Quest helps companies decide where to locate facilities.
We assist our clients with the selection of the optimal location to meet their strategic and operational goals. Our customizable approach allows us to serve large international corporations to start-up firms in a wide array of industry sectors.
Quest’s consulting process enables our clients to avoid risk and make defendable, informed site selection decisions. Trusting Quest to find the right location for your facility allows you to remain focused on your core business.
Site Selection Services
Quest offers our site selection services comprehensively as a four-phase approach or individually to meet your project needs.
Our individual services include location evaluation to determine the search region, property investigations to assess real estate options, workforce analysis to understand the labor dynamics in candidate communities, and incentive negotiations to maximize return on investment. Collectively, these services comprise the four-phase approach described below.
Who We Help
- Manufacturing
- Warehouse & Distribution
- Office
- Headquarters Relocation
What We Evaluate
- Workforce
- Union Activity
- Business Climate
- Property Suitability
- Zoning & Land Use
- Utility Infrastructure
- Transportation Infrastructure
- Taxes
- Quality of Life
- Incentives
- Permitting
- Logistics
- Factors Unique to You
Our Process
Our site selection process includes four key phases that are tailored to the specific needs of each project. Securing the right site is fundamental to the success of your business. We have the knowledge, experience, and proven process to get you there.
DEFINE
EVALUATE
NEGOTIATE
CAPTURE
Define
Evaluate
Negotiate
Capture
Phase I: Define
Phase I begins with defining the end goal and the location criteria. We listen to your objectives and bring the structured process and technical expertise to help realize your vision. On your behalf, Quest will introduce your project to the areas under consideration to gather site and community data.
The success of this step depends on leveraging the right connections and asking the right questions. By maintaining relationships with economic development partners nationwide and having substantial project experience, our team ensures your project gets the attention it deserves. We evaluate the properties submitted against your project criteria and share our recommendations to determine candidate locations.
Phase II: Evaluate
During Phase II, we take a deeper dive into the multitude of factors that will impact your site selection decision. We put boots on the ground during this step by conducting field visits to further explore the property, infrastructure, and community characteristics. Quest also conducts extensive desktop research to develop a comprehensive comparison between candidate locations.
We leverage our analytical tools and resources to bring you the most up-to-date information on workforce availability and skill sets, labor union presence and activity, education, cost of living, natural disaster risk, taxes, and many other factors which play a vital role in selecting a site and community that meet your needs. Phase II concludes with Quest presenting a comprehensive comparative analysis to determine finalist locations.
Phase III: Negotiate
In Phase III, we focus on finalizing our analysis of each property and the costs of doing business in each location. Our team develops customized incentive requests for each finalist location and leads the negotiation process.
While the entirety of Quest’s site selection process is tailored to the specific needs of your project, incentive negotiations require the most customization due to the uniqueness of each community’s infrastructure, permitting processes, tax structure, and incentive programs. Our team works to ensure the negotiation process results in an incentive package which benefits you and establishes a strong relationship with the state and community. Since even the best available location options are not without risks, we also conduct a risk assessment to identify potential risks, the likelihood of occurrence, and the potential impact on your operations. The information and location recommendation presented at the conclusion of Phase III will enable your team to make an informed decision on a preferred location.
Phase IV: Capture
Phase IV finalizes the deal in your preferred location and equips your team to capture the incentive package. Working with your legal counsel, Quest confirms that the incentives and real estate terms are accurately described in legal documentation. We assist in coordinating communications with the winning location to prepare for the project announcement.
Our team also prepares an incentive compliance manual that provides guidance on the ongoing documentation required for capturing incentives. This final phase in the process positions you for long-term success at your selected site.
