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Need to Compare Operating Costs in Different Markets?

PikeNet 2000 / Apr 5-7, 2000 / San Francisco

Quick Corporate Relocation Analysis. ... Here's a frequent problem faced by corporate real estate directors. How can you quickly compare operating costs in different markets? Check out OpCost.com, which has been developed by Dean Whittaker Whittaker Associates, Holland, MI. Whittaker analyzes the precipitating factors that cause firms to expand or relocate, and OpCost.com accesses Whittaker extensive database of cost data. Currently it's a free service, although Whittaker intends to charge in the future.

Here's how I used it. After registering, I created a pro forma for a company that needed a 25,000 square-foot facility and planned to hire 10 electrical engineers and 20 computer programmers. (Hey, it's a fantasy.) I then compared the operating costs of my fake enterprise in San Jose, Austin and Atlanta. No surprise. The most expensive place to operate was San Jose. Total operating costs, including real estate, were projected as follows:

$5,852,822 for San Jose
$4,594,214 for Atlanta
$4,364,497 for Austin

... I've posted step-by-step instructions in the Property and Market Information section of PikeNet's Web Resources (left-hand column of home page).

--Peter