Quote:
Originally Posted by markson33
In my experience most companies and employees prefer suburban locations. It cheaper for most employees because they don't have to pay for transit or parking. It's cheaper in a lot of ways for the companies (lower taxes, rent, efficiency, etc.).
I hope that US Steel stays downtown, but there are a lot of compelling reasons for them not to.
|
You talk like it's FREE for employees to travel to suburban workplaces.
Private automobiles whisk Pittsburgh's workforce along the region's efficient autobahns until they are deposited into a generous lot of free parking adjacent to their stimulating workplace campuses.
One of the big problems with locating a major company with a regional workforce in a distant suburban quadrant... is it becomes a massive pain for employees who don't live in that suburban quadrant to drive to work. If my company relocates to Cranberry... and I'm accustomed to taking the T from Bethel Park to Downtown... my options now are quite limited, time-consuming and expensive. It may seem appealing for a US Steel to hide away in an obscure nook, but locational centralization is a a powerful asset in many regards.
In my experience... the aging but still-holding-the-reins-of-power Baby Boomer cohort prefers the discredited, inefficient and backwards-looking suburban office park. Young talent tends to prefer dynamic work environments that are found in urban locations accessible by transit, bike and foot.