We lean into challenging client situations, seeking solutions through structured problem solving techniques while leveraging our years of experience.
Client Challenge
In 2019, a Fortune 500 software company faced concerns about the sustainability of North American labor markets supporting its sales and development sites.
The company sought to evaluate new geographic markets to sustain its anticipated growth.
The Frameshift partners were engaged to define future labor needs, operational requirements, and identify the most strategic labor markets in North America.
Our Approach
We developed a data-driven model to assess all potential labor markets.
Our analysis quickly identified Nashville as a promising location due to its workforce potential.
With ambitious hiring plans, this project became the largest job creation project in Tennessee’s history, making economic development incentives critical to financial viability.
Key Challenge: Political Resistance to Incentives
Nashville’s mayor had publicly opposed “corporate welfare” for incoming businesses. Local residents expressed concerns about: Rising housing costs, Traffic congestion, Infrastructure strain, Gentrification
Strategic Execution
Instead of solely promoting the project’s advantages, we took a community-first approach:
Built a coalition of state and local stakeholders to evaluate the project’s broader benefits.
Listened to community concerns and adapted our project to address them.
Partnered with: Local HBCUs, The mayor’s affordable housing team, City council members, The governor’s economic development office, The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Results & Impact
By securing widespread community and political support, we positioned the project for unanimous city council approval (with only one abstention).
Secured over $250 million in economic development incentives, including: $175 million in tax increment financing (TIF), approved by the previously hesitant mayor.
Frameshift partners dedicated over two years to this project, investing 1,000+ hours of senior-level expertise, ensuring successful execution without relying on junior staff.
Client Challenge: Real estate costs in California led to a full review of their North American distribution center network
A leading manufacturer and distributor faced operational challenges in California due to labor issues and rising costs.
Two of the company’s facilities were expected to see a $4 million increase in real estate lease costs within approximately 20 months due to rising industrial lease rates in their respective markets.
The company engaged Frameshift Consulting to conduct a North American distribution center (DC) network optimization project to determine the most strategic locations and sizes for its DCs.
Our Approach
The optimization focused on balancing freight cost and service, inventory holding costs, labor availability, and real estate costs while minimizing operational disruption to the company’s existing 14-facility network consisting of: Factory-forward DCs, Stand-alone DCs, and Two 3PL locations
Conducted a detailed analysis of potential distribution center locations, considering:
Results & Impact
Initial analysis identified Yuma, AZ as an optimal west coast location based on network efficiency.
A broader strategic assessment determined that Las Vegas, NV was the best long-term location due to its ability to support potential growth and business strategy shifts.
In July 2024, the company officially announced the opening of its newest DC in Las Vegas, servicing the western United States.
Client Challenge: Complexities with Maintaining Current U.S. Based Workforce
In 2016, a U.S.-based apparel manufacturer faced potential bankruptcy and needed to relocate its domestic manufacturing operations out of Los Angeles to survive.
The company enlisted Frameshift partners to identify suitable geographic markets for its new operations.
The primary challenge was finding labor markets with enough experienced sewers to support the company’s manufacturing needs.
After decades of decline in domestic apparel manufacturing, many former sewers had either left the industry or been retrained for other jobs.
Retraining new workers within the company’s timeline was impractical.
Our Approach
Frameshift partners used a data-driven methodology to identify two categories of promising labor markets:
Markets where sewers were still employed in related industries (e.g., furniture and automotive component manufacturing).
Regions with a history of apparel manufacturing, assessing how many experienced sewers remained in the local workforce.
Leveraging GIS technology and multiple data sources, we analyzed 89 labor markets across the U.S. that met the company’s labor requirements.
Conducted in-depth market research to assess both labor and operational feasibility for each location.
Identified several Southeast U.S. markets that had: Sufficient numbers of experienced sewers, operational viability, and supply chain advantages
Results & Impact
The company successfully identified optimal locations to relocate its domestic operations while maintaining its “Made in the USA” designation.
Shortly after the project’s successful completion in early 2017, the company secured an acquisition deal with a buyer that leveraged the location strategy developed by Frameshift partners.
Over nine months, Frameshift partners dedicated hundreds of hours to delivering a tailored, strategic solution for the client’s complex relocation challenge.
Client Challenge: Northern border labor market dynamics were becoming untenable.
A major manufacturing company sought to relocate its 1,400-worker facility from Reynosa to a more inland location in Mexico. The primary objectives were to secure an area with sufficient workforce availability while mitigating labor competition and minimizing the risk of unionization. Additionally, the client required a comprehensive freight analysis to assess the impact on service delivery times and logistics costs. The project also needed to consider real estate availability, power reliability, and construction feasibility amid an increasingly dynamic industrial real estate market post-COVID.
Our Approach
Labor Market Analysis
We conducted an in-depth assessment of multiple potential locations, evaluating workforce availability, wage trends, and competition for labor. By leveraging proprietary labor market data and on-the-ground research, we identified locations with a robust yet underutilized workforce, reducing the risk of excessive labor demand and potential unionization pressures.
Freight Impact Assessment
Outbound Freight: We analyzed the client’s current logistics model, calculating the cost and time implications of moving further inland, which increased outbound freight time by up to two days. Our evaluation ensured that the longer transit times would not compromise service level agreements with customers.
Inbound Freight: By assessing changes in costs for both overseas shipments and local supplier deliveries, we provided a comprehensive model to understand the shift in logistics expenses and ensure continued supply chain efficiency.
Real Estate & Infrastructure Feasibility
Given the surge in nearshoring and reshoring activities post-pandemic, we evaluated industrial real estate availability, costs, and construction timelines across multiple candidate cities. In addition, we conducted a power reliability assessment to ensure that the selected location could support high-demand manufacturing operations without disruption.
Results
Identified a prime inland location in Torreón that balanced workforce availability, labor stability, operational efficiency, and minimized freight service and cost impact.
Client Challenge: A lack of incentives administration meant money wasn’t getting put to work for our client
An international third-party logistics provider had grown through acquisition but realized it was not fully benefiting from economic development incentives secured by itself and its acquired entities.
The company’s tax leaders engaged Frameshift partners to develop a compliance and administration program to ensure full realization of incentives.
Our Approach
Collected and reviewed all existing incentives agreements, obtaining documents both internally and from economic development organizations in the company’s operating locations.
Abstracted agreements to clarify potential incentives value and the administrative requirements needed to fully realize them.
Established an internal incentives team at the company, designating members responsible for: 1. Providing necessary data, Completing tax returns, 3. Managing reports and filings
Recommended administration methods to keep incentives information up to date and actionable, including: Custom Excel spreadsheets, Process management software, and Specialized incentives administration software
Assisted tax leaders in selecting an information management system best suited to their needs, culture, and budget, then populated the system with abstracted incentives data.
Results & Impact
Organization of incentives information revealed several immediate opportunities to capture incentives value.
Identified a state grant secured by an acquired company and worked with the state to amend the grant’s legal entity, allowing the client to receive the incentive.
Discovered multiple incentives agreements in which the client was in default due to missed reporting requirements.
Successfully collaborated with economic development organizations to bring the client back into compliance, ensuring full access to incentives.
Dedicated over 200 hours to this year-long project.
