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Kano, Nigeria

Kano is the capital of Kano State in North-West, Nigeria. It is situated in the Sahelian geographic region, south of the Sahara. Kano is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria and is the second largest city in Nigeria, after Lagos. The Kano metropolis initially covered 137 square kilometers (53 square miles), and comprised six local government areas (LGAs) — Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nasarawa; However, it now covers two additional LGAs — Ungogo and Kumbotso. The total area of Metropolitan Kano is now 499 square kilometers (193 square miles), with a population of 2,828,861 as of the 2006 Nigerian census. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Hausa people. As in most parts of northern Nigeria, the Hausa language is widely spoken in Kano. The city is the capital of the Kano Emirate. The current emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, was enthroned on 8 June 2014 after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero, the thirtieth emir of Kano, on Friday, 6 June 2014. The city’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the main airport serving northern Nigeria, is named after a politician, Mallam Aminu Kano.

Kansas City, MO

The Greater Kansas City area is close to the geographical center of the United States. This makes it well located for distribution, manufacturing, warehousing and intermodal transportation. The economy in the Kansas City area is diverse. Major manufacturing employers are Hallmark Cards, Harmon Industries, Inc., and American Italian Pasta, the largest producer of pasta in North America. Federal Express, Wausau Supply, Procter & Gamble, and H&R Block either have or are in the process of relocating significant operations or expanding existing ones in the area. The city is home to the corporate headquarters for DST Systems, automated recordkeeping for the mutual fund industry, Nextel Corp., YRC Worldwide, Hallmark Cards, Russell Stover Candies, H&R Block, and Novastar Financial. “Prosperity at a Crossroads” found that Greater Kansas City was weak in the number of firms engaging in domestic and international trade, the quality of human capital and capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, three drivers they have identified for regional economic growth. As an example, net exports as a share of its overall economy has declined significantly since 1990. Along with this the percentage of the number of people with a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering and math is below national averages, and those with these skills are leaving the area for places outside of the Midwest. The economic growth rate for the area is expected to be above national averages. The strongest job growth is expected to be in the services industry followed by construction and real estate. Manufacturing employment is expected to be fairly flat with output gains coming from productivity improvements. Slight employment increases are expected in the transportation and wholesale industries because of large investments being made in new distribution facilities, such as those surrounding the BNSF intermodal center in southwest Johnson County. Increases in automation will allow for substantial increases in freight while employing roughly the same number of people. Growth in construction employment is expected to continue to increase as is the professional, technical and scientific services industry, which accounts for over 25% of the areas employment growth rates. The biggest declining sector is traditional retail. As internet sales account for more of the local spending, traditional retailers will be forced to come up with better and more cost effective methods. The number of retail workers in the Greater Kansas City economy is forecast to decline.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Malaysian ICT market is going through a lot of changes and will gain momentum. Capabilities will be built in digital content, software development and testing, Internet of Things (IoT), data centers and cloud services, cyber security and big data analytics (BDA). The Government has taken the special interest in developing the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, which has resulted in several market partnerships. The commercialization of ‘smart city’ infrastructure, applications, and services such as smart highways, intelligent traffic management systems and advanced energy management systems are expected to drive IoT adoption across key social and economic sectors. Over the last five years, the data center industry has grown rapidly to support 26 data center service companies and nearly 200 specialized service providers capable of providing affordable, scalable and high-quality remote data storage and retrieval services to the growing numbers of multinational corporations looking to establish regional headquarters in the country. Cloud computing is expected to gain momentum with growing investments in data centers and ICT infrastructure in Malaysia. Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia has named cloud computing as the most important of its top 10 strategic technology priorities. The government hopes that adoption of cloud computing, building on the national broadband initiative, could accelerate Malaysia’s development into an advanced economy. In Malaysia, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has the highest adoption of cloud computing followed by Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Hybrid Clouds remain the dominant form of deployment by enterprises and this model has been recognized by service providers as a key growth market. While the adoption of cloud computing offers multiple potential benefits, there are also concerns regarding bandwidth consumption, lack of maturity of cloud environments, latency, data security and privacy guarantees from service providers. Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) identified R&D in cyberspace security as a critical issue for the continued development of its IT and telecoms sectors. MOSTI stated the imperative of reducing the vulnerability of critical infrastructures such as power grids, air traffic control systems, military and financial systems. More focus will be given to key areas such as secure communications to protect the confidentiality and integrity of information during transmission and storage, high availability systems to ensure continuous and uninterrupted operations of critical IT software projects, network surveillance to detect and respond to incidents of system disruption, secure access to protect the ICT system from unauthorized entry, and system integrity controls to ensure that a system and its data are not illicitly modified or corrupted. These changes in growth are attributed to the move from traditional computers to smaller ICT devices and wearable gadgets, the increasing amount of real-time and interactive multimedia content supported by mobile technology, the rising popularity of cloud computing, Big Data Analytics, software-as-a-service (SaaS), social media applications, Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology, the integration of systems and processes and ICT services by and with the people and institutions and service providers. Currently, its share to gross domestic product (GDP) is 17.3 percent (USD 62 billion in current prices) in 2016. Despite the slower economy in 2016, the ICT industry registered 14.2 percent growth, based on the 12.5 percent growth that the industry experienced in 2015. The outlook for consultancy services remains bullish specifically in the risk management associated with cloud computing projects, Internet of Things (IoT) projects, e-commerce, and security systems.

Manchester, United Kingdom

Built on cotton and silk weaving, with transport links developed on the water ways and later rail, Manchester was the work place of innovators such as Arkwright, who patenting the spinning and carding machine, and was actively involved in improving the textile industry. However the early 1900’s brought a decline in the traditional industry of cotton, as well as engineering, with competition from Leeds and the Midlands. In the early 1900’s Rolls Royce started production of their cars in the City. More recent history is notable for the growth of “Chinatown” since the 1970’s; sadly an IRA bomb in 1996 caused damage to life and property in 1996, but this gave rise the Trafford Shopping Centre a large indoor shopping centre, the second largest in the UK, attracting more than 35 million visitors a year. Today Manchester is placed situated in the second most populated urban area in the UK; it has benefited considerably from recent improvements and developments is Salford Quays, which has become a major centre for the BBC, and the Trafford Shopping Centre which brings many visitors from around the area to the city. Manchester continues to have an important role in the arts, with a top orchestra, the Lowry art exhibition, ballet and opera. Traffic connections to Manchester are excellent, both nationally and internationally. As a key centre of the South/North rail link to Scotland it is in reach of all the UK by rail. Manchester Airport is the second largest after London; it has links both within and outside the UK; it has recently been named best UK airport. Work is currently underway on new traffic routes across Manchester, currently difficult to travel. As the best airport for the area covered by the M62 Corridor, it is the first choice for flights outside Europe. Manchester’s mixed ethnic population and excellent transport links, place it as a good location for companies moving out of London. With an already excellent industrial infrastructure it should continue to be an important centre not just in the UK, but also in Europe.

Manila, Philippines

IT transformation has been the theme of outsourcing market since the start of 2016. More end users have been engaged in outsourcing projects in 2016 because of the need to consolidate resources and scale down IT infrastructure cost. Hosted services have been driving the growth of overall outsourcing market. SMEs are more conventional on their ICT priorities, focusing on the improvement of their basic infrastructure, while large enterprises are taking into account the enhancement of new technology requirement, hence more project-based (e.g. Systems Integration (SI) and IT consulting) and managed services (e.g. data center outsourcing) opportunities. Project-oriented services, as a proportion of total services spend in the country, increased. This can be attributed to the demand for consulting and systems integration services for data center deployments, the movement to cloud, and need for Big Data and analytics-centric projects. Enterprises are increasingly opting for outsourcing to reduce costs, have faster service delivery, better manage their finances, and integrate business processes easily. Furthermore, growth was enhanced by the expansion of global BFSI and manufacturing companies. As a result, there was an increased demand for colocation services, server hosting, and cloud-based services. SIs in the Philippines are very traditional, which are still hardware-centric. Most SIs are still transitioning to becoming solutions providers, and some have just started infusing 3rd Platform technologies in their products. In addition, they plan to expand outside of Metro Manila and other regions like ASEAN and North America. Key promotion and pricing strategies are tied with the principals for most of them. Some end users are in wait-and-see mode in terms of technology adoption, but they prefer vendors that they trust and work with. One of the strategies is to work with local system integrators that have over the years established strong connections with end users in the financial services, telecommunications, and manufacturing industries. Leading IT vendors like IBM, HP, Oracle have established a strong presence in this country with local partners like Questronix, Fountainhead Technologies, Jupiter Systems, AMTI are some of the best names in the local IT industry. There is a huge market for risk management consultancy services in association with IT projects, either directly working with customers or via system integrators.

Meadan, Indonesia

Surabaya as the second biggest city in Indonesia for business service and manufacturing will always attract investors, start-up or establish company to show their presence and operate in Surabaya. Surabaya is also the hub to connect to eastern and outer island part of Indonesia. The diversity of people compares to Jakarta and therefore makes Surabaya a very important city whether you deal in manufacturing, FMCG business, heavy equipment, construction and any other service including hospitality and tourism. If you have establish your business in Jakarta and want to expand it to bigger coverage then Surabaya is the perfect choice for it.

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the commercial and financial capital city of the country with wonderful infrastructure, blooming tourism industry, high dependence on oil revenues and trading business. Muscat is preceded for next level of growth in the tourism industry, creating an enabling environments for SME business, port developments and building a country’s logistics map, oil and gas continue to be part in maintaining the momentum at the same time building infrastructures for non-oil business, meeting the growing demands of energy remains the key agenda of sustainable growth for the country. Oman’s Central Bank is one of the well-established and very stringent Central Bank guiding policies and best practices within the banking fraternity in the country.

News Orleans, LA

New Orleans has one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, and metropolitan New Orleans is a center of maritime industry. The New Orleans region also accounts for a significant portion of the nation’s oil refining and petrochemical production, and serves as a white-collar corporate base for onshore and offshore petroleum and natural gas production. New Orleans is a center for higher learning, with over 50,000 students enrolled in the region’s eleven two- and four-year degree granting institutions. A top-50 research university, Tulane University, is located in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood. Metropolitan New Orleans is a major regional hub for the health care industry and boasts a small, globally competitive manufacturing sector. The center city possesses a rapidly growing, entrepreneurial creative industries sector, and is renowned for its cultural tourism. Greater New Orleans, Inc. acts as the first point-of-contact for regional economic development, coordinating between Louisiana’s Department of Economic Development and the various parochial business development agencies.

Nouakchott, Mauritania

Nouakchott derived from Berber word; Nawaksu meaning (“place of the winds”) is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. Nouakchott was a small village of little importance until 1958, when it was chosen as the capital of the nascent nation of Mauritania. It was designed and built to accommodate 15,000 people, but droughts and increasing desertification since the 1970s have displaced a vast number of Mauritanians who resettled in Nouakchott. This caused massive urban growth and overcrowding, with the city having an official population of just under a million as of 2013. The resettled population inhabited slum areas under poor conditions, but the living conditions of a portion of these inhabitants have since been ameliorated. The city is the hub of the Mauritanian economy and is home to a deep-water port and one of the country’s two international airports. It hosts the University of Nouakchott and several other more specialized institutes of higher learning.

Oakland, CA

Oakland’s leading industries are business and health care services, transportation, food processing, light manufacturing, government, arts, culture, and entertainment. The Port of Oakland is one of the busiest ports in the world for container ships. Nearly 200,000 jobs are related to the movement of cargo through Oakland marine terminals. Chief exports at the port include fruits and vegetables, waste paper, red meat and poultry, resins, chemicals, animal feed, raw cotton, wood and lumber, crude fertilizers/minerals, industrial machinery, and cereal. Oakland’s principal imports include auto parts, computer equipment, wearing apparel, toys, games and items made of plastic, processed fruits and vegetables, fasteners and household metal products, red meat, pottery, glassware and ceramics, iron and steel, beverages, and lumber products. Oakland is an important commercial center. Approximately 13 percent of Oakland’s work force is employed in the wholesale and retail trade. The city has hundreds of manufacturing plants employing almost 9 percent of the city’s workers. Shipbuilding has flourished along the city’s inner harbor. Other major industries include electrical equipment, chemicals, glass, automobiles and trucks, and pharmaceuticals. Oakland’s leading industry sectors include business services, health care services, transportation, food processing, light manufacturing, government, arts, culture and entertainment. In 2002, Oakland was ranked the 8th best city in the nation for business in the Forbes annual survey of the Best Places in America for Business and Careers. In the mid-2000s, Oakland benefited from a strong and diverse business environment. Among its major corporations were Clorox, Kaiser Permanente, Cost Plus, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, APL Limited, and Rainin Instruments. According to the Landauer Realty Group, out of the 60 largest office markets in the United States, Oakland was expected to have the strongest market for the next several years. Items and goods produced: processed foods, transportation equipment, fabricated metal products, non-electrical machinery, electrical equipment, clay and glass products.

Omaha, NE

Omaha, Nebraska (a Midwestern City of just under a half million population) is a quiet yet powerful US business center, with a strong economy. Home of several Fortune 500 companies (Warren Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway, Con-Agra Foods, Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha), it also is home to a broad range of industries, ranging from one of the largest construction companies in the US (Peter Kiewit Sons) and the leading credit card processor (First Data), to being headquarters of the Strategic Air Command. Naturally being located in the Midwest farm belt, agricultural manufacturing in the form of Food manufacturing, including meat processing, is its largest industry. It is followed by financial services, health care, transportation and the aforementioned military.

Settled by European immigrants in the great Western expansion, its strategic location on the banks of the Missouri River made it a vibrant hub between the Eastern and Western US, and provided great opportunities to build new businesses to serve a growing nation. This drive and work ethic continues to maintain and grow the business economy. And as a community, it has a blend of ethnic neighborhood communities and spacious suburbs – all with very affordable and stable housing values. Good schools from elementary to college provide a well-educated and motivated workforce. There has been a long support of cultural and sports activities (the College World Series among the most well-known), and the recent additions of new stadiums and performance centers has greatly enhanced the quality of life experience. Altogether the outlook looks bright for Omaha as a business center, and entrepreneurs are recognizing the potential and opportunities.

Orlando, FL

The City of Orlando is an international business center. A bustling downtown draws businesses of all types and is especially strong in its ability to attract corporate headquarters. Some of those that have selected downtown Orlando include BBA Aviation, Signature Flight Services, CuraScript and Indra Systems, Inc. The city’s potential has only begun to be realized. Numerous major multi-use commercial projects are on the drawing board. An unprecedented level of office development is planned for downtown Orlando. All told, more than one million additional square feet of construction has been announced for the downtown business district. But, downtown Orlando is more than just business. Ten public and private secondary schools, all noted for excellence and innovative teaching, bring schoolchildren of all socio-economic realms into our downtown on a daily basis. Downtown is also alive with higher education. In addition to its downtown center that specializes in continuing education, the University of Central Florida’s Interactive Entertainment Academy’s (FIEA) state-of-the-art facilities and faculty train graduate-level game developers on an innovative campus once housed the City’s local expo center. UCF is also planning an expanded downtown campus to enhance educational opportunities for students which will further energize downtown. Florida A&M’s Law School opened in downtown Orlando in fall 2002. Florida State University’s Medical School has a regional campus in Delaney Park, just south of downtown, where third and fourth year medical students complete their training through involvement with two of the nation’s largest healthcare systems, both of which are also located in downtown Orlando. Valencia College also has a downtown Orlando campus.

Palm Springs, CA

The economy of Palm Springs is driven by tourism, real estate development, agriculture, medical and leisure activities. While the Coachella Valley is known for golfing, heat and playground of the stars, it has become more of a year round community. Being only a 2 hour drive from both Los Angeles and San Diego, it is home to millions of visitors, conventions and corporate meetings annually.

Panama City, Panama

Panama has been granted with a privileged geography and location. Historically, Panama has been dependent of world economy and trade. Another important factor is that Panama is a dollarized economy with low inflation rates which provides investment security to investors. The economy is mainly driven by service industries, including the Panama Canal, Free trade zones, financial and medical services. Due to the Panama Channel, logistics operators industry has flourished. Vessel traffic has increased exponentially even beyond the original construction estimates. With increased pressure on reducing transportation cost of goods, the Panama Canal expansion project is already in progress, which will enable larger than Panamax vessels to travel through the channel. Neighboring countries are looking into getting a slice of profit by connecting both oceans. Both Nicaragua (canal) and Colombia (rail link) have been exploring options to drive traffic through their borders. While this remains as an important threat, Panama has been preparing itself getting ahead of the game. In addition, the economic stability, sustained city growth and stricter controls on the financial service sectors have helped Panama to attract foreign investment into the country, allowing GDP growth or even stability during global turmoil. Internally, infrastructure growth investment in roads and transportation is still an opportunity. This will require further attention as it could stagnate the potential economic growth of the city. A collapse in the internal flow of goods and people would quickly impact transportation costs and reduce economic competitiveness. Another opportunity area is education. As the city has grown, demand of skilled workers has significantly increased making it hard for companies to find local talent. This will be an important area to address in order to remain competitive in the future.

Port-Harcourt, Nigeria

Port-Harcourt is a Mayoralty and the capital of Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria. It lies along the Bonny River and is located in the Niger Delta. As of 2016, the Port Harcourt urban area has an estimated population of 1,865,000 inhabitants, up from 1,382,592 as of 2006. The area that became Port Harcourt in 1912 was before that part of the farmlands of the Diobu village group of the Ikwerre people. The colonial administration of Nigeria created the port to export coal from the collieries of Enugu located 243 kilometers (151 mi) north of Port Harcourt, to which it was linked by a railway called the Eastern Line, also built by the British. In 1956 crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities at Oloibiri, and Port Harcourt’s economy turned to petroleum when the first shipment of Nigerian crude oil was exported through the city in 1958. Through the benefits of the Nigerian petroleum industry, Port Harcourt was further developed, with aspects of modernization such as overpasses, city blocks and taller more substantial buildings. Oil firms that currently have offices in the city include Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. There are a number of institutions of tertiary education in Port Harcourt, mostly government-owned. These institutions include, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Ignatius Ajuru University and Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology. The current Mayor is Soni Sam Ejekwu. Port Harcourt’s primary airport is Port Harcourt International Airport, located on the outskirts of the city; the NAF base is the location of the only other airport and is used by commercial airlines Aero Contractors and Air Nigeria for domestic flights.

Princeton, NJ

Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, that was established in its current form on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township. As of the 2010 United States Census, the municipality’s population was 28,572, reflecting the former township’s population of 16,265, along with the 12,307 in the former borough. Princeton was founded before the American Revolution and is best known as the location of Princeton University, located in the community since 1756. Although its association with the university is primarily what makes Princeton a college town, other important institutions in the area include the Institute for Advanced Study, Westminster Choir College, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton Theological Seminary, Opinion Research Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Siemens Corporate Research, SRI International, FMC Corporation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Amrep, Church and Dwight, Berlitz International, and Dow Jones & Company. Princeton University is a dominant feature of the community. Its main campus has its historic center on Nassau Street in the borough and stretches south into the township. Its James Forrestal satellite campus is located in Plainsboro Township, and some playing fields lie within adjacent West Windsor Township. The Princeton campus is known for having Albert Einstein lecture as well as being one of the original seven Ivy League schools. Westminster Choir College, the renowned school of music presently owned by Rider University, established in Princeton in 1932. The Institute for Advanced Study is in the borough and maintains extensive land holdings (the “Institute Woods”) there. Bristol-Myers Squibb is a client of Ms. Matteson’s.

Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, located in Wake, County, North Carolina, also known as the “Oak City,” is the State’s capital and second largest city with a population of about 2,100,000 people. It is also a part of the Triangle area of Durham, and Chapel Hill. Raleigh’s Growth Domestic Product (GDP) in fiscal year 2013 was close to $70 billion out of the state’s combined metro GDP that was closer to $410 billion. Some of the leading market research companies in Raleigh are SAS Institute, located in the suburb of Cary, NC, the Carolina Hurricanes, BB&T Insurance Services, First Citizens Bank, Red Hat, North Carolina Symphony, Carolina Ballet and Capital Broadcasting Company. Raleigh’s Key Location Objectives (KLO), are in state government, the arts, banking and financial services, technology and pharmaceuticals. Raleigh, is also home to a key educational, research and development, and engineering institutions – North Carolina State University, Peace College, and Shaw University. The unemployment rate in Raleigh is around 4.5%, and the sales tax is about 6.75%. The median income is 50,000 – $55,000. Some of the leading economic growth sectors are in management, public administration, law, business and finance, engineering, and computer science.

Reston, VA

Like Alexandria, VA, Reston is both part of the larger economic, cultural, professional, and recreational Washington, DC metropolitan scene. But also like Alexandria, it is also its own vibrant community where people live, work, go to school and recreate. It has its own charm and personality, and more importantly, part of its upscale desirability is that it sits astride the Dulles Technology Corridor and is home to some of the most forward leaning technology firms in the nation, region, and local area. According to Wikipedia, Reston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404 at the 2010 census. Originally, an internationally known planned community founded in 1964, it was built with the goal of revolutionizing post–World War II concepts of land use and residential/corporate development in suburban America. The Reston Town Center is home to many businesses, with high-rise and low-rise commercial buildings that are home to shops, restaurants, offices, a cinema, and a hotel. It comprises over 1,000,000 square feet of office space. In 2012, Reston was ranked 7th in the Best Place to Live in America by CNNMoney Magazine. Reston is one of those red-hot places to live, work, and play favored by the upwardly mobile. As mentioned, the city stands alone, yet it is an integral part of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. This has the effect of localizing a highly professional workforce, but of attracting firms and employees from all over the region.

Richmond, VA

Sitting astride the James River, Richmond, VA is a charming amalgamation of old world charm and a modern vibrant economy linking many different industries with any of a national, regional, or local focus. Located approximately 100 miles south of Washington, DC, Richmond and Washington anchor the southern end of the mid-Atlantic megalopolis stretching from Richmond in the south to Boston in the north. Viewed this way, although Richmond is a strong, stand-along market in its own right, a part of its appeal is relationship to other regional and national businesses in multiple industries. Not all of the press is good, however, and recently, Wells Fargo Bank, headquartered in the Richmond area, faced a lot of public and regulatory scrutiny over unscrupulous account manipulation. Aside from banking, Richmond is home to Tobacco industry market leader Phillip Morris. Thinking about history and stability, according to Wikipedia, Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Greater Richmond Region. It was incorporated in 1742, and has been an independent city since 1871. As of the 2010 census, the Richmond Metropolitan Area has a population of 1,260,029, making it the third-most populous metro in the state. Richmond’s economy is primarily driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, as well as notable legal and banking firms, located in the downtown area. The city is home to both the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, one of 13 United States courts of appeals, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, one of 12 Federal Reserve Banks. Dominion Resources and WestRock, Several Fortune 500 companies, are headquartered in the city, with others in the metropolitan area.

Salt Lake City, UT

One Fortune 500 company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Huntsman Corporation and two Fortune 1000 companies, Zions Bancorporation and Questar Corporation. AlphaGraphics, Sinclair Oil, Franklin Covey, and Overstock.com are smaller companies that are located around SLC. Adobe, Unisys. Micron, and 3M are a few of the large technology companies with major operations in the area. The Salt Lake area houses about 44% of Utah’s labor force and joins the state of Utah with having the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation. The economy of SLC and surrounding areas continues a strong rebound from the past recession and the rate of growth is almost twice that of the national rate. The major employers of the area are Delta Airlines, University of Utah, Sinclair Oil Corporation and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Local, state and federal governments are the number one employer followed by trade, transportation, utilities, professional and business services, and health and health educational services. These areas along with construction had the strongest growth in employment. SLC is the largest banking center in the United States and is known as the ‘Crossroads of the West” because of its central location in the western United States. The distance from Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, Portland, Phoenix and Seattle are approximately the same. This is the reason many regional transportation centers are located in the area. Though less than half of the people living in the SLC area are Mormon, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a significant and positive impact on the culture of the SLC area. The people are generally healthy, hardworking and responsible. There is a high birth rate that is contributing to the population growth. Young Mormon men are strongly encouraged, if not required to spend two years in the mission field. These men return with fluent foreign language skills as well as sales skills. When these young people return from the mission fields they enter the workforce. They tend to be knowledgeable and highly educated in the technical and business fields as well as possessing world experiences, making them excellent employees.

San Jose, Costa Rica

San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and center of political and economic activity of the country. It is also the main transportation hub and center of the largest working area of the country. The country has been very active attracting foreign investment behind tax incentives, high levels of education, a very good base of skilled workers and a great climate. Economy is driven by the services industry financial and call centers, as well as pharmaceutical, ecotourism and crops (coffee, banana, pineapple). The country is also known for supporting environmental policies focused on sustainability. While not official, the economy is partially dollarized, being a common practice to be charged either in Colones or US dollars, which leads to a confusing market dynamic of speculation. With a well-thought long term growth plan, the country could become one of the most competitive centers in Central America for services and/or flow of goods within the Americas and across continents. Costa Rica has a privileged location and an excellent educational system that ensures availability of talented workers for all types of tasks. On the flip side, the city still lacks investment in infrastructure and maintenance. In addition, the country has been losing competitiveness, especially with neighboring Panama, with increased cost of living indexes and excessive commute times. Ensuring a long term growth master plan is crucial to unleash the country’s potential. An important portion of the transportation extra costs are behind the poor quality and availability of roads; while the workforce spends a significant amount of time commuting which adds up to an significant amount of idle work force reducing overall productivity.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is the capital city of Puerto Rico. Located in the Caribbean, the country has been able to prosper behind its political status highly dependent on US support. The economy is fully dollarized and is based on manufacturing (mainly pharmaceutical) and services (financial and insurance). The country as a whole has been struggling to attract foreign investment. Since the expiration of the tax exemption (section 936), where companies were exempted of federal tax on corporate income, the island has become less attractive for the industry in general. Another deterring aspect is the fact that US regulations are enforced and there is a high cost for doing business. Cost of living is also higher than the average in the US and Latin America. This discourages foreign countries or investors to place an operation on the island. Future perspective growth is at risk as the island is currently unable to self-sustain. The country is completely dependent on imports of food, oil, chemicals, machinery and equipment. Puerto Rico must undergo a strict and well thought vision change in order to maintain its current privileged status. Given the scarcity of natural resources, a look into service oriented industries; IT, software development, banking and insurance, or becoming the Caribbean transportation hub could enable economic growth continuity versus its current US dependence which is being reduced year after year. Logistics management is central to the islands survival given the need of imported goods (food, chemicals, machinery, petroleum and clothing) and the necessity to make exported goods more competitive in order to maintain a positive surplus balance.

St. Louis, MO

St. Louis is home to dozens of companies listed on various stock exchanges in the U.S., with market capitalizations ranging from over $500 thousand to more than $40 billion. Among these public companies, Greater St. Louis is home to 19 Fortune 1000 headquarters, of which 9 are Fortune 500. Greater St. Louis is also home to some of the nation’s largest private companies, several listed among Forbes’ America’s Largest Private Companies such as: 16-Enterprise Holdings; 59-World Wide Technology; 65-Edward Jones; 66-Graybar Electric; 72-Apex Oil; 141-McCarthy Holdings; and at 180-Schnuck Markets. According to data compiled by the St. Louis Business Journal in 2014, St. Louis’s 25 largest international companies had international sales of over $129 billion in 2013. St. Louis companies are also ranked nationally as best places to work, most innovative, and Inc. magazine’s list of America’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies 2015 ranks include 41 companies based in the St. Louis metropolitan area; 20 St. Louis-based firms ranked in the top 2,000: St. Louis is also home to many aerospace and aviation companies including Gateway Jets, Advanced Aerospace Technologies, Aeronavdata, Bickel Air, Ellason Weather Radar, Fregata Systems, GKNAerospace North America, Saberliner Services, Valent Aerostructures, Northrop Grumman Systems, and Summit Air. The State of Missouri is a top 10 state for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness according to a 2015 report by PwC, and it is home to major companies such as GKN Aerospace, LMI Aerospace and PAS Technologies. On the defense side two major facilities of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security including their military aircraft headquarters, numerous logistics contractors supporting the Defense Logistics Agency, and Scott Air Force base is located just across the Mississippi River in Illinois. Access to both coasts, major international and domestic airport access, a highly skilled workforce and attractive tax structures make St Louis a very strong candidate for future growth in virtually all manufacturing and industry sectors. The fuel for this growth will come from a highly trained and motivated work force, heavily dependent on leadership to sustain growth into the future.

Surabaya, Indonesia

Surabaya as the second biggest city in Indonesia for business service and manufacturing will always attract investors, start-up or establish company to show their presence and operate in Surabaya. Surabaya is also the hub to connect to eastern and outer island part of Indonesia. The diversity of people compares to Jakarta and therefore makes Surabaya a very important city whether you deal in manufacturing, FMCG business, heavy equipment, construction and any other service including hospitality and tourism. If you have establish your business in Jakarta and want to expand it to bigger coverage then Surabaya is the perfect choice for it.

Tel Aviv, Isreal

Tel Aviv has been described as a “flourishing technological center” by Newsweek and a “miniature Los Angeles” by The Economist. In 1998, the city was described by Newsweek as one of the 10 most technologically influential cities in the world. Since then, high-tech industry in the Tel Aviv area has continued to develop. The Tel Aviv metropolitan area (including satellite cities such as Herzliya andPetah Tikva) is Israel’s center of high-tech, sometimes referred to as Silicon Wadi. Tel Aviv is home to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), Israel’s only stock exchange, which has reached record heights since the 1990s. The Tel Aviv Stock exchange has also gained attention for its resilience and ability to recover from war and disasters. For example, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was higher on the last day of both the 2006 Lebanon war and the 2009 Operation in Gaza than on the first day of fighting. Many international venture-capital firms, scientific research institutes and high-tech companies are headquartered in the city. Industries in Tel Aviv include chemical processing, textile plants and food manufacturers.