Garner Economics

What Garner Economics does

Garner Economics is a privately held economic development and site location consulting firm founded in 2003 by Jay A. Garner and headquartered in the Atlanta metropolitan area (Fayetteville, GA), with a secondary office in North Carolina. The firm serves two principal client bases: corporate clients seeking optimal locations for manufacturing, distribution, or operational facilities, and communities/EDOs/chambers of commerce seeking strategic plans, competitive assessments, and organizational design to attract investment and jobs. Its core service lines include site location advisory, economic development action plans, target industry strategies, the Competitive Realities Report diagnostic, economic and workforce analytics, organizational design, workforce solutions, placemaking, FDI strategies, and a specialized food & beverage site certification program operated in partnership with CDG Engineers and Primus Builders.

The firm's underlying technology stack centers on proprietary databases accumulated from published sources, EDO data, prior engagements, and in-house collection, supported by GIS mapping and data visualization tools. Methodology is codified through two registered trademarks — 'No Product, No Project®' and 'Talent is the New Currency®' — and a proprietary three-phase site location process. Revenue is generated primarily through project-based, bespoke consulting engagements quoted per engagement; secondary revenue streams include bulk-tiered sales of the co-authored book 'Economic Development Is [STILL] Not for Amateurs!' via Amazon and direct sales, plus keynote speaking fees. The firm employs 1–10 staff, has served more than 180 clients since 2003, and is led by a small senior team anchored by Jay Garner's IEDC credentials and Site Selectors Guild founding-member status.

Name

Garner Economics

Legal name

Garner Economics, LLC

Website

https://garnereconomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Garner Economics is a private economic development and site location consulting firm founded in 2003 that advises corporations on facility siting and helps communities, EDOs, and chambers develop strategic plans and competitive positioning, primarily across the U.S. with select international FDI engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Consulting

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Economic development consulting
• Site location advisory
• Workforce development strategy
• Target industry analysis
• Community economic planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Garner Economics generates revenue by providing bespoke consulting engagements to companies, communities, and organizations. Services include site location advisory, economic development action plans, target industry strategies, workforce analytics, competitive realities reports, organizational design, FDI strategies, placemaking, speaking services, and food & beverage site certification. Engagements are project-based and scoped for each client.
2. Book Sales (Co-authorship): Garner Economics co-authors 'Economic Development Is [STILL] Not for Amateurs!' (2nd edition), sold via Amazon as paperback ($16.99 per copy for 1-25 copies) and eBook ($9.99), with bulk pricing tiers for larger orders. Nearly 5,000 copies of the first edition were sold.
3. Speaking & Keynote Services: Garner Economics team members are engaged as keynote speakers and presenters for economic development summits, conferences, and events organized by communities, EDOs, and professional associations. This generates speaking fees as part of client acquisition and thought leadership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Garner Economics is a data-driven economic development and site location consulting firm that advises companies on selecting optimal facility sites and helps communities, chambers, and economic development organizations design strategic action plans, target industry strategies, workforce solutions, and competitive assessments to attract investment and jobs. The firm combines proprietary databases, GIS mapping, and a structured three-phase methodology to deliver bespoke consulting engagements.

Product overview

Garner Economics is an economic development and site location consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory services. The firm operates as a single integrated consulting practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Site Location Advisory Services (the flagship offering), Economic Development Action Plans, Target Industry Strategies, Economic & Workforce Analytics, and the Competitive Realities Report diagnostic product. Specialized offerings encompass Food & Beverage Site Certification (partnered with CDG Engineers), Organizational Design, Workforce Solutions (branded 'Talent is the New Currency®'), Placemaking, FDI Strategies, and Speaking Services. The firm also publishes 'Economic Development Is [STILL] Not for Amateurs!' as a complementary knowledge product. These services work together as a unified consulting engagement model, with analytics and workforce services supporting the strategic planning and action plan offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• No Product, No Project®: A trademarked principle emphasizing that communities must have product that meets the demands of targeted industry sectors before attracting investment.
• Talent is the New Currency®

Products and services

• Site Location Advisory Services Assists companies with selection of existing buildings, greenfield or brownfield sites, or construction/expansion of new facilities through a three-phase process involving company input, community visits, and location evaluation with negotiations.
• Economic Development Action Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 trade and business development missions on four continents leading to creation of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in capital investment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CDG EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2010Garner Economics and CDG Engineers formed a partnership to create one of the most extensive food & beverage (F&B) site certification initiatives in economic development. CDG Engineers brings engineering and site certification technical expertise while Garner Economics contributes locational knowledge and economic development advisory. The partnership serves both communities seeking F&B certification and corporate F&B clients looking for certified sites.
• Primus BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2010Primus Builders and Garner Economics formed a partnership for food processing site certification. Primus partners with Garner Economics to provide a full range of site location services to its corporate clients, using Garner Economics exclusively for these services. Garner Economics' CEO Tony Pitrone describes the collaboration as delivering outstanding work and client satisfaction.
• Site Selectors Guild, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJay Garner is a founding member and past chair of the board for the Site Selectors Guild, Inc., a prestigious group of top site location consultants globally. The Guild connects site selectors and economic development professionals, supporting the site's mission to advance the site selection profession.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. (BLS): BLS is a leading site selection and economic development consulting firm with a similar three-pillar offering to Garner Economics (corporate site search, EDO strategy, workforce). Jay Garner's Site Selectors Guild founding membership places BLS as a closely aligned direct competitor serving both corporate and community clients.
• McCallum Sweeney Consulting: A top-ranked site selection firm also serving corporate location-seekers and economic development organizations, frequently listed alongside Garner Economics in site selector rankings. Directly comparable in services, target clients, and Site Selectors Guild membership.
• TIP Strategies: An economic development strategy consulting firm offering target industry analysis, strategic plans, and workforce analytics comparable to Garner Economics' core services. Overlaps in serving EDOs, chambers, and corporate clients with data-driven methodologies.
• Avalanche Consulting: A data-driven economic development consulting firm focused on target industry strategies, workforce assessments, and economic impact analyses. Directly comparable to Garner Economics in the EDO advisory segment.
• Camoin Associates: An economic development consulting firm specializing in target industry analysis, workforce development, and economic impact studies. Offers a similar mix of strategic planning and analytics services to EDOs and corporate clients.
• Angelou Economics: An economic development consulting firm providing target industry studies, workforce analysis, and strategic plans to communities and states. Comparable boutique peer competing for similar EDO and chamber engagements.
• The Boast Group: A site selection and economic development firm offering corporate location advisory and community strategic planning. Competes in the same Site Selectors Guild orbit and similar corporate/EDO client mix.
• Fourth Economy Consulting: An economic and community development consulting firm serving regions and organizations with strategy, target industry, and workforce work. Directly comparable in serving EDOs and quasi-governmental clients.

Broad incumbents

• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): A global commercial real estate services firm with a large location advisory and incentives practice serving corporate site selectors. Operates across the same site selection market as Garner Economics but as part of a much broader services portfolio.
• Cushman & Wakefield: A global commercial real estate services firm with site selection and location strategy capabilities serving corporate clients. Competes in the corporate site search segment as a much larger incumbent with global delivery capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/jaygarner1
• Facebookfacebook.com/Garner-Economics-LLC-121762373544
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/2166016

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Garner Economics