Site Selected. Incentives Negotiated.
US Operations Launched in 90 Days.
An anonymised account of how an international manufacturing company entered the US market — with a full state and city analysis, a negotiated incentive package from multiple government bodies, and a seamless operational launch — in a timeline that most companies spend just researching.
A strategic decision. A complex landscape. No local intelligence.
The company had been manufacturing in its home country for over two decades, supplying industrial components to clients across Europe and Asia. The decision to establish a US manufacturing presence was strategic — driven by a combination of nearshoring demand from US enterprise clients, supply chain resilience requirements post-2020, and the opportunity to access the US government procurement market, which requires domestic manufacturing for certain contract categories.
The challenge was not the decision to enter the US — it was the complexity of executing it correctly. Site selection for a manufacturing facility involves a matrix of variables that most international companies dramatically underestimate: state and local tax structures, workforce availability and cost, logistics infrastructure, energy costs, environmental permitting timelines, and the availability of government incentives that can materially affect the economics of the investment.
The company had received competing proposals from three economic development consultants. All three proposed a 12–18 month process. Startup Runway proposed 90 days — and delivered.
Five phases. 90 days. One operational facility.
Startup Runway's engagement combined proprietary market intelligence, government relationships, and operational execution to deliver a result that most consultants quote 18 months to achieve.
Multi-State Analysis — 5 States, 12 Criteria, One Recommendation
Startup Runway conducted a structured analysis of five candidate states — Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina — against 12 sector-specific criteria weighted by the company's operational requirements. The criteria included corporate tax rate and structure, state and local incentive availability, workforce availability and average manufacturing wage, logistics infrastructure (proximity to major ports, rail, and interstate corridors), energy cost per kWh (critical for energy-intensive manufacturing), environmental permitting timelines, proximity to the company's primary US customer base, and the strength of the local manufacturing supply chain ecosystem.
The analysis was not a generic site selection report. It was built on Startup Runway's proprietary relationships with economic development officials in each state — meaning the incentive data reflected actual, current offers rather than published schedules. Published incentive schedules are almost always lower than what is actually available to a company that approaches the right people through the right channels.
The recommendation: Texas, specifically the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, based on a combination of the highest available incentive package, the strongest logistics infrastructure, the most favourable energy cost structure, and the deepest pool of manufacturing workforce talent in the company's specific niche segment.
Incentive Negotiation — Maximising the Package Across Three Government Levels
The incentive negotiation phase is where Startup Runway's government relationships deliver the most measurable value. Manufacturing incentive packages in Texas are available at three levels: state (Texas Enterprise Fund, Texas Enterprise Zone Programme, Skills Development Fund), county (property tax abatements, infrastructure cost-sharing), and municipal (EDC grants, fee waivers, expedited permitting). Most companies negotiate with one level at a time, sequentially. Startup Runway negotiated all three simultaneously.
Startup Runway's relationships with economic development officials at the City of Richardson, the Richardson Economic Development Corporation, and the relevant county EDC allowed us to structure a coordinated incentive package that maximised the total value to the company while ensuring that each government body understood the full scope of the investment — and therefore had a strong incentive to offer competitive terms.
The negotiation also leveraged Startup Runway's relationship with the Texas Governor's office and the Texas Economic Development and Tourism division — the gatekeepers for the Texas Enterprise Fund, which provides discretionary grants to companies making significant capital investments in the state. The company's application was submitted with a pre-existing relationship at the decision-maker level, which materially accelerated the review timeline.
The final incentive package represented a significant reduction in the company's effective cost of entry — across property tax abatements, capital investment grants, workforce training subsidies, and infrastructure cost-sharing. The exact figures are confidential, but the package materially improved the economics of the Texas investment relative to any other candidate state.
Compliance and Regulatory Navigation — Zero Delays
Manufacturing facility establishment in the US involves a complex compliance matrix: environmental permitting (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), building permits, zoning approvals, workforce compliance (OSHA, EEOC, Texas Workforce Commission), and — for companies seeking access to federal procurement — Buy American Act compliance and relevant DFARS clauses.
Startup Runway provided a complete compliance roadmap at the outset of the engagement, identifying every required permit, certification, and registration, the responsible agency, the typical timeline, and the specific contacts within each agency who could accelerate the process. This roadmap was not produced by a law firm — it was produced by a team with direct experience navigating the Texas regulatory environment for manufacturing companies.
Environmental permitting, which is typically the longest-lead-time item in a manufacturing facility establishment, was completed in under 45 days — approximately 60% faster than the typical timeline for a first-time applicant — because Startup Runway's team had existing relationships with the relevant TCEQ regional office and was able to pre-screen the application before formal submission.
Market Entry Strategy — Accessing the US Government Procurement Market
The strategic rationale for the company's US manufacturing investment was not just cost reduction or supply chain resilience — it was access to the US government procurement market, which requires domestic manufacturing for certain contract categories under the Buy American Act and the Trade Agreements Act.
Startup Runway provided a detailed analysis of the specific federal and state procurement categories where the company's products were eligible under Buy American requirements, the specific contract vehicles (GSA Schedule, IDIQ contracts, state DIR contracts) that provided the most efficient path to government procurement, and the certification and registration requirements for each.
The company was registered in SAM.gov (System for Award Management) and the relevant state procurement systems within 30 days of the facility's operational launch — enabling them to bid on government contracts from the first month of US operations.
Startup Runway also made introductions to two federal procurement officers and one state agency procurement director who had active procurement cycles for products in the company's category — providing an immediate pipeline of qualified government opportunities.
Operational in 90 days. Government contracts in month one.
The same process is available.
The same timeline is achievable.
If your company is evaluating a US manufacturing investment and you want a site selection process that delivers in 90 days — not 18 months — the conversation starts with a corridor assessment.
Begin a Confidential Conversation
Every inquiry is reviewed personally. All information is treated with strict confidentiality and never shared with third parties.
This case study has been anonymised to protect client confidentiality. All outcomes and metrics are documented and verifiable upon request under NDA.
We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze site traffic. Privacy Policy