“The Linde + Wiemann SE & Co. KG operates globally as a qualified systems supplier in the automotive industry. As Head of Business Development & Real Estate I engaged Mr. Blair and his team at an early stage of our U.S. expansion and relied on his expertise to critically evaluate cost factors and strategic implications, and to also keep to a tight project timeline.

Thanks to a customized project process, we were able to identify two final sites after only 8 weeks and three rounds of site visits. Navigator Consulting negotiated generous incentives on our behalf with the local leadership. I would like to highlight the coherent analysis and documentation that facilitated our decision-making. Mr. Blair‘s exemplary personal engagement and his close ties to local decision-makers on all political and economic development levels were critical to the success of our project.”

Thomas Weiershausen,
Head of Group Procurement at LINDE + WIEMANN SE & Co. KG

“Our company operates worldwide, and we manufactured in the U.S. for eight years before starting to look for a second location to supply OEM’s in the Midwest. We had learned a lot about America, including the need to work with experts.

Mr. Blair displayed particular skill at navigating our project team through a complex site selection process involving a wide range of project pathways. Liaising with the many state and local authorities, he displayed skill in communicating with all parties involved and ensuring that both sides understood the potential and the limitations of a possible “deal”. We relied on Mr. Blair as an American with a thorough understanding of his own country, but also as an experienced international business manager with considerable knowledge and understanding of Germany and of German business.”

Werner Borgers,
President & CEO, Borgers Group

“Like any executive, setting up a new business long-distance from Italy – where our parent company is located – or from Kentucky, from where Marelli USA was relocating its U.S. operations to Atlanta, we depended on local support to get the business facility, that we had identified, prepared for our move. Navigator Consulting provided us excellent support handling the many administrative tasks required to lease space and open a business: identify vendors, control office build-out and set up certifications and inspections.

Through Mr. Blair’s extensive personal connections, we were introduced to decision-makers in the city and county who continue to support our firm’s expansion.“

Marco Cavallero,
General Manager, Marelli USA, Inc.

Sandler is a “Mittelstandsunternehmen”, leading internationally in the field of nonwoven fiber. We completed a U.S. site selection project with Navigator Consulting, evaluating 100 communities over a period of 9 months. We have since announced plans to create 140 jobs and invest $80 million in the first two phases of a multi-phase project in our future Perry, Georgia operation.

Mr. Blair and his firm, Navigator Consulting, were introduced to our company at the beginning of our site selection process. We interviewed other consultants, but Mr. Blair convinced us with his fantastic experience and Navigator’s well­ structured site selection process, something important to us as German executives interested in an orderly and fact-based process. We also deemed Mr. Blair to be a trustworthy person who would always stand up for our interests.

Mr. Blair made intelligent and thoughtful recommendations whenever necessary but always stayed neutral when our team evaluated sites and communities. He did a brilliant job convincing states and cities of our long-term business plan. He is very hard-working and analytical. Whenever we had some issues or questions he came up with thoughtful options and solutions. It was not easy finding a good match between our production needs (utilities, infrastructure, etc.) and the various community offers. We believe that other companies like ours need a person like Mr. Blair who can find solid answers to complex issues.

During the whole process I got to know him as an incredibly loyal person who became more than just a consultant for our company. He and his entire team became true partners for our U.S. business.

Mr. Philipp Ebbinghaus
Chief Financial Officer, Sandler Group AG

ElringKlinger USA, Inc. (EK) is the U.S. subsidiary of a German group with a long tradition of technical textile development in the automotive industry originating in the late 19th century with cylinder gaskets. While gasket technology remains a core competence, EK excels in providing clients with lightweight composite, battery technology, electromobility and heat shield solutions.

As Head of Finance for EK, I contracted with Navigator Consulting to select the best business location for our expansion into the U.S. Midwest region and to help negotiate an incentives package with the state and community. Reducing EK’s start-up and operating costs was particularly interesting as our U.S. group was in the midst of an extensive U.S. expansion and existing EK facilities in Georgia and Michigan also required increased investment. It was paramount to EK that we balance an attractive incentive offer with an optimal location choice.

I was delighted to have the expertise of a company like Navigator Consulting that could support us in securing an incentives package of nearly $2.7 million. After receiving the incentives offer, we were pleased to engage Navigator in “Incentives Compliance” support services as well. This was to ensure that the due diligence documentation be accurate, associated incentive paperwork be submitted as required and no deadline dates be missed. Here again the Navigator team displayed a level of experience and confidence that brought EK concrete value.

Mr. Markus Boeni
Head of Finance, ElringKlinger USA, Inc.

“Jim and his team at Navigator Consulting have been a tremendous asset and great friends to Paducah Economic Development. Jim and Philip’s years of experience and insight into European business culture provided our organization with invaluable information we can apply to our marketing and attraction initiatives. Since our Global Launch session with Navigator Consulting we have been able to take strategies directly from Jim’s lessons and implement them into our daily practices. I personally view Jim as a mentor in this industry and truly value his friendship.”

Will McDowell, CEcD
Vice President at Paducah Economic Development

“The Global Launch session conducted by Navigator Consulting was ideally suited to our needs. The overview of cultural and business nuances of FDI was concise and very useful. Their assessment of our marketing efforts was spot on, including specific suggestions for improvement. The wrap-up session, which included our elected officials and Foundation Board members, provided very useful insights into market competition and the role of local actions such as incentives. The session was very worthwhile, exceeding our expectations in every respect.”

Mike Hargett,
Director of Economic Development & Planning at Brunswick County

“Grow Wabash County contracted with Jim & his team at Navigator Consulting in 2021 in an effort to refine our foreign-direct investment focused business development strategy. Prior to engaging Navigator, we had concluded internally that our international BD efforts that while having some success was more of a “random acts of FDI” as opposed to a focused, intentional strategy. The Navigator team helped us to not only gauge our current efforts through a mock RFI process, but to make sure our target industries were correct and then from there to determine where to focus our efforts for the best ROI for our community. We can directly relate the work we did with Navigator Consulting to an announcement a year later of a new $50M USD investment from an Italian company in our community. We are grateful for the partnership with the Navigator Consulting team, and would enthusiastically recommend them to other EDO’s”

Mr. Keith Gillenwater
President & CEO, Economic Development Group of Wabash County

“Dale County was initially certified for FDI through TBIC and Navigator Consulting in 2018. After assuming the role of President of the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation in 2021, our certification recently came up for renewal. Our ODEDC Board of Directors was in unanimous agreement that the renewal of the certification was worthwhile and of great priority. I would consider the entire renewal process to be a professional development tool rather than a chore. The RFI questions gave me a reason to update my data on hand, so that it is ready to quickly fill in for a true project. The site visit was not only a pleasant experience, but it was also an opportunity for practice and preparation for future visits. The feedback that we received gave me and my team confidence moving forward, knowing that our practices were on the right track. I especially appreciated the leadership training, as I now feel that my staff, partners, and board members are knowledgeable and prepared for interaction with potential foreign investors.”

Holle Smith
President, Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation

“As a state-wide member services organization, ElectriCities Economic Development is always looking for new ways to advance the interests of our 70 plus economic development members across the state of North Carolina. Jim Blair and his firm Navigator Consulting have proved to be invaluable partners in preparing a number of our communities for competing for foreign direct investment. From providing guidance on best practices for completing RFI’s to intercultural awareness training, Jim and his partners have helped our North Carolina public power communities to become even more competitive in the economic development landscape.

The participating members particularly appreciated the mock site visit carried out by the Navigator team from the point of view of an international prospect, and the challenging follow-up assessment. This exercise allowed these members insight into the mind set and decision-making process of consultants and international executives.”

Mr. Carl Rees
Manager Economic & Community Development, ElectriCities of North Carolina

“Tamarack Land LLC is a holding company for family-owned properties in Georgia (288 acres) and South Carolina (337 acres), both sites located along the dynamic I-85 corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte. We were introduced to Navigator Consulting to assess the two properties as we refined our development and marketing plans for these assets.

Mr. Blair and the Navigator team met with me and my engineering team, and visited the sites to assess what additional steps were needed to ensure that they would be viable for development and marketable to potential companies and consultants. Navigator confirmed the quality of the due diligence that my team had performed, briefed us on investment trends and outlined a path to creating more effective literature to illustrate the quality of the product. Mr. Blair also introduced us to local economic development agencies to introduce our sites.

The experience and background of the Navigator team in working with the most demanding of industrial prospects, international companies, allowed them to provide useful insight into what investors and consultants are looking for, and especially how to communicate those property traits in effective messaging. Employing proprietary tools, the Navigator team created customized flyers for Tamarack to use in marketing the sites.

I appreciate the insight, advice and support that we received from Mr. Blair and his team. Working with Navigator over a 4-month period, we were able to gauge our own efforts and adjust these to better meet the interests of potential industrial investors.”

Mr. Ryan McCaffrey
President & CEO, Tamarack Land LLC (2022)