Monday, April 27, 2009, 12:08pm EDT Modified: Monday, April 27, 2009, 12:09pm


Ohio launches site-selection Web tool


Dayton Business Journal - by Kevin Kemper DBJ Contributor


Companies looking for real estate in Ohio are getting a helping hand from a new state government Web service. The Ohio Business Development Coalition has unveiled ohioinsite.com, an Internet-based site selection service................

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2009/04/27/daily9.html

Measuring the pipeline...

How do you measure the pipeline?

Understanding your market competition is a critical part of due diligence. How you measure potential competing projects will impact your level of success. Accurate due diligence is an important step of the site selection process. By knowing and measuring what is in the pipeline will give you, your board or your community the background knowledge necessary to proceed.

What is the pipeline?

It is not the 1969 song by the Chantays. It is not the comic book mutant character that could teleport himself. How cool would that be?

So what is the pipeline? The pipeline for your project is simply a summary report listing the same type of projects that may compete for your market. Without getting specific or identifying clients, projects could be just about anything - hotels, restaurants, office buildings, flex space, warehouse space, bowling alleys, book stores, food stores, parts stores, farm markets, schools, residential developments. You get the idea.

Who is responsible for keeping track of the pipeline?

You!

States and regional councils are interested in "selling" their area. Communities are interested in "selling" their town. Franchise groups are interested in "selling" their franchise. Property owners are interested in “selling” their asset. Who should you believe? Relying on one source of information to measure your pipeline of competition is not enough.

Think about it. If your goal is a successful project then who do you rely upon to measure your pipeline?

At Advance Planning Associates, LC our custom site selection program includes a due diligence component that includes measuring the pipeline that is specific to you and your market.

DOWNTOWN: Main Street - Front Street - Dock Side...

No matter what you call the busy place in your downtown, you'll want your customers to easily sail in for food or supplies. So many fresh, new retail stores and restaurants open downtown only to fail quickly a year of two later. Is about money? Is it about expectations? Is it about the products or the menu selections? Is it about price and value? Is it about a business plan fault? Or is it about location?

You have the money or know you can get it. You have a business plan. You've known for years what your menu will include or what items you will sell. You will only give the best value for the buck. You know your customers will love you. Now what? It's time to locate.

You know what town or city - that site selection was easy. Since you live there.

When Amy called she was excited, "We got the loan. We are ready to open."

"Where are you going?"

Amy responded by saying, "That's why I called you. There are six or seven locations downtown - which one should we get?"

"Which location do you like the best?"

Amy thought and said, " The empty store across from our church. It's always busy there."

"Busy?"

"Yes, I'm always there for church activities. All of our family and friends are always there too." Amy responded.

"Amy, if you have already decided then go ahead, but before you do let's work on a short custom site selection program specific for your business that has an objective approach."

"Ok" Amy said, "What should I do next."

"Here are three things I want you to do before we meet."

1. Observe - Go to each building and sit inside the store front window for between 11:00am and 2:00pm. Take a pad and pencil and count the number of people that pass the store. Try to guess their age and mark that down. Also try to guess the number of shoppers.


2. Park - Determine where your customers can park their cars. Now get in your car and try to park in these locations during peak hours - 11:00am to 2:00pm & 4:00pm to 6:00pm. If you plan on opening for the late night restaurant crowd, you may want to try a little later in the evening.


3. Walk - Get out of your car and walk. Put yourself in the position of your customer that may be walking to your store from a nearby restaurant or parking deck.

"See you in a week. Now get to work and enjoy the downtown while we put together the other criteria for you to consider."

Amy responded by saying, "I wish we would have done this a month ago."

"Me too! We don't have much time before the season starts. I'm looking forward to the drive to the beach - North Carolina is always beautiful this time of year - I want to finally meet you and visit this wonderful town of yours."

A positive attitude is a good thing. So many new store owners believe that once they open the customers will come. Let's find the best site to make sure your customers do.

Site Selection Secrets...

You have decided to add another franchise store, another warehouse, a new site for your business, a new municipal park or firehouse or perhaps you have decided the market is finally right to begin looking for a new residential project.

The secrets of successful site selection:

1. Know exactly what you want.
2. Know where you want to go.
3. Consider all alternatives.
4. Be objective and flexible.
5. Get started.

It really is still all about balance...

Advance Planning Associates, LC provides custom site selection, business geography, planning and community development services to individuals, organizations, business, industry, government and communities. Working with for-profit and not-profit groups, we serve both public and private organizations.

We maintain a calm and calculated style that has helped us establish firm, long-term relationships with clients that need a guiding hand. We enjoy working with non-profits, foundations, trusts and smaller communities where relationships count. We know the process of development and the decisions that drive success. We bring value, helping to guide decisions by providing objective choices driven by criteria designed to meet the needs of our client.

We are proud of our work. We want our clients to succeed. It is a competitive world, so strict confidentiality is maintained as we work through the strategic planning process of planning or site selection and the necessary steps of due diligence. We help with implementation when needed. Our projects vary depending upon our client, from planning a strategy to site selection to due diligence and to the conceptual planning stage.

Our process is custom designed individually for each client using our InSite Selection System. We have perfected the art and science of due diligence to assure the facts are real not just market hype. Our Reverse Due Diligence establishes fundamental criteria that will satisfy the demands of an accomplished acquisition team. And, our Quick Entitlement Program helps sort sites quickly. Time is always a critical factor - that is why we are project management and task oriented.

We understand the process of community planning and development. Our Story-Board Issue Identification Process helps quickly identify obtainable goals. We use business geography to help clients succeed with understanding of the relationships and environments, regions, location, movement of goods and characteristics of place. We are objective site selectors that are community oriented.

Site Selection, Business Geography, Planning and Community Development are our core services because when combined give our clients the right balance of experience and value added benefit.

Striving everyday to be our best we want to be your firm of choice.

SITE SELECTION - Safe harbors like good sites are not found by chance or market hype. It takes clear direction with planned intent.

ADVANCE PLANNING ASSOCIATES, LC

Site Selection

Business Geography

Planning

Community Development

________

Due diligence is a critical component of each of our core business service areas.

Saving Time & Money

We are as interested in what we discover as what we produce.

____________

What we have learned since starting on our voyage is how to use what we have learned from each project to the benefit of all our clients. Operating part-time since 1981 then later as we gained speed in a full-time capacity we have learned the importance of sharing our real project discoveries and experiences.

_____________

Our clients seem to like that we have taken note of our discoveries. We are always careful with our clients confidentiality, but by sharing our years of experience we like to believe it saves time and money. Saving time saves money. We discovered that when we started in 1981.

Award dinners...

A former professor we visited a few weeks ago said that he didn't see us at the regional award ceremonies. "Where were you?" He asked.

"You know, John." I responded, "We just don't need all that stuff."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"We are doing what we like to do, we have enough business and we are having fun. Let the guys that need some assurance from others go to the award ceremonies while we have fun and work (if you can call it that) at the same time. Our work is our reward."

"Well, is just seems all the sales and marketing folks were at the award dinner." John said.

"Exactly!"

Will Rogers seemed to said it best: "One-third of the people in the United States promote, while the other two-thirds provide." That was about 75 years ago - we are sure his numbers could now be reversed.

Shipping to the I-81 Corridor...

From the container ship

To the railroad

To the trucks on I-81

Norfolk plans intermodal facility
Hagerstown Morning Herald - Hagerstown,MD,USA
By JENNIFER FITCH
CHAMBERSBURG, PA. — Norfolk Southern is poised to build southcentral Pennsylvania’s second major intermodal freight transport facility, ...

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=218241&format=html

Self-reliance, community development, economic gardening...

We understand the need to grow local business. It is what towns are all about.

We excel in development strategies that are designed to implement business and community goals. Grant and loan applications have always been part of our business. Many times we have had to help our clients find the money through grants and loan programs to start the planning and development process. On the private side we have applied that same knowledge to find funds and grow local business. It's all about knowing how to get started - the most difficult part of any journey.

We started in the planning and community development business and have maintained these services since they are such an important part of today’s development environment. We have matured and expanded to encompass site selection and economic development areas as our economy expanded. Now, more than ever, as we feel the impact of business retrenchment, our community development background embraces the local importance of business and communities working together.
Some call it "economic gardening" while others call it community development - we like to think of it as self-reliance

Website update...

Slow Progress

Thank you for visiting our blog.
We enjoy this format better than a static website.
We are now in the process of updating our website.
Our new site should be squared away soon.
In the mean time, we will just have to row.

Old School...

Our old friend and long-time client, Duane, called the other day from his office in Maryland. Duane asked if we could help him locate sites for his gas and convenience store client. He explained his client needed sites in Virginia along the major transportation corridors and at "key" intersections in important cities and towns. He asked if we could help. Of course, we responded, "Yes!" In an economy like this we were happy to get the opportunity.

Duane said, "When can we start traveling down the road to look at the sites you know?"

"Duane, you are old school." I laughed. "Before we get started we've got to talk so we can scope your client's site criteria, then we will provide you a map of the sites that meet the criteria."

If you are looking for multiple sites or just one, this same process holds true. Knowing what you need then carefully defining what you want will save time and money.

We'll provide maps, aerial images, ownership and critical property information to guide your decision-making. Then after the sites are narrowed down to the top few well start the due diligence.

"Instead of a road trip.” Duane said, “We hit the links?”

“Duane, you may be old school but you learn fast.”