| Virginia ranks
Virginia Business
January 2004
Top
10 Business-Friendly States
1. Virginia
2. North Carolina
3. Oklahoma
4. Alabama
5. Wyoming
6. South Dakota
7. Michigan
8. South Carolina
9. Georgia
10. Delaware
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Virginia
is the most business-friendly state in the nation, according
to a report by Illinois-based Pollina Corporate Real
Estate, a site-selection firm. The report, titled “Keeping
Jobs In America,” measured states in 14 areas,
including taxes, right-to-work legislation, energy costs
and infrastructure spending. It also evaluated the quality
of the state’s economic development program and
incentive programs such as tax credits, job training
and grants.
The study’s author, corporate relocation expert
Ronald Pollina, says Virginia excels in its efforts
to keep companies from moving jobs overseas where labor
costs are lower. Second on the list was North Carolina.
Pollina argues that the U.S. needs a federal effort
to help stem the loss of jobs, especially in manufacturing.
“There are states like Virginia that are stepping
up and saying we’re going to be proactive and
try and keep these jobs, but they need more support.”
Virginia
Business - January 2004
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