DT #614 Raising the Bar on Site Readiness: Standards, Speed, and Site Selection

In this episode of Develop This!, host Dennis Fraise sits down with Phil Schneider, Project Principal at Global Location Strategies (GLS), to unpack one of the most critical challenges facing communities today: site readiness. With more than 30 years of global consulting experience and nearly 400 site selection engagements across manufacturing, headquarters, R&D, technology, and shared services, Phil brings a site selector's unfiltered perspective on how the site selection landscape has fundamentally changed—and why many communities are struggling to keep up. The conversation explores how manufacturing site selection projects now move at hyper speed, why risk aversion among companies has intensified, and how the shortage of truly competitive industrial sites is reshaping economic development strategy. Phil also dives into the persistent problem of inconsistent definitions of "ready sites" across states and programs—and how that inconsistency can derail projects before they even get started. A major focus of the episode is the work of the Site Selectors Guild to establish national standards for site readiness. Phil explains how standardized criteria, data transparency, and data integrity can dramatically improve a community's competitiveness—and save both site selectors and economic developers valuable time. This episode is essential listening for any economic development professional looking to align their site readiness efforts with real-world site selection expectations. Key Takeaways Site readiness is now a baseline requirement, not a competitive advantage. Site selection timelines have compressed dramatically, increasing pressure on communities. There is a national shortage of quality, build-ready industrial sites. Companies are increasingly risk-averse, demanding better data and fewer unknowns. Definitions of "ready sites" vary widely—and that inconsistency creates friction. Economic developers and site selectors don't always evaluate readiness the same way. Data richness, accessibility, and transparency are essential to staying competitive. The Site Selectors Guild Ready Sites program helps identify gaps and raise standards. There are no perfect sites—but knowing your site's limitations matters. National site readiness standards are becoming increasingly important, even globally.