As IAMC continues to grow and strives to exceed member needs and expectations, so does our commitment to providing exceptional value through high-quality professional education, strategic leadership development and world-class programming. We’re excited to welcome two dynamic professionals to the IAMC staff who will help further elevate our offerings and member experience.

Joining our team are Charlene Manuel, our new Director of Education & Research, and Andrea “Andi” Rawl, who steps into the role of Director of Professional Development. Each brings a unique background, deep expertise, and infectious enthusiasm—and we’re thrilled to have them on board.

Among the highlights of the recently held IAMC Forum in Sacramento, California, was a keynote address by Zack Kass, a futurist and AI expert who formerly headed go-to market strategy for Open AI. I followed up with him by email after the event so some of the insights he shared on stage could be shared on the page.

An IAMC International event at the Hilton London Kensington in November featured EMEA logistics insights from Kevin Molfid, head of logistics research at Savills; a discussion of “the carbon cost of location” by Cushman Wakefield’s Sally Bruer; and an exploration of site selection and current FDI trends by Nicholette Ross, managing consultant at Global Location Strategies.

The annual infrastructure issue of Site Selection is an ideal occasion to roam the newsrooms of IAMC member organizations for insights into projects across the infrastructure spectrum. (See even more in this issue’s Top Utilities in Economic Development and Global Groundwork Index features.) Scanning these newsrooms reveals IAMC’s wide geographic reach, depth of knowledge and scope of expertise.

Nearshoring is in full swing in Nuevo Leon, home state to the dynamic metro of Monterrey (pictured) where IAMC held an event earlier this summer.

More than three-quarters of nearshoring investments in Mexico have gone to Nuevo Leon – including some projects from IAMC member companies. The overall Mexican nearshoring trend was well documented in a 2023 white paper from IAMC member organization Maersk, “Nearshoring North America: Supply Chain Considerations for When Closer is Better.”