Appleton Greene
Austin, TX

Austin is considered to be a major center for high tech. Thousands of graduates each year from the engineering and computer science programs at the University of Texas at Austin provide a steady source of employees that help to fuel Austin’s technology and defense industry sectors. The region’s rapid growth has led Forbes to rank the Austin metropolitan area number one among all big cities for jobs. Austin’s largest employers include the Austin Independent School District, the City of Austin, Dell, the U.S. Federal Government, Freescale Semiconductor (spun off from Motorola in 2004), IBM, St. David’s Healthcare Partnership, Seton Family of Hospitals, the State of Texas, the Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Other high-tech companies with operations in Austin include 3M, Amazon, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Google, Qualcomm, Inc., AMD, Applied Materials, Cirrus Logic, ARM Holdings, Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts, Flextronics, Facebook, eBay/PayPal, Bioware, Blizzard Entertainment, Hoover’s, Intel Corporation, National Instruments, Rackspace, RetailMeNot, Rooster Teeth, Spansion, Buffalo Technology, Silicon Laboratories, Xerox, Oracle, Hostgator, Samsung Group, HomeAway, and United Devices.

Automotive

The automotive industry is a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world’s most important economic sectors by revenue. The automotive industry does not include industries dedicated to the maintenance of automobiles following delivery to the end-user, such as automobile repair shops and motor fuel filling stations. Around the world, there are about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, consuming over 260 billion US gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The automobile is a primary mode of transportation for many developed economies. The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicts that, one-third of world demand will be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Other potentially powerful automotive markets are Iran and Indonesia. Emerging auto markets already buy more cars than established markets. According to a J.D. Power study, emerging markets accounted for 51 percent of the global light-vehicle sales. The study expects this trend to accelerate.

Consumer Goods

In economics, any commodity which is produced and subsequently consumed by the consumer, to satisfy its current wants or needs, is a consumer good or final good. Consumer goods are goods that are ultimately consumed rather than used in the production of another good. For example, a microwave oven or a bicycle which is sold to a consumer is a final good or consumer good, whereas the components which are sold to be used in those goods are called intermediate goods. For example, textiles or transistors which can be used to make some further goods. When used in measures of national income and output, the term “final goods” only includes new goods. For instance, the GDP excludes items counted in an earlier year to prevent double counting of production based on resales of the same item second and third hand. In this context the economic definition of goods includes what are commonly known as services. Manufactured goods are goods that have been processed in any way. As such, they are the opposite of raw materials, but include intermediate goods as well as final goods. Consumer goods are goods which are intended for everyday private consumption. They cover a large product portfolio including food and non-food categories in order to meet consumer demand. They are further classified in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and slow moving consumer goods (SMCG). The definitions are based on how fast products are sold to the customer, a determining factor in the rotation of goods. SMCG are goods with a useful life longer than a year comprising items such as household appliances, furniture and home improvement products. These items have a lower sales frequency and are not rotating as rapidly as FMCG. The competitive landscape of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is shaped by global leading CPG companies such as US-based Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever, L’Oréal and Nestlé. Many companies invest large amounts of money for the development of new products in accordance with recent market trends and the latest research findings. As many manufacturers operate globally, product packaging and labeling regulations have to be fulfilled in order to meet the country-specific requirements. In addition, product formulas may have to be adapted to suit different consumer tastes.

Dallas-TX
Dallas, TX

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has one of the largest concentrations of corporate headquarters for publicly traded companies in the United States. The city of Dallas has 12 Fortune 500 companies and the DFW region as a whole has 20. Comerica Bank and AT&T located their headquarters in Dallas. Irving is home to four Fortune 500 companies of its own, including ExxonMobil, the most profitable company in the world and the second largest by revenue, Kimberly-Clark, Fluor (engineering), and Commercial Metals. Additional companies headquartered in the Metroplex include Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, RadioShack, Neiman Marcus, 7-Eleven, Brinker International, AMS Pictures, id Software, ENSCO Offshore Drilling, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Zales and Fossil. Corporate headquarters in the northern suburb of Plano include HP Enterprise Services, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and JCPenney. Many of these companies – and others throughout the DFW metroplex – comprise the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Electronics

The electronics industry, especially meaning consumer electronics has now become a global industry worth billions of dollars. Contemporary society uses all manner of electronic devices built in automated or semi-automated factories operated by the industry. The size of the industry and the use of toxic materials, as well as the difficulty of recycling has led to a series of problems with electronic waste. International regulation and environmental legislation has been developed in an attempt to address the issues. Consumer electronics is that which is intended for everyday use, most often in entertainment, communications and office productivity. Radio broadcasting in the early 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast receiver. Later products include personal computers, telephones, MP3 players, audio equipment, televisions, calculators, GPS automotive electronics, digital cameras and players and recorders using video media such as DVDs, VCRs or camcorders. Increasingly these products have become based on digital technologies, and have largely merged with the computer industry in what is increasingly referred to as the consumerization of information technology. The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) estimated the value of consumer electronics sales at US$150 billion. Favorable demographics, rising consumer incomes, and evolving more interconnected lifestyles are anticipated to boost the global consumer electronics industry. The market is expected to reach an estimated US $1,210 billion with a CAGR of 5.4% over next five years. The consumer electronics industry is consolidated as the top 10 players contribute approximately 52% of total market size. The industry, which is capital intensive and price sensitive, is a highly dynamic and fast-changing industry. Costs of raw materials such as steel and copper have increased, which had a significant effect on the price of the finished goods. A combination of factors such as rising income and consumer spending affect the market dynamics significantly. The industry has essentially recovered from the recent recessionary condition globally and is in the growing phase.

Government

The economic, financial and military pressures on global governments are especially high in today’s world. Those that perform best under pressure are armed with insight that helps identify new or missed tax revenue opportunities, reduce fraud and waste in human health services, effectively manage key military assets, and analyze and predict events related to security intelligence. From state and local issues – to national security at home and abroad, all levels of government are faced with the daunting task of collecting and analyzing data and assuring compliance, accurately and in real time.

Louisville KY
Louisville KY

Louisville is a competitive, authentic, global city, home to UPS WorldPort and a center for advanced manufacturing and logistics, as well as among only a dozen U.S. cities that have all five major performing arts groups. As the hometown of Muhammad Ali, Louisville punches above its weight and its 750,000 population. Midwest or South? Both! With its Midwestern sensibilities and southern hospitality, Louisville is the regional economic hub and cultural and artistic heart of 24 surrounding counties in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population, it’s also a strategic location for thousands of companies, including large corporations and growing startups. The city is home to the Kentucky Derby and the world’s great bourbons, from Maker’s Mark to Jim Beam to Woodford Reserve, all distilled in the Louisville area. Louisville’s reputation as a hub of innovation for food and bourbon (in addition to other spirits) has earned it accolades from far and wide, including Zagat, which named Louisville as a top foodie destination in the world. Logistics, advanced manufacturing, health care, and more!…Louisville’s business strategies focus on areas of strength where large numbers of companies already are successful in Louisville. Ford and GE are experiencing major growth in advanced manufacturing, and the wealth of logistics operations make it easy for them and similar companies to continue to excel.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labor and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation. In a free market economy, manufacturing is usually directed toward the mass production of products for sale to consumers at a profit. In a collectivist economy, manufacturing is more frequently directed by the state to supply a centrally planned economy. In mixed market economies, manufacturing occurs under some degree of government regulation. Modern manufacturing includes all intermediate processes required for the production and integration of a product’s components. Some industries, such as semiconductor and steel manufacturers use the term fabrication instead. The manufacturing sector is closely connected with engineering and industrial design. According to some economists, manufacturing is a wealth-producing sector of an economy, whereas a service sector tends to be wealth-consuming. Emerging technologies have provided some new growth in advanced manufacturing employment opportunities in the Manufacturing Belt in the United States. Manufacturing provides important material support for national infrastructure and for national defense. On the other hand, most manufacturing may involve significant social and environmental costs. The clean-up costs of hazardous waste, for example, may outweigh the benefits of a product that creates it. Hazardous materials may expose workers to health risks. These costs are now well known and there is effort to address them by improving efficiency, reducing waste, using industrial symbiosis, and eliminating harmful chemicals. The increased use of technologies such as 3D printing also offer the potential to reduce the environmental impact of producing finished goods through distributed manufacturing.

Mr Ferguson MBA BA – Senior Consultant
J.-Ferguson-ASC-150x150

Mr Ferguson is an approved Senior Consultant at Appleton Greene and he has experience in management, production and customer service. He has achieved a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts. He has industry experience within the following sectors: Manufacturing; Consumer Goods; Automotive; Electronics and Government. He has had commercial experience within the following countries: United States of America, or more specifically within the following cities: San Antonio TX; Austin TX; Tampa FL; Dallas TX and Louisville KY. His personal achievements include: facilitated performance management improvement; executive leadership development and growth; strategic planning and implementation; implementing lean concepts in management and operational process improvement. His service skills incorporate: strategic planning; project management; leadership development; process improvement and lean manufacturing.

San-Antonio-TX
San Antonio, TX

San Antonio has a diversified economy, ranking 4th among Texas metropolitan areas and 38th in the United States. San Antonio’s economy is focused primarily within military, health care, government civil service, financial services, oil and gas and tourism sectors. Within the past twenty years, San Antonio has become a significant location for American-based call centers and has added a significant manufacturing sector centered around automobiles. San Antonio is home to six Fortune 500 companies: Valero Energy Corp, Tesoro Corp, USAA, Clear Channel Communications, NuStar Energy and CST Brands, Inc. H-E-B, the 19th largest private company in the United States is also headquartered in San Antonio. Other companies headquartered in San Antonio are: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises, Carenet Healthcare Services, Eye Care Centers of America, Frost Bank, Harte-Hanks, Kinetic Concepts, NewTek, Rackspace, Taco Cabana and Whataburger. Other large companies that operate regional headquarters in the city include: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Kohl’s, Allstate, Chase Bank, Philips, Wells Fargo, Toyota, Medtronic, Sysco, Caterpillar Inc., AT&T, West Corporation, Citigroup, Boeing, QVC, and Lockheed Martin.

Tampa FL
Tampa FL

The City of Tampa strives to serve the business interests of both small and large businesses across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. A favorable tax structure, quality infrastructure, development incentives, and a strong labor force are just a few of the features that make Tampa a top choice for business innovation and development. Over the past few years, Tampa has welcomed a number of new and expanding businesses to our community and the Department of Economic and Urban Development stands ready to assist you and your business endeavors: Infrastructure and Utilities; Transportation of Goods & Services; Financial Incentives and Small, Women and Minority-Owned Businesses. Tampa is one of the major business hubs in Florida. It is the home to technical companies such as Tech Data, Jabil Circuit, Well Care Health Plans and Publix. Twenty percent of Florida larges companies are located in the Tampa Bay Area. While Tampa may not be as big as some other major Unites States cities it is among one the most divers economies. The city and state government are very business focused and supportive. A large number of local universities provide a stable and well education workforce.

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