What Strategic Development Group does

Strategic Development Group (SDG) is a private, US-based site selection and economic development consulting firm founded in 1999 by Mark Williams and headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, with regional offices in Charlotte, Columbia, and Oakland. The firm serves mid-to-large US and multinational corporations undertaking capital investment projects in manufacturing, distribution, headquarters, and office facilities, with project values ranging from $10 million to over $1 billion. SDG has represented over $38 billion in site selection projects across hundreds of engagements and works with enterprise clients including Bridgestone, Eastman, Commercial Metals Company, Fortescue, Solvay, Sumiden Wire Products, and JTEKT/Koyo.

SDG's core offering is professional services consulting structured around four interlocking practices: site selection (geographic, labor, utility, and logistics evaluation), incentive negotiations (tax abatements, infrastructure assistance, workforce training, utility programs, and discretionary grants), economic development consulting for state and regional agencies, and the newer Economic Impact Analysis service. The firm layers AI-enhanced analytics including predictive modeling, location intelligence, site scoring, labor benchmarking, and logistics optimization on top of its senior-led consulting engagements, and partners with utilities (Duke Energy, BNSF Railway, Tennessee Valley Authority) and now Invest MX to support site certification and readiness programs.

The firm operates a project-based, direct-to-enterprise consulting model with multi-year engagements, quote-based fees tied to project scope and complexity, and no publicly disclosed pricing. It is privately held by founding management, recently completed a leadership transition naming Jeannette Goldsmith as President in February 2026, and earns revenue exclusively through senior consultant time on large capital investment decisions.

Name

Strategic Development Group

Legal name

Strategic Development Group, Inc.

Website

https://strategicdev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strategic Development Group is a private site selection and economic development consulting firm serving mid-to-large US and multinational corporations on manufacturing, distribution, and headquarters facility location decisions ranging from $10M to over $1B in capital investment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Site Selection Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

Keywords

• Site selection consulting
• Economic development services
• Incentive negotiation services
• Facility location advisory
• Reshoring and FDI consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Site Selection Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for identifying optimum locations for corporate facilities. Services include site evaluation, location analysis, and comprehensive location strategy support for manufacturing, distribution, office, and corporate headquarters projects. Projects range from $10 million to over $1 billion in capital investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Strategic Development Group is a private site selection consulting firm that helps mid-to-large U.S. and multinational corporations identify optimal locations for manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and corporate headquarters. The firm delivers a portfolio of services including site selection, incentive negotiations, economic development consulting, economic impact analysis, and reshoring/FDI advisory for capital investment projects ranging from $10 million to over $1 billion.

Product overview

Strategic Development Group (SDG) is a specialized site selection consulting firm offering a portfolio of interconnected professional services. The core offering centers on Site Selection Services, which identifies optimal locations for manufacturing, distribution, headquarters, and office facilities. This is complemented by Incentive Negotiations services that maximize the value of economic incentives to improve project economics. SDG also provides Economic Development Consulting to public sector clients and Economic Impact Analysis services. The firm supports projects ranging from $15 million to over $1 billion in capital investment across industries including automotive, chemical, steel, life sciences, and logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection Services Comprehensive site selection consulting identifying optimum locations for manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, headquarters, and office expansions, evaluating sites across logistics, utilities, workforce availability, and financial viability for enterprise clients.
• Incentive Negotiations Strategic negotiation of tax abatements, infrastructure assistance, workforce training support, utility programs, and discretionary grants to maximize project economics and close competitive gaps between viable location options for corporate clients.
• Economic Development Consulting Advisory services for state, regional, and local economic development organizations including strategic planning, target marketing, site evaluation and certification, best practices analysis, and organizational evaluations.
• Economic Impact Analysis Analysis measuring how openings of new manufacturing plants, corporate headquarters, or commercial developments affect local or regional economies, including assessment of whether positive economic impacts justify location incentives offered.
• Reshoring and FDI Advisory Consulting services for companies evaluating reshoring opportunities or foreign direct investment decisions, including cost-benefit analysis, location risk assessment, and regulatory environment evaluation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $38 billion+ in site selection projects represented since founding in 1999
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Duke EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025SDG partners with Duke Energy on their Site Readiness Program, which evaluates and enhances industrial and business sites across Florida. The program delivers significant capital investment and employment benefits, with six new site projects in 2025. SDG brings expertise in site analysis and development strategy to help communities attract and secure new investments.
• Invest MXminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 August 2025Jeannette Goldsmith, Vice President of Strategic Development Group, spoke with Tonatius Salinas, CEO of Invest MX, about a newly announced partnership between their organizations. This collaboration strengthens site selection capabilities for companies looking at Mexican market opportunities.
• BNSF RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SDG partnered with BNSF Railway to support their Site Certification Program in 2024, a pivotal initiative aimed at identifying and preparing key sites for industrial development along the BNSF rail network. SDG's analysis and expertise played a vital role in certifying sites for industrial development.
• Greenville Technical College / Greenville Tech FoundationminorOthers · 1 January 2024SDG donated $10,000 in 2025 (and $12,000 in 2023, $14,500 in 2024) to the Greenville Tech Foundation to create scholarships for manufacturing students pursuing careers in Mechatronics, CNC Machining, and related fields.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SDG continued its partnership with TVA Economic Development on their Rural Certified Communities program. Through this program, SDG completed evaluations of applicant communities' strategic plan, marketing targets, and budgets and provided customized recommendations to enhance retention programs, recruiting efforts, and community livability initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co (BLS): Boutique site selection and economic development strategy firm with comparable headcount and a similar blue-chip client roster; competes head-to-head on incentive negotiations and corporate location strategy mandates across US regions.
• McCallum Sweeney Consulting: Long-standing site selection and incentive negotiation consultancy serving manufacturers and corporate clients, often engaged on similar project sizes ($10M–$1B+) and competing directly with SDG for the same enterprise RFPs in automotive, advanced manufacturing, and logistics.
• Conway Data / Site Selection Magazine: Publisher of Site Selection magazine that also operates an advisory practice serving corporate facility-location decisions; offers overlapping thought-leadership, data, and consulting services with SDG.
• Global Location Strategies (JLL): Specialized corporate location advisory practice acquired by JLL, providing site selection and incentive services to multinational manufacturers; overlaps with SDG's enterprise field-sales motion while leveraging the broader JLL platform.
• Hickey & Associates: Independent site selection and incentive negotiation consultancy serving mid-to-large manufacturers with a comparable boutique-firm structure and project portfolio across the US Midwest and Southeast.
• Atlas (formerly Atlas Research / The Atlas Group): Site selection and economic development advisory firm serving corporate and public-sector clients; competes directly with SDG on community certification programs and corporate location strategy engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Site Selection / Incentives Practice: Big Four consultancy with a site selection and state/local tax incentives advisory team that competes for mega-project mandates where global delivery, audit adjacency, and cross-border tax structuring are priorities.
• CBRE Location Strategy: The global commercial real estate services giant's dedicated Location Strategy practice delivers site selection, incentives, and economic advisory at scale; competes with SDG on large multinational mandates where bundled real estate brokerage adds value.
• KPMG Economic & Location Advisory: Global advisory firm with a location strategy and incentives practice serving multinational manufacturing and distribution clients; overlaps with SDG on large cross-border projects, especially for European-headquartered parents.

Emerging players

• Garner Economics: Site selection and economic impact advisory serving corporate and EDO clients with a similar boutique footprint; increasingly visible on incentive modeling and project ROI analysis engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/strategic_dev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-development-group-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Strategic Development Group