rice and available labor. That's what most firms investing in new facilities like about the American South.
        Usually Southeastern costs are considerably lower than those associated with doing business in the Northeast, many states will offer training programs, and there are large tracts of available land for construction or development, notes Billy Joe Camp, president and CEO of World Business Advisors, an economic development consulting firm based in Birmingham, Alabama.
        "Employers and employees may also choose to operate here with or without a union, and that flexibility is attractive to site decision makers," he adds.
        Camp also notes the Southeastern States have a high rate of underemployment. While that certainly is nothing for state officials to boast about, many business site consultants look at that fact as a plus. With a large pool of available labor, states like Mississippi and Alabama are appealing to large auto manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
        Florida and Georgia are new high tech spots with growing educated labor pools obtainable at a reduced rate of pay.
        Kentucky and Tennessee have enticed light manufacturing firms to supply the growing automotive market. Louisiana has launched a cluster program. State and local officials are offering land at reduced rates as an incentive to bring new jobs into their communities.
        "All of the southern states offer great potential for investors," notes Camp.

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