Case Study: Sundance Film Festival Relocation
Sundance Institute – Boulder, CO
Project Type: Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition
Objective: Relocate this iconic Film Festival to a more accommodating location after 40 years in Park City Utah. The festival had out-grown its birth-place and needed to better connect with stakeholders.
Strategic Outcome:
Boulder offers a larger and more affordable platform for artists
$102 million in cash incentives to support the Institute’s non-profit activities over 10 years, including:
$39.3 million refundable state tax credits (via special legislation); Film Office and Tourism Office cash contributions
$62.3 million from county, city and philanthropic sources
SCOUT Economics’ Role:
Managed competition among multi-state locations based on new strategic vision of the Institute’s Board. Pared list of 85 candidates down to 3 finalists
Economic and Fiscal Impact Reports
Lead Incentive Negotiation; Draft Incentive Contracts
Support through receipt of incentives
Links:
https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-announces-boulder-colorado-as-the-new-home-for-the-sundance-film-festival-beginning-in-2027/
https://oedit.colorado.gov/press-release/boulder-colorado-named-new-host-of-sundance-film-festival-beginning-in-2027
Case Study: Micro Bird U.S. Manufacturing Facility
Micro Bird – Plattsburgh, NY
Project Type: Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition
Objective: Establish a U.S. manufacturing plant to double production capacity for Micro Bird, North America's largest manufacturer of small school buses and a Quebec-based joint venture of Blue Bird and Girardin.
Strategic Outcome:
Acquired the former Nova Bus plant as Nova Bus closed, giving Plattsburgh's experienced bus-building workforce a new employer
$38 million investment and 350 new full-time jobs over five years
State support, including:
Up to $9.825 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits
$2.5 million capital grant through the North Country Regional Economic Development Council
640 kW of low-cost ReCharge NY power
Named "Economic Development Project of the Year" by the New York State Economic Development Council; production launched September 2025
Links:
https://esd.ny.gov/esd-media-center/press-releases/esd-announces-micro-bird-establish-30-million-us-manufacturing-facility-and-build
Case Study: Reju Textile Regeneration Hub
Reju (Technip Energies) – Rochester, NY
Project Type: Site Selection
Objective: Find a U.S. location for Reju's first North American textile regeneration facility, which turns textile waste into new polyester. The site had to sit in or near an established chemical-processing industrial park with access to high-pressure steam, close to an international airport for regular oversight by Reju's European leadership.
Strategic Outcome:
Selected Eastman Business Park in Rochester: a $390 million, 145,000 sf facility on 18.9 acres
About 70 new jobs, with capacity to regenerate the equivalent of 300 million garments a year
$4 million Empire State Development capital grant and up to $1 million in Excelsior Jobs tax credits, plus significant support from Monroe County and the City of Rochester
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Partnered with National Strategies Inc. to lead a multi-state evaluation across seven states
Screened locations against Reju's specialized operating requirements
Worked with Reju and its public-sector partners, including Empire State Development, through site selection
Links:
https://www.reju.com/news/press-releases/reju-announces-site-selection-first-us-industrial-sized-facility-regeneration
Case Study: Safariland Production Consolidation
The Safariland Group – Jacksonville, FL
Project Type: Incentive Acquisition (Managed Competition)
Objective: After its 2012 divestiture from BAE Systems, Safariland grew through acquisitions, adding Mustang Survival, Med-Eng and Tactical Command Industries in 2013. It needed to consolidate U.S. production, improving operating efficiency and cash flow with government-funded incentives.
Strategic Outcome:
Production consolidated into Safariland's Jacksonville home base, adding 30 production jobs with a $1.1 million capital investment
$405,000 in incentives over 5 years, or $13,500 per new job
37% of capital costs funded by government incentives
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Designed a "managed competition" among host communities eager to grow Safariland's local presence
Prepared economic and fiscal impact analyses showing the value of Safariland's existing operations to each community
Modeled incentive package value under alternative scenarios and time frames, including the after-tax impact of capital grants, tax credits, abatements, utility discounts and training grants
Negotiated incentive packages in Alabama and Florida on Safariland's behalf
Links:
jaxdailyrecord.com/article/safariland-seeking-331000-incentives-will-add-30-jobs-invest-11m
Case Study: Dealertrack Headquarters Relocation
Dealertrack (now Cox Automotive) – North Hills, Nassau County, NY
Project Type: Headquarters Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition
Objective: Find room for Dealertrack's headquarters and software development operations, which had outgrown their space after rapid national growth. Keeping key headquarters and IT staff was the top priority, which made a long-distance move unlikely. A multi-state competition was still needed to secure a strong incentive package from New York State and Nassau County.
Strategic Outcome:
$100 million project: a new 233,000 sf corporate headquarters, opened in 2017
More than 350 new jobs in Nassau County
$47 million in combined New York State and Nassau County IDA benefits, including $10.5 million in Excelsior Jobs tax credits and a $1.5 million ESD grant
Incentives equal to 47% of project capital costs
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Built a short list of viable locations in North Carolina, Texas, Utah, New Jersey and New York
Designed a "managed competition" among communities eager to attract the project
Prepared economic and fiscal impact analyses showing Dealertrack's value to each candidate community
Modeled incentive package value under alternative scenarios and negotiated packages in all five states on Dealertrack's behalf
Links:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dealertrack-opens-new-long-island-headquarters-300477078.html
Dutchland Plastics Expansion in Upstate NY
Dutchland Plastics – Canastota, NY
Project Type: Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition (Managed Competition)
Objective: In 2017, Dutchland Plastics, a Wisconsin-based contract rotational molder, was asked to leave its facility in Sherrill, NY just as demand in the Northeast was rising. It needed a new plant nearby that would keep its entire local workforce and make room to grow, while improving operating costs and cash flow with government-funded incentives.
Strategic Outcome:
New 50,000 sf plant along the Erie Canal in the Village of Canastota, built to suit under a long-term lease
Retained the full 25-person workforce and added about 40 new positions
$1.6 million in incentives over 15 years
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Designed a "managed competition" between Wisconsin and New York
Prepared economic and fiscal impact analyses showing the value of Dutchland's existing presence to its host communities
Modeled incentive package value under alternative scenarios and time frames, including capital grants, tax credits, abatements, utility discounts and training grants
Negotiated incentive packages in Wisconsin and New York on Dutchland's behalf
Links:
https://www.dutchland.com/dutchland-plastics-open-its-new-50000-square-foot-factory-in-canastota-ny/
https://www.cnybj.com/dutchland-plastics-begins-work-in-renovated-canastota-plant/
Case Study: Remington Manufacturing
Remington Outdoor Company – Huntsville, AL
Project Type: Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition
Objective: After acquiring numerous brands, including Bushmaster, DPMS, Marlin and Barnes Bullets, Remington needed to rationalize its U.S. manufacturing footprint around a single advanced manufacturing and R&D campus.
Strategic Outcome:
Selected the former Chrysler plant at Huntsville's Jetplex Industrial Park, with 500,000 sf of high-end manufacturing space and 250,000 sf of offices, over roughly two dozen competing states
Plan for $120 million in new advanced manufacturing and R&D equipment and 1,600 new positions over 10 years
$265 million in total government contributions, including:
$120 million in Capital Investment Tax Credits (statutory)
$75 million for the former Chrysler plant and grounds
$18.5 million payroll increment out-year bonus
$18 million capital grant
$15.8 million for recruitment and training
$11 million in TVA power credits
$6.6 million property tax abatement
Links:
https://www.madeinalabama.com/2014/02/remington-plans-alabama-production-facility/
Case Study: Church & Dwight Manufacturing and Distribution Center
Church & Dwight – Jackson Township, York County, PA
Project Type: Site Selection and Incentive Acquisition
Objective: Growing demand for Arm & Hammer laundry products and an aging plant in North Brunswick, NJ required a new greenfield manufacturing and distribution facility somewhere in the Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania region.
Strategic Outcome:
$128 million to build and equip 1.1 million sf of manufacturing and warehouse space on a 232-acre site with room to expand
320 new jobs
$11 million in government contributions ($10 million discretionary), including:
$4.8 million Enhanced LERTA property tax exemption
$1.5 million Transportation Assistance Program
$1.25 million Infrastructure Development Program
$1.1 million York Water infrastructure assistance
$918,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits (statutory)
$900,000 Opportunity Grant
$200,000 in training assistance
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Provided comprehensive site selection services across the four-state region
Designed and ran a "managed competition" among interested host communities
Prepared economic and fiscal impact analyses demonstrating the project's importance
Modeled incentive package value under alternative scenarios and time frames, and negotiated packages in the candidate communities
Links:
https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/12129/church-_-dwight-to-build-detergent-plant-in-pennsylvania
Case Study: Economic Impact of International Automakers
Autos Drive America (formerly Global Automakers) – National and 12 States
Project Type: Economic Impact Analysis
Objective: Quantify the contribution of international automakers that build cars and light trucks in the U.S. for the association's annual economic impact reports, nationally and for 12 high-impact states: Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Strategic Outcome (2020 report, covering 2019):
More than $92 billion invested in U.S. operations and $290 billion contributed to U.S. GDP
Nearly 2.5 million American jobs supported by international automakers, dealers and suppliers
Almost half of all cars and light trucks made in America
International nameplate dealers accounted for 56% of new vehicle registrations and more than half of U.S. new-vehicle dealership jobs
$67 billion in federal, state and local tax receipts and other revenues
SCOUT Economics' Role:
Economic impact analysis and econometric modeling supporting each annual report's conclusions, [six] years running
Links:
https://evertiq.com/news/35785
https://becomestpete.com/st-pete-rocks-the-headquarters-relocation-business/
Other Industry Experience
