Menu Item

The Need for Speed

Where CapEx lands in America isn't about incentives anymore – it's about velocity

Elon Musk kicked-off 2026 announcing xAI would invest more than $20 billion in a data center in Southaven, Mississippi.

Why Mississippi? "Insane execution speed,” Musk said in the press release.

Governor Tate Reeves didn't miss the moment, posting on X:

  • "We can get you from spending money to making money faster than any state in America. And that's our competitive advantage."

If there's one through-line from every conversation I've had over the past few months – with governors, site selectors, and economic development chiefs – it's this:

  • Speed has become the currency of competition.

Michelle Comerford of Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., and chair of the influential Site Selectors Guild, put it plainly when we sat down to discuss 2026's biggest site selection trends:

  • "From a company standpoint, it's speed to market and cost – but almost speed to market in first place and cost right behind it. Because time is money. Anything that can help speed up that process on the front end is what a company is looking for right now."

Michelle Comerford

Project Director / Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader

Michelle Comerford is the Industrial & Supply Chain Practice Leader at Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co., one of the largest, most highly regarded site selection and incentives advisory firms in North America. BLS & Co. helps manage the complexities associated with finding optimal location and securing incentives to support new ventures. Michelle has recently been published in fDi Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Trade & Industry Development, Supply & Demand Chain Executive, among others.

Source:
Standard & Works
right pointing arrow
right pointing arrow
right pointing arrow

the latest from bls & Co.

right pointing arrow

Interested in Learning More?

Contact us today at 609.924.9775 or info@blsstrategies.comto schedule an initial consultation.
Menu Item