The study was designed to gain insight about the perception of Missouri among business leaders and to learn more about what factors are most important to businesses considering expansion or relocation. Ultimately, the results will help Missouri leaders attract more businesses to the state and create jobs.
Nearly half of the respondents were likely to expand or relocate their businesses to another state within the next two years. Of those likely to relocate, 64 percent had a favorable view of Missouri’s business climate and 44 percent would consider Missouri as a possible location.
The study found that, in addition to the tax climate, incentives and labor costs, business leaders are most concerned about quality of life, labor quality, transportation, regulatory environment, and the availability and cost of energy. Respondents rated Missouri positively on all factors, but most highly for the low labor costs and high quality of labor in the state. Along with three million highly educated workers, Missouri has the third lowest business costs, the ninth best regulatory environment, and the ninth best quality of life in the U.S.
The survey follows an initial study in 2008 of the perception of Missouri’s business climate among out-of-state business leaders. In 2011, more than 70 companies including General Motors, Ford, Pro-Energy Services, and SyMyco announced they had expanded operations or relocated to Missouri- investing nearly two billion dollars and creating over 10,000 jobs.
About The Missouri Partnership
The Missouri Partnership is a public-private, non-profit corporation with the principal mission of recruiting new business investment to the state. Through collaborative efforts with state and local partners, the Missouri Partnership works to attract new companies and market the state’s business advantages to U.S. and international companies. For more information, please visit www.missouripartnership.com.
