How Perception and Place Are Now Deciding Where Companies Invest

Talent has always been a critical input to economic development. What has changed is how decisively it now shapes outcomes. In today’s location decisions, talent is no longer one variable among many. It is often the factor that determines which regions advance and which fall out of contention.

Greater Richmond Partnership’s January 23rd lunch convening is designed as a field-relevant learning opportunity, examining how talent, perception, and place now converge in site selection and investment decisions. The event will bring together national research and applied regional insight to explore how economic development organizations can respond to this shift with greater clarity and effectiveness.

The program features Robyn Domber of Development Counsellors International (DCI) and Christopher Lloyd of McGuireWoods Consulting, contributors to the 2025 State of Site Selection produced by the Site Selectors Guild. Nathan Ohle of International Economic Development Council (IEDC) joins this discussion as a part of the larger Centennial Event Series to celebrate 100 years of IEDC’s leadership in economic development. These events will serve as a lead-up to IEDC’s Annual Conference, the world’s largest convening of economic developers.

Complementing this national context, the event highlights findings from DCI’s new talent perception study, offering a data-driven look at how regions are experienced by mobile, in-demand talent — and where gaps between reality and perception can quietly undermine competitiveness. Together, these insights model how Greater Richmond Partnership can use research to move beyond assumptions and better align strategy, investment, and messaging.