TradePoint Atlantic (TPA) – previously Sparrows Point Terminal – is a former 3,200 acre Bethlehem Steel plant site located in southeastern Baltimore County, Maryland.  TPA purchased the brownfield site in the fall of 2014 with plans to redevelop it into a major East Coast multi-modal distribution and manufacturing hub.

BLS & Co. was engaged to develop a comprehensive strategy to secure the public financing sources needed to mitigate the significant cost of repositioning a brownfields site of this scale and complexity.  Our services included:

• Benchmark analysis of the location’s incentives competitiveness versus similar competitive locations in seven other states;
• Management of a multi-firm team responsible for identifying and prioritizing available federal, state and local grant, incentives and financing programs to allow the developer to pursue environmental remediation and infrastructure improvements beyond what would otherwise be possible given market-based ROI targets;
• Development and execution of an overall strategy to design new incentives tools to improve the competitiveness of the site for potential tenants; and
• Development of a strategy for pursuit of public site development/remediation financing.

The competitive benchmarking analysis revealed an opportunity to improve the cost competitiveness of the site via the introduction of a targeted sales and use tax exemption for specified construction materials and warehousing equipment.  BLS & Co. served as “subject matter expert” to assist TPA in pursuit of the required legislation by documenting the competitive market-based rationale for the proposed exemption, providing data on similar programs in other locations, drafting proposed legislation and providing expert testimony during Senate and House hearings on the proposed legislation.  On May 19, 2016, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed the enabling legislation.

BLS has represented Citigroup on projects throughout North America for over 20 years. Starting with Citi’s initial presence in Tampa, BLS developed and implemented incentives strategies in support of diverse projects, ranging from data centers to enterprise services facilities, across a broad footprint, including Florida, Texas, Ohio, New York and New Jersey.

Most recently, BLS has supported Citi on a multi-phased portfolio optimization process in the NY Metro area, including multiple incentives transactions, ongoing monitoring of legislation and regulations, and intervention in policy making.  BLS also represented Citi in securing incentives in support of its recent decision to expand in the Tampa market.

BLS & Co. was engaged to advise Burlington Coat Factory (BCF) as part of a competitive location decision-making process for the location of the company’s headquarters. BCF considered locations within New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

BLS & Co. secured an incentive package from the State of New Jersey consisting of Grow NJ tax credits and an exemption from sales tax on construction materials and equipment purchases.

BLS & Co. was engaged by Kuehne + Nagel, a global transport and logistics company, to provide site selection services for a planned new operation and training facility.  After a nationwide search, Kuehne + Nagel decided to locate its first-ever Operational Care Center (OCC) and Career Development Program in downtown Detroit.  The office will employ nearly 200 people by 2021.

BLS & Co. has represented Barr Pharmaceuticals in connection with multiple relocation and expansion projects in New Jersey. BLS & Co. secured incentives for the relocation and growth of its corporate operations from Pomana, New York to Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Later, Barr relocated its Woodcliff Lake operations into a larger built-to-suit facility in Montvale, New Jersey and committed to the growth of additional jobs. BLS & Co. secured additional incentives for this project.

HelloFresh, an international meal kit company with offices in New York City and Germany, chose to relocate and expand its operations to Newark, NJ.  After a nationwide search, the firm decided to lease a 217,000 square foot distribution space and an additional 20,000 square feet of office space in downtown Newark.  The NJ Economic Development Authority estimates the project will yield a net benefit to the state of $4.1 million over 20 years.

BLS & Co. served as site selection and incentives consultant for Bristol Myers Squibb’s new $2.3B multi-modal manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. The project continued BLS & Co.'s decades-long relationship with BMS that has also involved substantial office and manufacturing projects in Florida and Massachusetts.

• Texas – Multi-Modal Manufacturing: In 2026, BLS & Co. served as advisor on a comprehensive U.S. site selection process for a major advanced therapeutics manufacturing investment. The process managed a nationwide location evaluation that included site identification, labor market and workforce assessments, utility and infrastructure due diligence, executive site visits, and incentive strategy development across multiple finalist states. BLS coordinated closely with BMS leadership, developers, utility providers, and EDOs to support accelerated decision-making and implementation schedules. The project ultimately announced a capital investment of over $2.3 billion at a new site in Houston, Texas, which is expected to create 489 new jobs.
• Florida - BLS & Co. served as site selection and incentives consultant for Bristol Myers Squibb’s new North American Capability Center (NACC) in Tampa, Florida. BMS’ goal for the NACC was to house key enterprise services, including technology, finance and accounting, alongside research and analytics in a cost-effective market. The NACC project required BLS & Co. to identify and evaluate cost-effective, high-quality markets with diverse pools of talent. BLS & Co. managed a team of brokers, designers and the company’s human resources, technology and functional leaders during an engagement that resulted in the successful site selection, incentive agreement, staffing and opening of the NACC, all within a nine-month window.
• ‍‍‍Massachusetts - Our firm also served as site selection and incentives consultant during a complex and highly competitive nationwide search for a new $750 million, large-scale, multi-product bulk biologics facility in Devens, Massachusetts. The Devens site, the largest capital investment in BMS history at the time, has expanded multiple times since its original announcement and now totals over $1 billion in capital investment to date.

BLS & Co. was engaged by Mead Johnson Nutritionals, following its spinoff by Bristol-Myer Squibb, to advise the company on the choice of destination for its new executive offices.

BLS & Co. managed a multi-market comparative analysis in North America that ultimately resulted in the relocation of the company's leadership tier to a new Class A office space in Glenview, IL (suburban Chicago).

The firm also secured an EDGE grant from the State of Illinois to reduce the costs and help manage the risks associated with the redeployment.

BLS & Co. has served as location and incentives advisor to Roche, Swiss multinational healthcare company, and its subsidiary Genentech, the South San Francisco-based biotechnology industry leader. Our engagements with Roche date back to 2012 with three major projects announced as of 2026:

• North Carolina - During our most recent engagements supporting Genentech, BLS & Co. managed a nationwide search for a new drug product manufacturing facility. BLS managed a nationwide site evaluation and incentives strategy leading to a site in Holly Springs, North Carolina to be selected – the company’s first in the Eastern U.S. The facility will invest a total of $2 billion and create 520 jobs.
• Oregon - In 2018, BLS & Co. also supported Genentech’s selection of an office in the Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, as a second location for its Access Solutions Patient Service Center, employing approximately 300 full-time specialists during the peak insurance benefit open season.
• New York – Our first assignment for Roche required support for a fast-track decision on the relocation of high-priority R&D operations, also facilitating its planned exit and redevelopment of a legacy site.  Roche engaged BLS to assist with site selection and incentives negotiations of the TCRC eventually led to the company selecting the East River Science Park on Manhattan’s east side.  

BLS & Co. was engaged by AbleTo Inc, a behavioral healthcare provider, to provide an incentives strategy for its planned new facility. The company was rapidly expanding, seeking to create new jobs in its technology and software development division with wages over $100,000 annually.

As part of the incentives package, AbleTo Inc., was approved for Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit incentive program for steadily creating new jobs in the state of New York.

BLS & Co. serves aslocation and incentives advisor to Roche, Swiss multinational healthcare company, and its subsidiary Genentech, the South San Francisco-based biotechnology industry leader. Our engagements with Roche date back to 2012 with four major projects announced as of 2026:

• Oregon – In 2026, BLS & Co. advised Genentech in the expansion of new device and fill-finish facility at their Hillsboro Technical Operations (HTO) facility. BLS led incentives strategy, infrastructure due diligence, and state and local negotiations for the project. The expansion will invest $750 million, add 250 jobs, and secured more than $15 million in incentives.
• ‍North Carolina- During our most recent engagements supporting Genentech, BLS & Co. managed a nationwide search for a new drug product manufacturing facility. BLS managed a nationwide site evaluation and incentives strategy leading to a site in Holly Springs, North Carolina to be selected – the company’s first in the Eastern U.S. The facility will invest a total of $2 billion and create 520 jobs.‍
• Oregon - In 2018, BLS & Co. also supported Genentech’s selection of an office in the Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, as a second location for its Access Solutions Patient Service Center, employing approximately 300 full-time specialists during the peak insurance benefit open season.‍
• New York - In 2012, Roche required assistance to fast-track a decision on the location of its new R&D center. Roche engaged BLS to manage site selection and incentives negotiations of the TCRC eventually led to the company selecting the East River Science Park on Manhattan’s east side. The new facility would invest $13M and relocate 200 positions from NJ. 

BLS & Co. worked with the Philadelphia Inquirer to secure an incentives package for the retention of its headquarters in Center City.

BLS & Co. was successful in restructuring the RCAP incentives program as well as securing low interest rate financing through Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.

BLS & Co.  served as incentives advisor during the relocation of the headquarters of CPG International from Skokie, Illinois (part of the Chicago MSA). Complicating the move was the need to move the C-Suite to the new location in advance of the rest of the headquarters staff, necessitating the potential for staged growth, potentially in multiple locations. Other locations considered included downtown Chicago and Cincinnati, OH.

Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon had multiple near-term lease expirations across three states, requiring review of a wide range of location options to consolidate operations and reduce costs.

Other states offered significant "new job" incentives to attract BNY Mellon, but New Jersey was ill-equipped to save its existing jobs. BLS & Co. initiated a campaign to create a new "retention" incentive for New Jersey, beginning with a "white paper" on its policy merits, and organized a coalition of business and government leaders to promote the new legislation.

The new program - Business Retention & Relocation Grant (BRRAG) - provided transferable tax credits for large projects, and premium incentives for projects relocating to urban centers.  The legislature adopted BRRAG in time for BNY Mellon's location decision.

BLS & Co. crafted land use and community engagement strategies to assist Hercules with the disposition of 2,100 acres of brownfields in New Jersey. The engagement involved strategies to reposition and/or redevelop four sites on a portfolio basis, quickly enabling sale of the most market-ready property to generate the resources needed to pursue the redevelopment potential of the longer-lead sites.   

BLS & Co. conducted a comparison of warehouse labor markets in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia to help inform Avon's location decision-making.

We examined labor supply, demand, quality, and cost indicators including present and projected population levels, unemployment rates, education attainment, unionization, wage and income levels.