• An ideal location in relation to your principal customers.
• An image as an excellent community in which to live, work, and own a business.
• Quality of K-12 school systems, including programs that serve the needs of all children.
• Access to quality higher education.
• Supply of qualified, productive workforce.
• Excellent Labor-Management relations.
• Cost of Labor in relation their productivity and skill sets.
• Customized, on-going employee training services.
• Retail shopping opportunities.
• Efficiency of local government services.
• Overall local tax levels that ensure value for taxes paid.
• Transportation system and quality of local roads and streets.
• Availability, capacity, and cost of water and sewer system.
• Incidence of crime and response by criminal justice system.
• Proximity to enjoyable cultural and recreational opportunities.
• Business retention and expansion efforts.
• Business attraction efforts.
• Diversity of local economy (i.e., manufacturing, retail, high tech, service, agriculture.)
• Livability of neighborhoods including access to parks, condition of local streets and neighbors' homes, responsiveness of police and fire services.
• Access to investment capital including venture, equity, and debt capital.