Didi Caldwell

About Didi Caldwell

For nearly three decades, I have advised global companies on where to deploy capital when the stakes are highest. Where to build. Where to expand. Where to invest billions of dollars in advanced manufacturing, energy, and technology projects. These decisions are often framed as data-driven real estate analyses. While data informs the process, these are long-term operating decisions that require a high level of discernment to pressure test risk, cost structure, incentives, workforce, infrastructure, and political dynamics. My work has taken me to more than 60 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Seeing firsthand how large-scale investments reshape companies and communities shapes my perspective in every engagement. This global exposure led me to establish Global Location Strategies in 2008 to give executives clarity and confidence in high-stakes location decisions. Since then, I have led GLS through significant growth, earning recognition on the Inc. 500 Female Founders list and on the Inc. list twice. Our team has supported complex projects for companies including Georgia-Pacific, Kairos Power, Procter & Gamble, Emirates Global Aluminum, and Knauf, guiding investments that require discipline across capital, energy, incentives, workforce, and risk. Bloomberg has referred to me as the “Factory Whisperer.” My insights have been featured on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and at leading industry forums. I regularly speak on global competitiveness, advanced manufacturing, energy strategy, incentives, and the future of FDI. I also serve as Board Chair of Strata Platforms, a technology company developing software to bring speed, transparency, and discipline to site selection and property evaluation. I collaborate with executives, investors, and policymakers on site selection, energy strategy, incentives, and competitiveness. Across all my work, I believe location strategy is not about chasing incentives. Incentives are temporary. Cost structure is permanent.In a world where analysis is increasingly automated, the most valuable part of location strategy is translating data into decisions that withstand real-world conditions. When done well, the right location choice strengthens companies, anchors communities, and creates lasting economic opportunity. If you are navigating a high-stakes investment decision and looking for a trusted advisor, a keynote speaker with timely, real-world perspective, or a strategic partner to help you understand what is coming next in global investment, I welcome the conversation.

Experience

1. President and CEO

   Global Location Strategies

   Jan 2008 — Present · Greenville, SC, US

   Established Global Location Strategies to provide companies with disciplined, independent advice on high-consequence location decisions that define cost structure, risk exposure, and long-term operational performance. Following industry disruption and talent departures during the global financial crisis, several engineering and advisory firms, including Fluor, shifted away from in-house site selection, creating a gap for independent, senior-level guidance on complex, capital-intensive decisions. GLS supported these outsourced engagements and quickly expanded to fill this gap and serve corporate clients, advising senior executives on complex investment decisions involving advanced manufacturing, energy, and technology projects. Under my leadership, GLS has grown into a globally respected advisory firm, earning recognition on the Inc. list twice and supporting projects for companies including Proctor & Gamble, Kairos Power, Novelis, and Rockwool across the U.S. and internationally. GLS brings a disciplined, senior-led process that pressure-tests risk, cost structure, and operational fit before capital is committed. We can ensure that each decision is grounded in rigorous analysis and the experience-based judgment required to hold up in the real world. Without that level of discipline, projects face delays, rising risk, missed assumptions, and long-term operational drag that cannot be undone. My role today focuses on firm strategy, senior-level advisory work, thought leadership, and advancing the teams, tools and platforms to help clients make decisions that remain sound under pressure and perform over decades.

Education

• Clemson University

  BA, Architecture

  1986 — 1990

• Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina

  International MBA, Spanish Track

  1996 — 1998

• Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina

  International MBA

Skills

• Management Consulting
• Budgets
• Finance
• Project Management
• Construction
• Negotiation
• Sales
• Contract Negotiation
• Start-Ups
• Business Development
• International Business
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Sales Management
• Contract Management
• Organizational Development
• Project Planning
• Leadership Development
• Location Intelligence
• Economic Development
• Leadership
• Energy
• Customer Service
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Business Strategy
• Public Speaking
• Event Planning
• Management
• Team Building
• Market Research
• Construction Management
• Government
• Risk Management
• Program Management
• Change Management
• Proposal Writing
• Sustainability
• New Business Development
• Business Planning