Tess Fay

With years of experience attracting major capital investment to both metropolitan and rural communities, Tess has an eye for impact. While at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, she recruited jobs and investment into the state, evaluating the long-term returns that could result from $14 Billion of potential new business investment from manufacturing and industrial projects. She recommended competitive sets of tax credits and economic incentives that could be offered to business investors and supported by the community and state. She also coached communities across the state to help them advance towards investment readiness and has a passion for helping rural communities succeed.

Advising on the best match between business investment and communities and states is at the heart of the GLS investment advisory practice. For companies, Tess advises on their next competitive location. For communities, she advises on the sectors and companies their assets can attract. The GLS point of view is that all parties ought to earn a positive return on their investments. Tess implements that vision every day.

Tess puts her experience to work for the communities she guide, helping to execute site competitiveness, readiness, and benchmarking studies; lead site identification efforts; and a multitude of other economic development services.

As a principal, Tess has a deep understanding of workforce, infrastructure, and supply chain needs within the global sectors she serve and is passionate about matching companies and communities for mutual, long-term success. She is an invaluable resource to the decision-makers GLS works within manufacturing site selection.

Before transitioning to site selection and economic development, Tess spent four years in manufacturing at the illustrious Big Ass Fan Company, makers of innovative and award-winning cooling and lighting products for industrial and residential use. Her focus there was primarily on public relations, marketing, and business development.

Hailing from Kentucky, Tess graduated from Centre College with degrees in English and French. She has an MBA from the University of West Georgia.