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proposals. Being aware of the County's strengths can lead to an effective marketing plan <br />and the ability to target industries that will find the County attractive. <br />Site Selection Criteria <br />According to Site Selection magazine, industry surveys revealed the following as the most <br />important site selection criteria (2008): <br />1. Ease of permitting and regulatory procedures <br />2. Transportation infrastructure <br />3. Existing workforce skills <br />4. State and local tax scheme <br />5. Utility infrastructure <br />6. Land /building prices and supply <br />7. Workers' comp rates <br />8. Flexibility of incentives programs <br />9. Higher education resources <br />10. Availability of incentives <br />While the order of this criteria changes from year to year, the criteria itself remains largely <br />the same. Many articles and case studies have revealed the growing importance of <br />workforce training relative to incentives and land prices (Morgan, 2009). Furthermore, <br />other case examples in Site Selection magazine point to other important factors: <br />• Existing clusters or related businesses <br />• Assistance from economic development agencies <br />• Research collaboration <br />• Quality of life <br />• Availability of capital for entrepreneurs <br />Data has been compiled to quantify these criteria for Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Orange <br />and Wake Counties to provide an intra- region comparison. The results can be found in the <br />Appendix, with the discussion below. <br />State and Regional Advantages <br />North Carolina has a long- standing reputation as a business - friendly state. For eight of the <br />last nine years, the state has been named the most business - friendly state by Site Selection <br />magazine, a reputable source of information regarding the site selection process. While the <br />state boasts low business tax rates, the identified advantages go well beyond tax rates <br />(Bruns, 2009). Many of these advantages carry over or are centered in the Research <br />Triangle region. <br />Higher Education <br />The higher education infrastructure in North Carolina is identified as the top reason for the <br />state's success in attracting firms. The University of North Carolina system provides a <br />highly trained workforce, a system of innovation, and research and business resources. <br />Another component of higher education, the community college system, is well established <br />