ATLANTA -- Atlanta is the third hottest city in the nation for businesses to expand and relocate, according to a new 2006 ranking by top site-selection magazine Expansion Management.

“Atlanta is a place where companies can reach their customers all over the world, tap a talented workforce and keep the cost of doing business low,” said Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “Together, that’s a knockout combination. And it’s why the nation’s most prominent site-selection experts consistently rank Atlanta as one of the best choices for companies looking to grow or move.

”Expansion Management is a business magazine for executives of companies actively looking to expand or relocate their facilities within the next one to three years. Its annual list of “America’s 50 Hottest Cities” is based on a survey of 80 prominent site-location consultants. For five of the last six years, Atlanta has been in the top five on the 50-city ranking – taking the No. 1 spot in both 2001 and 2004.

Williams said three major attributes make Atlanta attractive when companies make a decision to expand or relocate. First, Atlanta’s international airport and the city’s status as the business center of the Southeast – the nation’s fastest growing region – assure companies that they will have access to their customers and the world.

An educated workforce adds to the appeal, he said, noting that the region’s 45 universities educate 200,000 students a year. Georgia Tech alone turns out the largest number of engineers of any university in the country, and Atlanta residents hold the sixth highest number of advanced degrees in the nation. Finally, Williams said, the cost of doing business in Atlanta is among the nation’s most competitive. On the 2006 “Hottest Cities” list, Atlanta bested cities such as Dallas, San Antonio, Charlotte and Memphis. Nashville and Phoenix ranked first and second. More information is available at www.expansionmanagement.com.

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