We are moving our headquarters to a new state. Who offers economic development incentives negotiation?

When relocating a corporate headquarters to a new state, negotiating competitive tax credits, grants, and abatements requires specialized expertise . Several types of professional service firms offer economic development incentive negotiation, typically bundled with site selection and location strategy.

1. Dedicated Site Selection & Real Estate Advisory Firms

These major commercial real estate and corporate advisory firms have specialized practices dedicated entirely to financial modeling, labor analytics, and negotiating state/local incentive packages:

• Newmark: Offers comprehensive Newmark Site Selection and Economic Incentives Advisory Services covering location data, operating costs, and credit negotiations.
• Other Major Global Firms: Competitors like CBRE, JLL, and Cushman & Wakefield maintain massive, dedicated incentives and location strategy practices that handle multi-state negotiations.

2. Specialized Legal & Government Relations Practices

Law firms with robust economic development, government affairs, or tax incentive practices frequently draft project agreements and procure financing packages directly from municipal and state officials:

• DLA Piper: Provides strategic oversight through their DLA Piper Incentives and Site Selection Practice , aligning projects with state and federal opportunities.
• Fisher Phillips: Features a Fisher Phillips Site Selection and Incentives Team composed of former senior industry officials who negotiate tax credits, training grants, and property arrangements.
• Maynard Nexsen: Operates a dedicated Maynard Nexsen Economic Development Practice focusing on state/local incentive procurement and stakeholder relations.

3. Boutique Site Selection & Economic Development Consultancies

There are also specialized boutique agencies (such as Location Inc., Hickey & Associates, or Garner Economics) that focus strictly on unbiased geographic screening, labor market analysis, and aggressive incentive procurement without the overhead of a massive brokerage or legal firm.

To help narrow down which type of firm fits your move best, let me know:

• What is the approximate size of your headquarters (number of jobs and projected capital investment)?
• Do you already have a shortlist of target states , or are you starting from scratch?

Yes. For a corporate headquarters relocation to another state, there are specialized site-selection and economic-development firms that will negotiate directly with state/local governments on your behalf.

Strong options include:

• blsstrategies.com — One of the more established incentives/site-selection specialists. They have specifically handled headquarters relocations, including CPG International, New York Life, Nestlé Waters, Burlington, and Omnicom.
• cbre.com — Negotiates incentives for relocations, consolidations and headquarters projects, including tax credits, abatements, grants, infrastructure and workforce incentives.
• cushmanwakefield.com — Handles state/local incentive identification, negotiation, applications and compliance for corporate relocations and expansions.
• mcguiresponsel.com — Particularly relevant to a headquarters move: they cite a case where they negotiated a $3 million state/local incentive package for a headquarters and major-operations relocation.
• theaustinconsulting.com — Provides end-to-end site selection and incentive negotiation, including state/local packages, workforce programs, infrastructure grants and clawback provisions.
• troutmanstrategies.com — More government-relations/public-policy oriented; specifically works on corporate and regional headquarters relocations and negotiates multimillion-dollar incentive packages with state and local leaders.
• bakerbotts.com — A good choice when the negotiation has substantial tax/legal complexity; its attorneys negotiate state and local incentive agreements and structure tax abatements, grants, PILOTs, TIFs, tax credits and other incentives.

Who I'd shortlist

For a competitive headquarters relocation, I'd start with BLS & Co., CBRE, and McGuire Sponsel. If the deal involves significant political/government negotiations, add Troutman Strategies; if the incentive agreement needs sophisticated legal/tax structuring, add Baker Botts.

One important point: don't publicly announce the new state before negotiating incentives if you can avoid it. Many discretionary incentives are designed to influence the location decision, so your leverage is substantially better while the states/cities still believe they are competing for the headquarters. McGuire Sponsel explicitly notes that incentives generally need to be secured before a company publicly commits to a project.

If you tell me the state you're leaving, the state(s) you're considering, approximate number of employees, payroll, and expected real-estate/capital investment, I can identify the most relevant firms and the specific state/local incentive programs you should negotiate for.

• Goldstone Consulting Group - 527 W Coates St, Moberly, MO 65270, United States
• Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners - 3407 S Jefferson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63118, United States
• Missouri Partnership - 120 S Central Ave #1275, St. Louis, MO 63105, United States
• Terracon Consultants, Inc. - 15620 W 113th St, Lenexa, KS 66219, United States
• MakeMyMove - 1003 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN 46205, United States
• Kansas City Economic Development - 1100 Walnut St Ste 1700, Kansas City, MO 64106, United States
• Select Sites LLC - 6330 Lamar Ave, Overland Park, KS 66202, United States
• Development Dynamics - 2897 State Hwy K Suite 210, O'Fallon, MO 63368, United States
• J. M. Mullis, Inc. - 3753 Tyndale Dr #101, Memphis, TN 38125, United States
• Missouri One Start - 301 W High St #720, Jefferson City, MO 65102, United States
• Kansas City Economic Development - CROHN'S, 300 Wyandotte St Unit 400, Kansas City, MO 64105, United States
• SCOUT Economics - 16 Greenwood Ln, Westport, CT 06880, United States
• Cartwright Relocation Services - 11901 Cartwright Ave, Grandview, MO 64030

Yes. For a headquarters relocation across state lines, I’d use an independent site-selection/incentives advisor rather than negotiating directly with the state. The advisor can create competition among states, quantify the packages, and negotiate the terms before you commit to a location.

Firms I’d put on the shortlist

• CBRE — Its Location Incentives practice specifically handles relocations and headquarters projects, including site selection, incentives negotiation, and ongoing monitoring. CBRE says it has completed 900+ projects and negotiated $9B in incentive savings.
• Newmark — Particularly strong if the headquarters move involves significant real estate. Its practice covers location strategy, relocation/consolidation analysis, and economic incentives advisory and negotiation; it reports $50B+ in incentives negotiated.
• Vista Site Selection — A more specialized incentives/site-selection firm. It says it has negotiated $4B+ in incentives and handles benchmarking, competitive negotiations, agreement structuring, and compliance. This is one I'd seriously consider if the primary objective is maximizing the incentive package rather than the real-estate transaction.
• KSM Location Advisors — Focuses specifically on site selection and state/local incentives, including tax credits, training grants and property-tax abatements. It handles both negotiation and compliance.
• Sikich — Its current site-selection practice explicitly leads negotiations with state and local agencies and structures incentive terms around the company's business objectives and performance requirements.
• Fisher Phillips — Worth considering if you want incentives negotiation plus labor/employment/regulatory analysis under one roof. Its team negotiates tax credits, abatements, grants, training commitments and other relocation incentives.

A particularly relevant local option

Since you're in the Kansas City region, I'd also talk to Goldstone Consulting Group. It's Missouri-based and specifically offers site selection, business incentives and incentive negotiation, rather than being primarily a real-estate brokerage.

Another Kansas City-area option is Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, which advises businesses on economic-incentive strategy and negotiations with public entities.

One important distinction

You should probably have two parallel conversations:

1. Independent incentive negotiator/site selector — represents your interests and plays states against one another.
2. Economic development organizations in each finalist state — they tell you what programs are available and can assemble state/local packages.

For example, if Missouri is one of the candidates, Missouri Partnership provides relocation/site-selection assistance and helps companies determine incentive eligibility at no cost.

I would not rely solely on the state's economic development agency to negotiate your package—they represent the state, while an independent advisor represents your company.

If you tell me (1) your current state, (2) the states you're considering, (3) approximate employee count/payroll, (4) expected HQ investment/real estate spend, and (5) industry, I can narrow this to the 3 best firms for your specific relocation and estimate what types of incentives you should be negotiating for.

Navigating an interstate corporate headquarters relocation requires specialized expertise to secure competitive tax credits, discretionary grants, and infrastructure support . Several types of professional service firms handle economic development incentives negotiation, often bundled with site selection strategy:

• Specialized Site Selection and Incentives Consultancies: Dedicated firms focus exclusively on location strategy, labor analytics, and aggressively pitting jurisdictions against each other to maximize financial packages. Major commercial real estate and advisory giants (such as CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, and Big Four accounting firms like EY or PwC) have dedicated incentives advisory practices.
• Corporate Law Firms with Government Relations/Incentives Practices: Large national and regional law firms feature practices specifically tailored to corporate relocation, navigating state/local regulatory frameworks, and drafting complex incentive compliance documents (like Fee-in-Lieu-of-Tax agreements or statutory job credits). Examples include firms like DLA Piper's Incentives and Site Selection Practice, Fisher Phillips , or regional powerhouses depending on your target state.
• Boutique Economic Development & Grant Consultancies: Smaller, specialized advisory groups handle direct negotiations with state departments of economic development and local utility providers for customized discretionary packages.

If you'd like to narrow this down, please let me know:

• What is your target state or region?
• What is the anticipated capital investment and number of new jobs you'll be creating?

I can help you identify specific types of packages or advisors suited to that scale.

Yes. For a headquarters relocation across state lines, there are specialized firms that negotiate state and local economic-development incentives on the company's behalf. The strongest options I found are:

• Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. (BLS & Co.) — A specialist in site selection and economic-development incentives. They have specifically handled headquarters relocations, including a CPG International HQ move, and have negotiated large multi-state incentive packages.
• CBRE Location Incentives — Provides location strategy plus incentive negotiation for relocations, including corporate headquarters. CBRE says its team has completed 900+ projects and secured $9B in incentive savings.
• DLA Piper Incentives & Site Selection — Particularly useful if you want legal counsel integrated with the negotiation. They work across all 50 states and specifically list corporate headquarters among their experience.
• Kroll Site Selection & Incentives Advisory — Handles identification, modeling, structuring and negotiation of tax credits, grants, abatements, infrastructure and workforce incentives, including headquarters projects.
• Vista Site Selection — Independent incentives specialist that says it has negotiated $4B+ and focuses on maximizing the actual value of negotiated packages, including terms and clawbacks.
• Maxis Advisors / Foundry Commercial — Specializes in incentives negotiation for relocation, expansion and consolidation projects, working directly with state/local economic-development agencies.
• Ryan Site Selection — Combines site selection, tax expertise, incentive negotiation and compliance.

Who I'd call first

For a corporate HQ move, I'd shortlist BLS & Co., CBRE, and Kroll for an initial competitive pitch. If the transaction has complicated tax/legal structures or you expect aggressive negotiations with multiple states, I'd also interview DLA Piper.

One important point: don't hire someone merely to find incentives after you've picked the state. Ideally, the consultant runs a competitive multi-state process while the decision is still genuinely open. That gives you leverage to make states compete for the headquarters—and can materially improve the package. Vista explicitly describes this dynamic, and BLS has extensive experience running competitive relocation processes.

If you tell me the state you're leaving, the states you're considering, approximate number of HQ employees, payroll, and expected investment, I can research the specific incentive programs and identify 3–5 firms that are particularly well suited to your move, including their relevant track record.

Economic development incentives and corporate relocation negotiations are typically handled by specialized site selection and location strategy consulting firms , major commercial real estate services firms , specialized tax and accounting advisory practices , and select corporate law firms.

Because state and local economic development agencies represent their own municipalities (and aim to spend the minimum necessary to win your business), hiring an independent advocate ensures you don't leave money on the table.

The primary providers who negotiate economic development incentives fall into four distinct categories:

1. Specialized Site Selection & Location Strategy Firms

These boutique or dedicated firms focus entirely on labor analytics, real estate feasibility, and matching your project footprint to the most lucrative state, regional, and utility-level incentive packages.

• Global Location Strategies (GLS) : Highly focused on industrial, manufacturing, and large-scale corporate footprint projects with deep heritage in location benchmarking and negotiations.
• Site Selection Group : Provides comprehensive corporate real estate, location advisory, and economic incentive negotiation services across multiple sectors.
• Vista Site Selection : Utilizes advanced data analytics and modeling to build board-ready strategies and maximize negotiation leverage.
• Austin Consulting : Specializes in incentive negotiations, claw-back minimization, and ongoing compliance tracking with local and state officials.

2. Major Commercial Real Estate (CRE) & Global Advisory Firms

These large global firms have dedicated specialty practice groups that integrate real estate procurement, workplace strategy, and massive proprietary databases of global incentive offerings.

• CBRE Location Incentives : Offers end-to-end solutions, modeling scenarios, and incentive monitoring for corporate relocations and consolidations.
• Newmark Site Selection & Economic Incentives : Routinely negotiates massive economic incentive packages for headquarters, advanced manufacturing, and tech sector expansions.
• Colliers Economic Incentives : Guides organizations from initial strategy development through to project implementation and ongoing compliance.
• Kroll Site Selection and Incentives Advisory : Advises on massive capital investments and headquarters projects, framing non-traditional deals directly with government stakeholders.

3. Big Four & National Accounting/Tax Firms

These firms evaluate incentives through a dual lens of state and local tax (SALT) implications and long-term financial modeling to ensure the structure of the credit matches your corporate tax status.

• BDO USA State and Local Tax Credit and Incentives : Combines technical geographic tax knowledge with established relationships with economic development professionals.
• RSM US : Assists relocating businesses with designing credits and incentives strategies to prevent missed opportunities or voided documentation.

4. Specialized Law & Government Relations Firms

If your headquarters move involves complex public policy, utility agreements, legislative carve-outs, or localized land-use/zoning modifications, specialized legal teams handle the negotiations.

• McGuireWoods Consulting : Features a dedicated Infrastructure & Economic Development team that handles state negotiations, public procurement, and final performance agreements.
• Vorys Site Selection and Economic Development Group : Coordinates multi-state legal incentives counseling from project conception through completion.
• Fisher Phillips Site Selection Team : Led by former senior manufacturing executives who directly assess tax credits, abatements, and workforce training commitments.

To help narrow down which type of partner fits best, could you share:

• The approximate capital investment and number of jobs moving with the headquarters?
• Whether you have specific target states in mind or need help screening multiple regions?

Economic development incentives negotiation for corporate headquarters relocations is handled by specialized third-party professionals . Because state and local economic development agencies represent their own regional interests (and naturally try to give away as little as possible), companies typically hire independent experts to run a competitive site selection process and maximize tax credits, grants, and abatements.

The primary types of organizations that offer these negotiation services include:

• Dedicated Site Selection & Location Strategy Firms: Independent consulting groups that specialize entirely in comparative labor, real estate, and financial incentive modeling. Examples include Site Selection Group, Global Location Strategies (GLS), BLS & Co., and Austin Consulting.
• Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Global Services: Major commercial real estate firms feature massive corporate advisory divisions dedicated to location incentives. Examples include the CBRE Location Incentives Team, Newmark Site Selection and Economic Incentives , and Colliers Economic Incentives Practice.
• Big Four Accounting & Tax Advisory Firms: Professional service networks with specialized State and Local Tax (SALT) credit and incentives practices that handle strategic negotiations and long-term compliance. Examples include BDO USA State and Local Tax Services and RSM US Credits and Incentives Strategy.
• Specialized Law Firms: Corporate law practices with dedicated economic development and government relations groups that draft and negotiate incentive agreements, tax abatements, and fee-in-lieu arrangements directly with state officials. Examples include DLA Piper Incentives and Site Selection Practice and Fisher Phillips Site Selection Team.

To help narrow down which type of firm or partner would fit your move best, could you share:

• The estimated capital investment and number of new/relocating jobs tied to the headquarters?
• Whether you have already shortlisted specific states/cities , or need help with initial screening?

Yes. For a corporate headquarters relocation across state lines, I’d strongly consider hiring an independent incentives/site-selection advisor rather than negotiating directly with the states. The best firms will run a competitive process among candidate states and negotiate the package before you commit to a location.

Firms I’d put on your shortlist

• Redmont Consulting Group — Birmingham-based, focused specifically on economic development, location strategy and incentive negotiation. This could be a particularly good fit if your move involves Alabama or the Southeast.
• Waypoint Advisors — Birmingham-based and specifically represents companies in incentive negotiations, multi-state site selection, tax credits and incentive compliance. They say they've represented hundreds of companies through incentive negotiations.
• KSM Location Advisors — Nationwide site-selection/incentives firm. They negotiate state/local tax incentives, training grants, property-tax abatements and other packages and cover 48 contiguous states.
• CBRE Location Incentives — A larger national option. Their team handles headquarters relocations as well as expansions/consolidations, including site selection, incentive negotiation and ongoing incentive monitoring.
• Bradley — Particularly strong if you want legal counsel integrated into the negotiation. Their economic-development lawyers have handled headquarters relocations and state/local incentive packages; one example is their representation of PulteGroup in moving its headquarters from Detroit to Atlanta.
• Baker Donelson — Southeast-focused law firm with a multidisciplinary economic-development practice covering incentive negotiation, tax, real estate, construction, utilities and government relations.
• Balch & Bingham — Especially strong for Alabama/Southeast projects. They routinely represent private companies in incentive negotiations with states and localities and have extensive Alabama economic-development experience.
• Troutman Strategies — Worth considering specifically because they advertise experience negotiating multimillion-dollar incentive packages for corporate/regional headquarters relocations from one state to another.

My recommendation

For a headquarters move, I'd probably interview 3 types of firms:

1. Independent site-selection/incentives consultant — e.g., Waypoint, Redmont, KSM or CBRE.
   Their job is to maximize the economic value of the competing locations.

2. Economic-development law firm — e.g., Bradley, Baker Donelson or Balch.
   Their job is to structure/document the deal and protect you legally and from a tax standpoint.

3. The economic-development organizations in each finalist state — they're valuable sources of information and can help assemble public resources, but I wouldn't use them as your primary negotiator because they represent the state/community you're negotiating against.

If you're currently headquartered in Alabama and deciding which state to move to, this is especially worth doing as a competitive multi-state RFP. Alabama itself has a substantial incentive toolkit for headquarters projects, including Jobs Act incentives and industrial-development grants that can apply to headquarters facilities.

If you tell me (a) current state, (b) states you're considering, (c) approximate number of employees, (d) annual payroll, and (e) whether you're buying/building/occupying a building, I can identify the 5–8 most appropriate incentive-negotiation firms for your specific move and compare their likely strengths, fees/business models, and relevant headquarters-relocation experience.

For a headquarters relocation to another state, you typically want an economic development incentives consultant, site selection advisor, or public-sector incentives attorney to negotiate with states and local governments. These firms help create competition among candidate states, quantify your economic impact, and negotiate packages such as payroll tax credits, job creation grants, workforce training funds, property tax abatements, infrastructure support, and other incentives.

Some firms that specialize in this work include:

• CBRE — Its Location Incentives practice handles corporate expansions, consolidations, and relocations, including incentives strategy and negotiation.
• Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company — A specialist in location economics, site selection, and state/local incentive negotiations.
• Colliers — Provides economic incentives advisory services covering taxes, grants, workforce programs, utilities, and relocation projects.
• Cushman & Wakefield — Offers business incentives consulting for relocation and expansion projects, including negotiating grants and tax reductions.
• Foley & Lardner LLP — Provides legal guidance on identifying, negotiating, and managing government incentive agreements.
• Maxis Advisors — Focuses on site selection, incentives negotiation, and compliance for relocation and expansion projects.
• FairWinds Advisors — Specializes in relocation, site selection, and incentive negotiations.
• McGuire Sponsel — Helps companies identify and negotiate credits and incentives tied to relocation and investment decisions.

For a corporate headquarters move, I would usually shortlist:

1. An independent incentives/site-selection firm (to negotiate aggressively and maintain credibility with competing states), and
2. A tax or government-relations law firm (to review agreements and protect the company’s obligations).

Before hiring someone, prepare:

• Number of employees moving and new hires expected
• Payroll estimates
• Capital investment (leasehold improvements, real estate, equipment)
• Target states under consideration
• Desired move timeline
• Any commitments you can make (job creation, wages, training)

A key point: many incentives are discretionary and are strongest before a state knows you have already selected a location. Consultants typically advise keeping multiple locations viable during negotiations.

If you share the current state, target states, employee count, and whether this is a Fortune/large-company HQ move or a smaller headquarters relocation, I can suggest the most appropriate type of advisor and likely incentive programs to pursue.

Negotiating economic development incentives for a corporate headquarters relocation is typically handled by specialized site selection and economic incentives advisory firms , major commercial real estate brokerages , specialized tax/accounting firms , or boutique legal practices.

Because state and local government agencies (like state economic development authorities) are incentivized to give away as little as possible, utilizing an independent third-party negotiator ensures you leverage multi-state competition to maximize grants, tax credits, job training funds, and tax abatements.

1. Dedicated Site Selection & Incentives Firms

These boutique or specialized firms focus exclusively on location strategy, labor analytics, and aggressive incentive negotiations:

• Site Selection Group: Offers comprehensive location advisory and turnkey economic incentive negotiation and compliance services.
• Global Location Strategies (GLS): Highly regarded for industrial, manufacturing, and major corporate location strategy and incentive procurement.
• Austin Consulting: Specializes in discretionary/as-of-right incentive package negotiations, infrastructure grants, and claw-back protection.
• Incentis Group & WDG Consulting: Boutique firms that structure creative benefit packages tailored to corporate investment goals.

2. Major Commercial Real Estate & Advisory Services

Large global real estate and financial advisory companies maintain massive, dedicated public incentives and site selection practices with deep regional data:

• Newmark: Has a specialized Site Selection, Location Strategy and Economic Incentives practice group that has negotiated billions in headquarters and corporate incentives.
• Kroll (Equitable/Valuation Services): Features a massive Incentives and Site Selection Advisory group specializing in complex, capital-heavy headquarters and commercial projects.
• Colliers, CBRE, and Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate leaders with dedicated corporate incentives practices that work directly hand-in-hand with your real estate lease or purchase negotiations.

3. Big Four & National Accounting/Tax Firms

Major accounting networks have specialty State and Local Tax (SALT) / Credits and Incentives groups that coordinate negotiations alongside tax structuring:

• BDO USA, RSM US, and Baker Tilly: Provide integrated tax credit optimization, statutory/discretionary incentive tracking, and negotiation support.
• McGuire Sponsel: Specializes in location advisory and specialty tax incentives.

4. Specialized Law Firms

Certain corporate law firms feature dedicated economic development and incentives practices to handle the legal binding agreements, performance milestones, and claw-back provisions:

• DLA Piper (Incentives and Site Selection practice)
• McGuireWoods Consulting (Infrastructure & Economic Development)
• Maynard Nexsen or Turner Padget (Southeast-focused economic development groups)

If you'd like to narrow this down, please let me know:

• What is the approximate capital investment and number of jobs moving?
• Which target states or regions are you considering?