In a November survey of site selection consultants who subscribe to Site Selection magazine, respondents ranked work force as the single most important location factor, while incentives ranked fourth.

In that same survey, 79 percent of site selectors said that, when working on a project with a potential location, it is "very important" for the host location to have the flexibility to craft a customized incentives package for the deal. Another 17 percent said that such flexibility is "somewhat important," while only 4 percent said it is "not important." 

These survey findings matched the consensus of the Site Selectors Forum at the Mid-America Economic Development Council's annual Competitiveness Conference in Chicago last month.

Right-to-work status may not be absolutely necessary for a state to win a project, the site consultants said, but in about half of all projects the states that do not have right-to-work laws will probably be screened out of the running at the first stage.