned or executed mergers and acquisitions. Argus’ site selection process employs a straightforward, yet prudent, approach to identify the appropriate site to locate or expand your business. There will be consistent communication between Argus and the client throughout the project. Our clients will always know what we are doing and why. Lastly, all of our assignments are managed and executed with maximum confidentiality. The evaluation process will include: Defining the scope of the project and its key decision criteria Identifying and evaluating the search region(s) Contacting and requesting detailed proposals from those areas Performing an evaluation of the proposed properties Completing property investigations (as appropriate) Initiating incentive negotiations: including requesting Incentive proposals Evaluate incentive proposals Concluding real estate/incentive negotiations with finalist locations Making site recommendation(s) Finalizing development agreement or memorandum of understanding Facilitating a public company announcement of the selected location Providing post-announcement incentive support as needed. While the process allows for the flexibility necessary to adapt to changing company project dynamics and decision factors, it will also assist Argus in supplying a final location recommendation that is sound, defensible, and reflective of the company’s site and community criteria. Incentive Strategy and Design Argus has a wealth of experience working with local governments in assessing and implementing economic development strategic plans. To most effectively realize these plans, an incentive strategy should accompany most economic development (and redevelopment) plans. Whether you are: Establishing or creating incentive programs; Analyzing the effectiveness of your existing incentive programs; or Interested in alternative and other creative approaches or incentive programming options, Argus can provide the experience and resources needed to assist local governments in developing and designing the appropriate incentive strategy, and lead the effort to strategically align an incentive policy with a community’s strategic plan. Argus works with its clients to culminate new and enhanced incentive policy designs to stimulate development based on each individual plan. It is important to note that these types of analyses are not only helpful to our public sector clients, but can also be helpful to private sector clients i.e. developers as they structure various development deals or business clients as they embark upon a site selection project. Project Consulting/Project Management In light of the changing economy and the increasing awareness of business to various economic development incentive tools, local governments, port authorities, and other public entities can benefit from the wealth of experience that Argus can provide. Through our consulting and management services, we partner with your team to enhance your specific subject matter expertise and responsiveness to help you keep pace with the pace of business notwithstanding leaner staffing. Instead of investing in a new employee and incurring significant administrative and overhead costs, Argus Growth Consultants efficiently can provide that expertise on a contractual basis. With guidance from our client, we will employ our team on various economic development and public finance projects/initiatives and manage these engagements on your behalf from start to finish. For more information about Argus' Economic Development Consulting Services, contact Quinten Harris.