Looking Good in Sunny California
By Gary A. White (gary@pchelle.com)
President, P’Chelle International
Warm, sunny weather, blue skies and a light Pacific breeze welcomed over 60,000 attendees (I felt like I bumped elbows with every one of them, at least 59,999) and 3,000 exhibitors to the 30th annual Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California March 9 – 11, 2012. The 2012 event was the largest yet, occupying more than 1,000,000 square feet. Retail attendance was up 13 percent, which accounted for all of the smiling faces in the exhibitor booths.
Dennis Miller, President, Artmil
According to Gourmet News (April, 2012) popular trends at the show were gluten free (still big and getting bigger), raw foods, chia, kale chips made from beans or lentils, coconut (oil, water or as a flavoring) and thicker Greek-style yogurt products. The world of natural sweeteners continued to expand from agave to xylitol and, believe it or not, something called monkfruit. Indian cuisine proved to be the category of choice followed by heathier versions of Hispanic delicacies.
Gary A. White, President, P'Chelle International
Area Development Magazine recently published its 26th Annual Corporate Survey featuring the factors that are important in selecting sites for corporate expansion:
| Labor | ||||
|
Very Important % |
Important % |
Minor Consideration % |
No Importance % |
|
| Availability of skilled labor |
51.6 |
36.8 |
6.3 |
5.3 |
| Availability of unskilled labor |
16.8 |
42.1 |
27.1 |
14.0 |
| Training Programs |
22.6 |
28.0 |
37.6 |
11.8 |
| Labor Costs |
56.8 |
31.6 |
7.4 |
4.2 |
| Low union profile |
58.9 |
22.1 |
6.3 |
12.6 |
| Right-to-work state |
53.8 |
23.7 |
16.1 |
6.4 |
| Transportation/Communications | ||||
| Highway accessibility |
66.0 |
27.8 |
5.2 |
1.0 |
| Railroad service |
14.7 |
18.9 |
31.6 |
34.7 |
| Accessibility to a major airport |
18.9 |
36.8 |
28.4 |
15.8 |
| Waterway or oceanportAccessibility |
6.4 |
18.1 |
30.9 |
44.7 |
| Availability of advancedICT services |
45.7 |
30.9 |
16.0 |
7.4 |
| Finance | ||||
| Availability of long-termFinancing |
42.2 |
27.8 |
20.0 |
10.0 |
| Corporate tax rate |
50.5 |
35.5 |
9.7 |
4.3 |
| Tax exemptions |
41.8 |
41.8 |
11.0 |
5.5 |
| State and local incentives |
41.3 |
44.6 |
9.8 |
4.3 |
| Other | ||||
| Available buildings |
29.0 |
47.3 |
20.4 |
3.2 |
| Available land |
29.3 |
44.6 |
20.7 |
5.4 |
| Occupancy or construction costs |
42.4 |
43.5 |
10.9 |
3.3 |
| Expedited or “fast-track” permitting |
25.3 |
47.1 |
24.1 |
3.4 |
| Raw materials availability |
22.5 |
30.3 |
30.3 |
16.9 |
| Energy availability and costs |
44.6 |
40.2 |
13.0 |
2.2 |
| Environmental Regulations |
35.5 |
40.0 |
21.5 |
2.2 |
| Proximity to major markets |
40.4 |
42.6 |
16.0 |
1.1 |
| Proximity to suppliers |
23.7 |
44.1 |
28.0 |
4.3 |
| Inbound/outbound shipping costs |
44.0 |
35.2 |
11.0 |
9.9 |
| Proximity to technical college/training |
6.5 |
33.7 |
45.7 |
14.1 |
Not surprisingly, Blue Mountain Station competes well in just about every category. Not only does it present a very unique marketing opportunity in the specialty food processing industry, but it just flat out makes sense as a business location! It will be my pleasure to go over the above, line item by line item to discuss where Blue Mountain Station blows the socks off other locations or is maybe just highly competitive. Give me a call at 509-539-3575 or send me an email with your questions to gary@pchelle.com. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
