Our Expertise
As a CPA or broker, your clients turn to you for strategic guidance on major business decisions—including expansions and relocations. McGuire Sponsel partners with you to ensure site selection decisions align with both financial goals and available incentives, helping your clients reduce costs while positioning for growth.
Our team evaluates incentive opportunities at every level—state, regional, county, municipal, and utilities—to secure maximum tax savings and minimize financial risk. With a deep understanding of economic development, we facilitate a win-win outcome, ensuring both the client and the community benefit from the project.
Through our ongoing compliance relationship, we help your clients stay ahead of reporting deadlines and uncover additional opportunities for cost savings and risk mitigation—so you can deliver value beyond traditional tax and advisory services.
Let’s collaborate to enhance your client’s location strategy. Connect with our team to explore customized site selection solutions.

Our client knew they needed to grow, but they weren’t aware of the complexities involved in site selection. McGuire Sponsel helped navigate every factor—identifying the best location, securing competitive incentives, and aligning the project for long-term success.
Our National Reach
We work on projects from California to New Hampshire, Montana to Florida, and everywhere in between. With offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Phoenix, our team can work with clients and evaluate opportunities across North America. We continually assess new programs and track changes to existing programs in all 50 states to stay on top of incentive opportunities that may bring additional value to location decisions across industries like manufacturing, distribution, technology, and more.
Our Process
for Site Selection
- Requirement Development
- Location Screening
- Site Comparative Analysis
- Site Visit
- Incentive Procurement
- Implementation
Step 1
In this phase, we work closely with your client to define the operational requirements of the proposed project. This includes prioritizing key factors like labor needs, facility specifications, location preferences, and estimated investment. We also evaluate logistical considerations such as transportation access, community amenities, and project timelines. These requirements serve as the foundation for the site selection process and help identify relevant incentive opportunities to optimize the financial benefits for your client.
Step 2
In this phase, we leverage the defined project criteria to screen potential locations, narrowing down the options to municipalities that meet the specific needs of the project. Our team evaluates these locations against relevant state and local incentive programs, estimating the potential value of available incentives. We also assess risks, such as clawback provisions or program expiration dates, ensuring that all factors are considered for strategic decision-making.
Step 3
Once a shortlist of qualifying locations is established, our team conducts an in-depth comparative analysis of each community. This includes evaluating labor pools, wage levels, and job availability across various sectors, from production to salaried positions. We assess each location's labor shed, factoring in drive time and job title specifications in coordination with your client. Additionally, we review economic development RFPs, real estate costs, and any union-related considerations. The goal is to identify the optimal locations that align with your client's operational needs and financial objectives.
Step 4
Once preferred communities are identified, our team coordinates and facilitates virtual site visits for up to four locations, followed by in-person visits to two selected communities. These visits include local community tours, meetings with employers and leaders, discussions on talent pipelines, and real estate evaluations. We also explore available local support programs, ensuring that your client is fully informed about the advantages and resources each location offers.
Step 5
After narrowing down the finalist locations, we initiate formal incentive negotiations with state and local economic development agencies, as well as energy providers when applicable. Our team identifies cost gaps that can be offset through various incentives, including grants, tax credits, abatements, and financing options. We work to secure a comprehensive incentive package tailored to your client's needs. Additionally, our dedicated compliance team manages all reporting and filings related to the incentives, ensuring that your client maximizes the realized value throughout the term of the incentive agreement.
Step 6
The final phase involves securing the property or finalizing the lease agreement. We revisit the priorities outlined in Step 1 to ensure they guide your client’s final decision. We also recommend allowing ample time for any buildout or leasehold improvements before the target start of operations.
While McGuire Sponsel does not provide brokerage services, we partner with top industrial real estate brokers across the country to ensure all qualifying sites—listed and unlisted—are considered. Our goal is to ensure your client is fully represented during lease or purchase negotiations. Once the project agreements are finalized, ongoing incentive compliance reporting will begin.
Roadblocks to Consider
- Is the local community willing to support the project?
- Does the industry type preclude the growth project from receiving incentives?
- Has the project already had significant progress or commitments with the community regarding the growth project?
- Are there additional stipulations to qualify for programs, such as health insurance offerings, minimum wage requirements, minimum hours for training grants, etc.?
- Does the project have financing, or is that still under consideration?
- Does the incentive require legal representation to move forward?
Why Choose Us?
We believe in relationships above all. We are a strategic advisor and a partner in every growth project. We desire a long-term relationship and positive outcome for the client.
We aim to maximize the available incentives while bringing all parties to the table for an enthusiastic and positive outcome. Our team brings a wealth of experience as we have completed successful projects of varying scopes from coast to coast.
State and Local Updates
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