W. Ford Graham

W. Ford Graham, IMBA, Esq. is a senior vice president on McGuireWoods Consulting’s national infrastructure & economic development team and a partner with McGuireWoods LLP. Ford has a depth of experience working in the economic development sector where he has been one of the leading recruiters of international companies to the Southeastern United States. He has facilitated new industry and industrial expansion across the US and abroad in over 138 projects, which have resulted in commitments of more than 15,000 new jobs and $58.9 billion in new investment. Ford’s practice focuses on companies opening or expanding operations in the U.S. In addition to economic incentives, Ford assists companies with the full spectrum of legal needs that arise when companies enter new markets. Most recently, Ford was a partner at an international AmLaw 100 law firm, and he previously served as director of international strategy and trade for the South Carolina Department of Commerce. In that role, he directed all aspects of the agency’s international efforts, including South Carolina's four international offices in Delhi, Munich, Shanghai, and Tokyo, uncovering foreign direct investment opportunities, and assisting South Carolina companies with exporting their products to the rest of the world. Before that, he worked as general counsel for a real estate development/investment firm and served as a judicial clerk in the 5th and 14th Judicial Circuits of South Carolina. Ford served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. Ford is an avid runner and has completed more than 50 marathons/ultramarathons in twenty-one states and three countries including multiple +50-mile races and two 100-mile races in Georgia and Florida. Ford has been named to The 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®. 

Assisted an American data center company in establishing multiple operations in the Southeastern U.S, resulting in the second largest investment announcement in US history. Assisted a Canadian clothing manufacturer with the expansion of their existing HQ and distribution facility and expansion of production facility in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted a multinational paper products conglomerate with the acquisition and large-scale expansion of production facilities in the home goods sector in the both the Southeastern and Midwestern U.S., and the expansion of production facilities in both the Southeastern and Northwestern U.S. Assisted an Israel-based international defense electronics company with a greenfield production and HQ facility for advanced manufacturing in the defense sector in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted an India and U.S.-based advanced manufacturing company with a greenfield production facility for advanced manufacturing in the aerospace sector in the Southeastern and Northeastern U.S. Assisted a U.S.-based solar developer with 136 greenfield industrial solar arrays (2-150MW) in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted a large, German vehicle manufacturer with multiple large-scale expansions of their existing production facility in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted a Canadian manufacturer of multilayered laminated products with a greenfield production facility in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted a U.S.-based, prepared meal delivery company with greenfield production and distribution facilities for the food service sector in both the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S. and a greenfield distribution facility for the food service sector in the Southeastern U.S. Assisted a Turkish supplier of premium bedding products with a greenfield production and distribution facility for the home furnishings sector in the Southeastern U.S. Spearheaded the development of the legal structure behind a new incentive program for the economic development arm of a country in the Middle East.

Inducted into the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business Hall of Fame, 2026 Member, Site Selectors Guild Member, Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC) Mentor, Teach for America Past President, Council of American States in Europe (50-year old organization consisting of the 17 American states with representatives in Europe) Past President, Vice President, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Carolina

South Carolina

Speaker and Moderator, "Ready Means Ready: An Unfiltered Conversation with a Site Selector & Builders," Kentucky Association for Economic Development Collaboration Conference, Hopkinsville, KY, April 2026 Panelist, "Inside Site Selection: Consultant Perspectives on Location, Investment, and Competitiveness," Kentucky Association for Economic Development Collaboration Conference, Hopkinsville, KY, April 2026 Speaker and Moderator, "Powering the Digital Economy: Confronting the Triple Threat to Data Center Growth," Industrial Asset Management Council, Spring Forum, Little Rock, April 2026 Speaker, "Can NIMBY’s Kill Your Project?," Site Selectors Guild Spring Forum, Atlanta, GA, March 24-25, 2026 Speaker, "the Rise of CAVErs," South Carolina Power Team Economic Development Review, Charleston, SC, March 19, 2026 Speaker, "What Role Can Utilities Play in Overcoming Nimbyism?," Utility Economic Development Association (UEDA) Spring Forum, Charleston, SC, March 4, 2026 Speaker, “Site Selector Panel on Infrastructure,” Next Move Group Mardi Gras Economic Development Conference 2026, New Orleans, February 12, 2026 Speaker, “Interesting Times: Trade and Foreign Business Transactions,” South Carolina Bar Convention, Savannah, January 22, 2026 Speaker, Area Development Fall Consultants Forum, Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 15-17, 2025 Speaker, Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) Board of Directors Quarterly Meeting, December 4, 2025 Speaker, "Strategic Site Selection: Lifecycle, Location Drivers, and Global Shifts," Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), 2025 Credits & Incentives Symposium, Dallas, November 2025 Panelist, "Current State of Foreign Investment in America," Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), Annual Conference, August 2025 Speaker/Moderator, “South Carolina’s 2025 Energy Legislation,” The Institute for State Policy Leaders,  Electric Transmission Seminar, Cleveland, August 2025 Speaker/Moderator, “Data Centers in Pennsylvania and Beyond,” Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC), LP,  Annual Forum, Chicago, August 2025 Area Development magazine caught up with its Q2 guest editors, Ford Graham and Steven Pearce from McGuireWoods consulting, to talk about their reporting on data center supply chains. We invited Ermengarde Jabir Director of Economic Research at Moody’s who also explored data centers for a recent Area Development article to join the discussion. This conversation has been edited for style and length. From Silicon to Server: Mapping the Data Center Supply Chain, Area Development, May 29, 2025 Speaker/Moderator, “Trump 2.0: How Trade & Tariff Policies Between the US and Europe Will Impact Industrial Growth,” Industrial Asset Management Council, International Forum, London, UK, June 2025 Speaker, “Incentive Programs: NC, GA, SC, TN,” Annual Conference, South Carolina Economic Developers Association, Myrtle Beach, May 2025 Interview, NEXT Americas Presents: Pathways to Leadership – Driving Impact in Development, ULI Americas, Webinar, April 25, 2025 From Silicon to Server: Mapping the Data Center Supply Chain, Area Development, May 29, 2025 States Tighten Regulations on Data Center Development, May 7, 2025 Interview, NEXT Americas Presents: Pathways to Leadership – Driving Impact in Development, ULI Americas, Webinar, April 2025 Speaker, Kentucky Association for Economic Development Collaboration Conference, Paducah, KY, April 2025 Moderator, “Looking Forward: Pending Policy Changes Shaping Location Strategy,” Site Selectors Guild’s Annual Conference, Sacramento, March 2025 Panelist, “How Greater Phoenix, Arizona, and the United States Can Attract More International Investment,” Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s Ambassador Event: Site Selector Panel, Phoenix AZ, February 2025

Election Impacts on Economic Development and Site Selection, Area Development Winter Forum - Coral Gables, December 2024

Not in My Back Yard: Tactics for Mitigating Nimbyism’s Impact on Economic Development, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives Economic Development Forum- Columbus, November 2024

Property Tax Incentives–The Fundamentals and More!, IPT Credits & Incentives Symposium– Tucson, October 2024

How to Overcome NIMBY-ism, Industrial Asset Management Council’s (IAMC) Fall Forum, Quebec City, September 2024

Powering EV: A Look at the Future of EV Projects, Site Selectors Guild Fall Conference – Detroit, September 2024

Economic Development and Site Selectors the Importance of the Relationship, Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Summer Conference- Virtual - July 2024

The NOT SO BORING Legal Side of Economic Development, Southeastern Economic Development Council (SEDC) Annual Conference – Savanah, July 2024

What Drives Site Selectors Crazy in Working with EDOs – War Stories, Frustrations & Tips, Site Selectors Summer Summit - Charleston, June 2024 The Great Debate: Are Megaprojects Dead? - Site Selectors Guild Annual Conference - Nashville, April 2024 Election 2024: How Our Politics Will Shape Economic Development, Area Development Spring Forum - Louisville, March 2024 Charleston's Economic Resiliency: Navigating Global Shifts, Charleston Regional Development Alliance Competitiveness Conference - Charleston, SC, February 2024 Utilities’ Carbon-Free Goals and Their Future Plans for Renewable Energy - Panel, Southeast Renewable Energy Annual Conference - Charlotte, December 2023 Impacts of the IRA on the Renewable Energy Pipeline in the Southeast, Southeast Renewable Energy Annual Conference - Charlotte, December 2023 Energy Costs and Supply Come to the Forefront, Area Development – Fall Consultants Forum, December 2023 Changing Dynamics of Renewable Energy Development - Panel, Southeast Renewable Energy Annual Conference - Charlotte, December 2023 Site Selection Trends and Advice for Rural Markets, National Rural Economic Developers Association (NREDA) Annual Conference, November 2023 Unlocking FDI: The World’s Current View on Investing in the US, Economic Development Summit at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, November 2023 The Palmetto State’s Piece of the Larger US EV Puzzle, 12th Annual SC Jobs Economic and Development Authority (JEDA) Bond Summit, October 2023 Lessons Learned: Economic Development Projects that Don’t Go as Planned, North Carolina Economic Developers Association (NCEDA) Fall Conference, October 2023 Site Selection & Location Strategies- Consultants Panel, Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) Annual Conference, September 2023 Perspectives and Trends in Foreign Direct Investment, Transatlantic Relations, and the Global Economy, Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC) Annual Conference, August 2023 The Intersection of Property Tax and Credits & Incentives: What Every Property Tax and C&I Professional Needs to Know, Institute for Professionals in Taxation – Annual Conference, June 2023 The Growth of Economic Development and International Business in South Carolina, The Edge, Folks Center for International Business, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, June 2023 FDI: Finally Decoding It!, Southern Economic Development Council - Meet the Consultants Forum, May 2023 Mega Projects and Their Impact on State/Local Incentives, Legislation, and How to Position your ‘Traditional’ Project to Break Through the Noise, Industrial Asset Management Council - Spring Forum, April 2023 Podcast Episode 79: Europe and European FDI with W. Ford Graham, Econ Dev Show with Dane Carlson, January 2023 2022 Top States Commentary: Responsiveness to Projects Big Ñ and Small Ñ Lands a Core Group of States on Top, Area Development Consultants Forum, September 2022 Community Growth Through Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E), Logistics Development Forum - BeaverCreek, August 2022 Geo-Political Environment & Transatlantic FDI Relations, Transatlantic Business & Investment Conference, August 2022 Impact of MEGA Projects on Site Selection, Area Development Consultants Forum, June 2022 Creative Incentives Discussion, Georgia Economic Developers Association Spring Workshop, May 2022 State of Economic Development, Illinois Economic Developers Association Annual Site Selector Forum, April 2022 Economic Development in the US Ð How This All Works, Tenth Annual "Under the Wire" CLE Seminar, February 2022 Webinar: How Onshoring Affects Site Selection: Tariffs Coupled with The Pandemic Have Impacted Supply Chains and Certain Goods Markets, Industrial Asset Management Council, March 2021 Historical Jurisprudence and Originalism, Georgia Capitol CLE for Capitol Staff and Lawyer-Lobbyists, Georgia ICLE, December 2020 2021 Timely Aspects and Updates on International Law Featuring Dispute Resolution, The Hague, Trade and Intellectual Property, 2021 SC Bar Convention, October 2020 Economic Development After COVID-19: What it Means for Existing & Prospective Companies, Council of American States in Europe: USA Investment Roundtable, June 2020 Gerrymandering, Georgia Capitol CLE for Capitol Staff and Lawyer-Lobbyists, Georgia ICLE, December 2019 Due Diligence & Site Selection, SelectUSA Canada Conference, December 2019 You Will Need a Lawyer: Best Practices for Doing Business in the U.S., U.S. Embassy in the Czech Republic, September 2019 How U.S. Tax Reform Impacts Doing Business and Investments Between the United States and Switzerland, U.S. Embassy in Switzerland, March 2018 Foreign Direct Investment in South Carolina, Charleston Regional Development Alliance Quarterly Briefing, February 2017 Europe and Asia Market, Southern Forest Products Export Conference, October 2016