annual_report_2006_PDF:Annual Report PDF.qxd

MeadWestvaco Announcement
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A press conference to announce the
relocation of MeadWestvaco's corporate
headquarters to Greater Richmond was held
February 15, 2006, at the Virginia Economic
Development Partnership's briefing center.
Patrick O. Gottschalk, Virginia Secretary of
Commerce and Trade, opened the press
conference and introduced Governor
Timothy M. Kaine.
“Landing a Fortune 500 company is a great
way to begin a new Administration,” said
Governor Kaine, who met with the
company's CEO during negotiations.
Governor Kaine welcomes
MeadWestvaco to Virginia
Press conference speakers and
audience
Marge Connelly, chair, Greater
Richmond Partnership, Inc.
John Luke and Alison von
Puschendorf of MeadWestvaco
John Luke, chairman and CEO,
MeadWestvaco
The Governor praised the cooperation
between the public and private sectors
during the 18-month effort to attract the
company. In addition to Governor Kaine,
officials from MeadWestvaco and Jones
Lang LaSalle, their consultant, met with
former Governor Warner, other government
and university officials, CEOs of local
Fortune 1000 and other major corporations,
plus economic development, real estate and
corporate human resources professionals.
Many of those individuals attended the press
conference.
John A. Luke Jr., chairman and CEO of
MeadWestvaco said Virginia's business
environment - “possibly the best in the
country” - was important to the company's
decision. Other attractive factors were the
well-trained work force, solid education
system and low cost of doing business.
Greg Wingfield, Partnership
president
David Smith, Deputy Secretary of
Commerce and Trade, with Pete
Stith, Chesterfield County, and the
Partnership's Dara Glass
Greg Wingfield, president,
Greater Richmond Partnership,
Inc.
Pat Gottschalk, Secretary of
Commerce and Trade, with Kent
Hill, Dominion; Marc Weiss,
Hanover County; Hugh Keogh,
Virginia Chamber of Commerce;
and the Partnership's Gene Winter
He also said, "We love the city's
cosmopolitan character, its diversity, its
charm, its quality of life."
For the company's press release
click here
For the Governor's office press
release click here
For Richmond.com click here
Marge M. Connelly, chair of the Greater
Richmond Partnership, Inc., added her
thanks to all those from the public and
private sectors who assisted in presenting
Greater Richmond to the company, saying
that “this is how great economic
development is supposed to work.”
For the Richmond TimesDispatch overview click here
Governor Kaine
For the Richmond TimesDispatch on the role of local
CEOs click here
For the Richmond Times-
http://intranet.grpva.com/intranet/meadwestvaco/index.asp
6/10/2008
MeadWestvaco Announcement
Page 2 of 2
Dispatch on real estate options
click here
August 5 – Project referred
from Richmond Department
of Economic Development –
a corporate headquarters
evaluating 20-25
communities
August 27 – Regional data
questionnaire completed and
emailed to Jones Lang
LaSalle, the consultant
September 10 – Greater
Richmond Partnership staff
met with the consultant in
Chicago and found the area
was eliminated due to
international air service
needs
October – Greater Richmond
reconsidered
October 19 – Site visit –
consultants and company
official met with economic
development, real estate, and
corporate human resources
representatives
November 5 – Site visit consultant visited to discuss
real estate needs
November 24 – Greater
Richmond is one of final
three localities being
considered
February 3-4 – Site visit –
consultants and senior
corporate officials met with
Governor Warner and state
officials, university and
elected officials and local
corporate CEOs
March 22 – Additional
information sent on school
bond issues, enrollment and
scores and high speed rail
April – Richmond and
Atlanta are the two final
localities; Raleigh is out
according to newspaper
accounts
January – Incentive package
evaluated by company's
attorney
February 3 – John Luke
visited Governor Kaine to
discuss the project
February 10 – John Luke
called Governor Kaine to tell
him that the company had
chosen Greater Richmond
February 15 – Press
conference to announce the
relocation of
MeadWestvaco's corporate
headquarters to Greater
Richmond
June 1 – Additional
information on real estate
options sent to the consultant
June 21 – Consultant
attended State Chamber
reception in Chicago and
talked with Governor Warner
and Secretary Schewel
June 24 – Eric Cantor, U.S.
House of Representatives,
responded to John Luke
about a trade bill
August 23 – Site visit –
Consultants toured sites and
met with commercial realtors
September 23 – Site visit –
Three top corporate
executives met privately with
senior executives of
Richmond's Fortune 1000
headquarters
October 14 – Additional
information on education and
incentives and various
publications sent
December 2 – Information on
applicable state of Virginia
business incentives sent
http://intranet.grpva.com/intranet/meadwestvaco/index.asp
6/10/2008
MEADWESTVACO: ANATOMY OF A DEAL
How It Happened,
And Almost Didn’t
2004
August: Project (“a corporate headquarters
evaluating 20-25 communities”) referred to
Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc. by City of
Richmond’s Department of Economic
Development. Regional data questionnaire
completed by Partnership and emailed to
Jones Lang LaSalle, the consultant handling
the search.
September 10: Greater Richmond Partnership
staff meets with the consultant in Chicago
and learns that Greater Richmond has been
eliminated due to international air service
needs.
October: Greater Richmond earns reconsideration as the result of follow-up with consultant. Consultant and company officials visit
Greater Richmond and meet with economic
development, real estate and corporate
human resource officials as part of a site visit
arranged by the Partnership.
Top: John Luke
chairman and CEO, MeadWestvaco
Second from Top: Governor Kaine
Third from Top: Greg Wingfield,
president, Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc.
Bottom: Marge Connelly,
chair, Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc.
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June 21: Consultant attends State Chamber
reception in Chicago and talks with Governor
Warner and Secretary Schewel.
June 24: Congressman Cantor responds to
MeadWestvaco Chairman and CEO John Luke
about trade bill.
August 23: Site visit. Consultants tour sites
and meet with commercial realtors.
September 23: Site visit. Three top corporate
executives meet privately with senior executives of area’s Fortune 1000 firms.
October 14: Additional information on education and incentives sent.
December 2: Information on applicable
Virginia business incentives sent.
2006
November 5: Second site visit by consultant,
to discuss real estate needs.
January: Incentive package evaluated by
MeadWestvaco’s legal department.
November 24: Greater Richmond is selected
as one of three finalists.
February 3: John Luke visits Governor Kaine
to discuss project.
2005
February 10: John Luke calls Governor Kaine
to tell him MeadWestvaco has chosen Greater
Richmond.
February 3-4: Site visit. Consultant and senior
corporate officials meet with Governor Warner
and state officials, university and elected officials and corporate CEOs.
A press conference to announce the relocation of
MeadWestvaco's corporate headquarters to Greater
Richmond was held February 15, 2006, at the Virginia
Economic Development Partnership's briefing center.
June 1: Additional information on real estate
options sent to consultant.
March 22: Additional information sent on
school bond issues, enrollment and scores,
and high speed rail.
April: Greater Richmond and Atlanta are the
two finalists. Raleigh is out, according to
newspaper reports.
February 15: Press conference announcing
the relocation of MeadWestvaco’s corporate
headquarters to Great Richmond.
March 30: MeadWestvaco selects former
Capital One building near Innsbrook as its
temporary headquarters. Company says it
could remain there for about two years while
making decision about permanent location
somewhere in Greater Richmond.
THE STORY BEHIND THE MEADWESTVACO DECISION
“The Choice of Richmond . . . Was Not a Foregone Conclusion.”
(from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sunday, March 5, 2006)
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
This summer, MeadWestvaco Corporation will begin moving to our new corporate headquarters in Richmond.
We are grateful for and inspired by the warm welcome we’ve received across the community.
Our move was prompted by many factors, foremost a compelling need to bring together people who are currently dispersed at many different MeadWestvaco locations throughout the country. The choice of Richmond,
however, was not a foregone conclusion.
Our relocation team spent over a year studying various sites around the country. From a business perspective, Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia may well offer the best business environment in the United
States. Also, we looked very closely at the area’s key attributes: the talented workforce, education system, and
the costs of doing business here.
But we also considered the “intangibles”—Richmond’s unique character, its diversity and charm, its “small
city-big town” environment, and above all, the positive spirit that pervades the community. These qualities are
reflected in the people of Richmond, and they are the ones who helped MeadWestvaco understand why
Richmond is indeed so “easy to love.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge some of the many people who worked diligently and collaboratively
in helping MeadWestvaco make its final decision: Governor Tim Kaine; former Governor Mark Warner; the Greater
Richmond Partnership; Congressman Eric Cantor; former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Mike
Schewel; Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Patrick Gottschalk; the Virginia Economic Development
Partnership; the Greater Richmond Chamber; and the elected leaders of Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico,
Hanover, and Goochland Counties. In addition, I would like to recognize the tremendous and ongoing support
provided by Senator George Allen, Mayor Doug Wilder, and former Congressman Tom Bliley.
During this process our company also met frequently with Michael Szymanczyk and Jack Nelson of Philip
Morris USA, and Marge Connelly of Capital One. Their insight was invaluable during our decision process, and we
look forward to a strong, collaborative relationship with these business leaders as we build our involvement in
the community.
In addition we met with key business leaders, among them: Beverley Armstrong and Bill Goodwin, Jr., of CCA
Industries; Jim Ukrop of First Market Bank; Robert Grey of Hunton & Williams; Michael Dan, Austin Reed, and
Frank Lennon of The Brinks Company; Tom Capps and Eva Teig Hardy of Dominion; Eugene Trani of Virginia
Commonwealth University; William Cooper of the University of Richmond; Teddy Gottwald of NewMarket
Corporation; and Charles Foster, Jr., of LandAmerica Financial Group
Undoubtedly, the teamwork and can-do spirit expressed by the Greater Richmond area weighed heavily as we
made our final decision; in the same spirit, we are enthusiastic about being a part of this vibrant community and
contributing to its prosperity as we look to build our company’s future here.
John A. Luke, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
MeadWestvaco Corporation
Stamford, Connecticut
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