Chris Lloyd leads the McGuireWoods Consulting infrastructure and economic development team where he specializes in site selection and economic development incentives negotiations. Since 1998, Chris has provided holistic site selection and incentives negotiation services to dozens of high profile, corporate expansions and relocations across the country.
Chris has also been the principal architect of state public-private partnership legislation now used around the country to speed infrastructure development as well as authored successful legislation to modernize state economic development agencies. As a result of this work, Chris is a frequent speaker on the intersection of economic development best practices and policy.
Prior to joining McGuireWoods Consulting, Chris served for nearly five years in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce and Trade under Virginia Governors Allen and Wilder. In this position, he was responsible for legislative, budgetary, and regulatory coordination and development within that Secretariat which managed the state’s economic development programs.
Chris graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1993. He lives in Richmond with his wife, Megan, and two children.
Experience
- Site selection and incentives negotiations (including passage of legislation amending an existing incentive program) for the headquarters relocation of one of the world’s largest hotel companies. The firm has continued to support the company with public affairs representation, incentives compliance, and through subsequent corporate expansions.
- Site selection, incentives negotiations, public policy activities, and incentives compliance for dozens of hyperscale and colocation data center projects and developers across multiple states representing nearly $100 billion in capital investment and thousands of new jobs.
- Site selection and incentives negotiations for the development of four aircraft maintenance and repair operations (MRO) facilities for the leading corporate jet manufacturer. Additional services include incentives compliance and public affairs support.
Events
- Speaker, Protecting Hard Won Approvals — Threats, Strategies and the Path Forward, November 12, 2026
- Presenter, "After $750M deal falls through, Pulaski residents discuss data centers," The Roanoke Times, October 18, 2026
- Presenter, "The Politics of Water and Economic Development," CIFA Summit on Water Infrastructure, April 9, 2026
- Presenter, "National Trends Impacting the KC Regional Economy," KC Smartport Board of Directors, April 1, 2026
- Presenter, "Why is Virginia so Different?," 757 Leads Group of the Hampton Roads Chamber, March 27, 2026
- Speaker, "Data Center Keynote," Onward New River Valley Data Center Summit, March 19, 2026
- Presenter, "National Trends Impacting Data Center Development," Onward New River Valley Data Center Summit at Virginia Tech and Comptrollers Executive Roundtable in Richmond, VA, March 19, 2026
- Presenter, "Virginia Political Update 2026," Hampton Roads Chamber Regional Board of Directors and Trustee Meeting in Norfolk, VA, March 18, 2026
- Presenter, "National Trends Impacting the Florida Economy – 7 Charts," St. Pete Economic Development Corp.’s Annual Meeting, St. Pete EDC, February 18, 2026
- Featured Guest, "Data center summit looks to clear up misconceptions," WDBJ7 News, January 14, 2026
- Featured Guest, "Future of Data Centers in Virginia," WSLS10 News, January 14, 2026
- Presenter, "Emerging Industries Summit: Data Centers," Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, January 14, 2026
- Presenter, "Mobility and Economic Development," The Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, October 30, 2025
- Speaker, "Policy and Project Trends in Economic Development," Southern Municipal Conference, October 23, 2025
- Presenter, "Data Centers - Policies and Trends," Chesapeake, October 9, 2025
- Panelist, "Illinois Economic Development Association 2025 Site Selectors Forum," IEDA, September 23, 2025
- Speaker, "Keynote Speech on Storytelling in Economic Development," Virginia Economic Developers Association, September 19, 2025
- Speaker, "Hot Political Issues and Trends in Economic Development," Georgia Economic Developers Association, September 17, 2025
- Presenter, A Site Selector’s View on Economic Development Trends and Strategy, September 8, 2025
- Presenter, Federal Policy Changes and Opportunities for Economic Development, August 28, 2025
- Presenter, "The Role of Housing in Economic Development Site Selection," Chmura, April 16, 2025
- Speaker, "Don’t Be an Economic Development One Hit Wonder," Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA), April 4, 2025
- Presenter, How Does Maine Stack Up? – A Site Selector’s View, October 30, 2024
- Presenter, 2024 National Legislative & Presidential Update: Implications for Tax Professionals, October 21, 2024
- Speaker, Chris Lloyd – Economic Development Quick Tip: Incentive Trends 2024-2025, September 10, 2024
- Speaker, Team California’s Meet the Consultants Site Selection and Economic Development Forum, August 4, 2024
- Speaker, Louisiana Senate – Commerce SB494 – Watch at 38:30, April 17, 2024
- Speaker, Housing as a Vehicle for Economic Development Webinar, February 21, 2024
- Speaker, Richmond Development Opportunities, February 13, 2024
- Speaker, "Data Centers Case Study," Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum, October 2023
- Speaker, Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) 2023 Fall Conference
- Speaker, Secretary Caren Merrick joins Regional Policy Leadership Series: Virginia Trade and Commerce, October 26, 2022
- Speaker, "Site Selectors Top 10 – The Business Climate Impact on Attraction and Retention," West Michigan Policy Forum, 2022
- Speaker, Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) 2022 Fall Conference
- Keynote Speaker, "2021 ED Now: Planning for Economic Development Success," OhioSE Economic Development, October 15, 2021
- Featured Speaker, Team Volusia EDC Board Meeting, August 6, 2021
- Speaker, "Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): How this hot topic connects to economic development," Indiana Economic Development Association, August 2, 2021
- Speaker, Industrial Roundtable, Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce, March 17, 2021
- Speaker, "The New Incentives Landscape," Hot Topics in State and Local Tax 2021, Practising Law Institute (PLI), Webinar, March 9, 2021
- Speaker, Central Virginia Venture Connect | Ep. 2: Election Impacts on Startups and New Stimulus Prospects, Charlottesville Business Innovation Council, December 11, 2020
- Speaker, Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) Fall 2020 Conference
- Speaker, Reopening Virginia: Considerations for Employers and Businesses, June 12, 2020
- Speaker, Reopening Colleges and Universities: COVID-19 Funding, Legal Insights and Safety Protocols, May 29, 2020
- Speaker, Bridging the COVID-19 Gap – How to Preserve Incentives When the Future Is Unclear, May 4, 2020
- Speaker, Is Winter Coming? Avoiding the Game of Thrones Incentives Political Feeding Frenzy, Institute for Professionals in Taxation, November 14, 2019
- Interview, "Location scout shares thoughts on Sacramento," ABC10, November 12, 2019
- Speaker, "Positioning VA for Growth in Every Corner of the Commonwealth," Virginia Chamber of Commerce, January 28, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, 136th Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting 2018, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, June 7, 2018
- Speaker, "Econ Dev Talks," International Economic Development Council, December 20, 2017
- Speaker, "Positioning Virginia for Growth" Panel 2017 VA Economic Summit," Virginia Chamber of Commerce, December 13, 2017
- Speaker, Bladen County Committee of 100 Annual Meeting, July 19, 2017
- Speaker, 2017 Infrastructure Outlook, Webinar, March 2, 2017
- Speaker, Two-Part Food and Beverage Industry Outlook Presentation, February 24, 2017
- Speaker, Growing Your Organization Amid Local Pressure – The Politics of Local Economic Development, September 21, 2016
- Speaker, "• Public Private Partnership Success Stories – The Virginia Experience," McGuireWoods Consulting Georgia P3 Seminar, June 11, 2015
- Presenter, An Insiders View on Site Selection, October 30, 2013
Podcasts
- Featured Guest, "DT #694 The Data Center Debate: Opportunity, Opposition, and Community Impact," Develop This: Economic and Community Development, October 21, 2026
- Featured Guest, "The Data Center Revolution, With Greg Riegle and Chris Lloyd," Real Estate for Breakfast Podcast, May 15, 2026
- Featured Guest, "Looking Ahead to 2026: Chris Lloyd - Economic Development Trends You Can’t Ignore," Develop This: Economic and Community Development, January 14, 2026
- Featured Guest, "LIVE from the 2025 #AmericanSouth Summit - Tim Gibbs & Chris Lloyd," The SEDC Podcast, May 8, 2025
- Featured Guest, "Why Communities Get Eliminated from Projects with Chris Lloyd," Develop This: Economic and Community Development, October 16, 2024
- Featured Guest, "Delivery Platforms Turn On The Charm For Lawmakers And Industry," Working Lunch, August 2020
Insights
- Quoted, "Virginia faces shortage of shovel-ready megasites," Virginia Business Magazine, November 1, 2026
- Quoted, "Summit focuses on jobs, investment and Galveston’s industrial future," The Daily News Galveston County, October 29, 2026
- Author, Virginia Data Centers’ Fast-Changing Landscape — What Developers Need to Know, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, September 24, 2026
- Author, State and Federal Legislative Wave Reshaping Data Center Industry: What Developers Should Know, September 8, 2026
- Quoted, "Crash course: County commissioners hear data center presentation," Salisbury Post, August 18, 2026
- Quoted, "Chesapeake event informs the public about data centers," Wavy News Chesapeake, June 2, 2026
- Co-author, "A More Civil Data Center Discourse," Site Selection Magazine, May 7, 2026
- Quoted, "Austins Megasites on Display," Austin Business Journal, May 7, 2026
- Quoted, "Peters seeks to block data centers despite state law," Catalyst, May 2, 2026
- Mentioned, "Will Virginia senator, 82, curb data center boom?," Rappahannock News, April 28, 2026
- Quoted, "Accessing Talent: Job One in Headquarters Location," Expansion Solutions Magazine, April 28, 2026
- Quoted, "Q&A: McGuireWoods’ Christopher Lloyd on the impact of tariffs on manufacturing development," Institute for Real Estate Operating Companies, March 4, 2026
- Quoted, "Virginia secures $12 billion pharma investments with rapid site readiness in 2025," Virginia Business, March 2, 2026
- Quoted, "Proposal to eliminate data center tax break creates strange bedfellows in Virginia," Radio IQ, February 27, 2026
- Quoted, "National trends impacting the Florida economy," St. Pete Economic Development Corp., February 27, 2026
- Author, Virginia Executive Order No. 3 Aims to Speed Up Housing Approvals, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 22, 2026
- Quoted, "What Foot Locker’s Dead HQ Deal Means for St. Petersburg," Tampa Bay Business Journal, November 19, 2025
- Quoted, "DATA CENTERS: State Legislation Seeks to Capitalize on Data Center Boom," Site Selection Magazine, July 2025
- Quoted, "Phoenix’s tech momentum fuels Arizona’s strong business attraction ranking," Phoenix Business Journal, May 2, 2025
- Quoted, "GJEP hosts annual economic summit," The Daily Sentinel, April 28, 2025
- Quoted, "GJ has economic allure, but has hurdles to clear," The Business Times, April 28, 2025
- Author, Virginia Governor Returns Data Center Bill to Assembly, Regulations Pending, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 14, 2025
- Author, Virginia Legislative Session Concludes on Positive Note for Data Center Industry, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 27, 2025
- Author, Virginia’s Data Center Industry: A Look Back for Insight on Future Legislation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 8, 2025
- Author, Virginia Finalizes Review of Data Center Industry, Offering Guidance for 2025, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, December 9, 2024
- Quoted, "Virginia is for HQs: Commonwealth attracts major companies," Virginia Business, October 31, 2024
- Author, "How Does Maine Stack Up? – A Site Selector’s View," McGuireWoods Consulting, October 30, 2024
- Author, "2024 National Legislative & Presidential Update: Implications for Tax Professionals," 2024 IPT Credits and Incentives Symposium, October 20-23, 2024
- Mentioned, "State economic forum drops by Tulare County," The Sun Gazette, August 16, 2024
- Author, Demand for Data Center Projects Remains High Across Virginia With Varying Levels of Regulation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 5, 2024
- Mentioned, "Louisiana Economic Development to undergo major restructure under new law," Nola.com, June 11, 2024
- Author, With JLARC Study, Virginia Continues Review of Data Center Industry, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 28, 2024
- Co-author, "How to Overcome NIMBYism in Data Centers," Area Development, May 2024
- Mentioned, "Long Beach Economic Partnership Launches Inaugural “All Ready Here” Site Selectors Conference," Morningstar, May 2, 2024
- Author, Louisiana Senate Commerce Committee, SB 494, (39:00), April 17, 2024
- Author, Data Center Industry Sees Increased State-Level Legislative Efforts in Virginia, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, January 24, 2024
- Mentioned, "Virginia plays ‘catchup’ on megasites; bill would speed up game," Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 2024
- Author, 2023 Top States Commentary: The Importance of Speed to Market, Area Development, September 2023
- Author, Virginia Resets Data Center Equipment Assessments, Tax Changes on Horizon, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, March 31, 2022
- Author, Data Centers Still Critical in 2022 for Infrastructure, Environmental and Policy Developments, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, February 22, 2022
- Quoted, "Fine Tuning: P3 projects have a lot of moving parts and the details matter," Institutional Investing in Infrastructure, October 1, 2021
- Quoted, "The U.S. Workforce is Changing – Opportunities and Challenges for Companies," Transatlantic Business and Investment Council, September 23, 2021
- Quoted, "Incentives Brighten Site Selection Decisions," Inbound Logistics, August 27, 2021
- Author, American Rescue Plan Implementation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 29, 2021
- Guest, "America’s Top States for Business," The News with Shepard Smith, CNBC, July 13, 2021
- Quoted, "How remote work changed the way companies think about where to keep offices," CNBC, July 7, 2021
- Quoted, "After Wisconsin’s Foxconn debacle, states and companies rethink giant subsidies," CNBC, June 29, 2021
- Quoted, "Texas outshines Arizona, all other states, in luring California headquarters relocations," Phoenix Business Journal, June 29, 2021
- Quoted, "Site selector: Phoenix positioned well for both office, industrial coming out of Covid," Phoenix Business Journal, June 18, 2021
- Quoted, "Economic momentum is strong, but lack of external perception could hurt us," Richmond Time Dispatch, May 9, 2021
- Author, "There is No Infrastructure Santa Claus – How Rural Communities can Meet their Infrastructure Needs," 2018 Annual NREDA Conference, November 7, 2018 (Presentation)
- Author, "Winning Economic Development Strategies," 10th Winchester-Frederick Business Forum Luncheon, September 27, 2018 (Presentation)
- Author, "The Foundations of Virginia Economic Development Policy," Virginia Institute for Economic Development, September 19, 2018 (Presentation)
- Author, Trump Orders Streamlined Permitting for Infrastructure Projects, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 17, 2017
- Quoted, "Righting the ship?," Virginia Business, November 30, 2016
- Quoted, "Critical Site Selection Factor #1: Availability of Skilled Labor," Area Development, Q4 2016
- Quoted, "The Foundations of Virginia Economic Development Policy," September 28, 2016
- Quoted, "Global site consultants tour region, discuss infrastructure, talent, and competitiveness," Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, September 21, 2016
- Quoted, "Business site selection consultants get bird’s eye view of metro Denver," Denver Business Journal, September 16, 2016
- Quoted, "Economic forum at William and Mary explores uniting region," Daily Press, August 23, 2016
- Quoted, "Airport Economic Development Strategies," August 17, 2016
- Quoted, "Winning The Political War Against Public Private Partnerships," June 28, 2016
- Quoted, "Winning The Battle Against Economic Development and Incentives," June 8, 2016
- Quoted, "Virginia Economic Development Policy Update – The 2016 Virginia General Assembly," April 14, 2016
- Quoted, "Despite Enterprise Florida turmoil on job incentives, site selectors find plenty to praise in Tampa," Tampa Bay Times, April 8, 2016
- Quoted, "To spur regional projects, millions in funds ready to ‘go’," Work It SOVA, March 25, 2016
- Quoted, P3 Frameworks in the DC Region, Eno Center for Transportation - DC Mayor's Office P3 Summit, December 9, 2015
- Quoted, "Federal spending cuts have taken a toll on Virginia’s economy," The Virginian Pilot, December 4, 2015
- Quoted, "Economic growth plan GO Virginia presented to local officials," The Daily Progress, December 1, 2015
- Quoted, "The Politics of Local Economic Development: How To Use Facts to Stay Above the Fray," Ohio Economic Developers Association, October 23, 2015
- Quoted, "An Insider’s View of Site Selection and Incentives Policy," King George County Economic Development Forum, October 21, 2015
- Quoted, "Airport Economic Development Strategies: Best Practices for Attracting Jobs and Investments," Georgia Airports Association, October 15, 2015
- Quoted, "Despite big job promises, incentives often fail to deliver," October 14, 2015
- Quoted, "New Frontiers in Logistics Site Selection," Logistics Development Forum, August 5, 2015
- Quoted, "The Politics of Local Economic Development: How to Use Facts to Stay Above the Fray," National Rural Economic Developers Association, July 15, 2015
- Quoted, "While Christie seeks top job, N.J. looks for any job," June 30, 2015
- Quoted, "Natchitoches on the move – Red River Roadshow Showcases Natchitoches Assets," May 19, 2015
- Quoted, "Incentives: The Good, the Bad, and Your Responsibility: Building a Defensible and Transparent Incentives Policy," September 25, 2014
- Quoted, "PTI officials say bridge and taxiway will open huge opportunities," July 11, 2014
- Quoted, "Winning the War Against Incentives: Building a Defensible and Transparent Incentives Policy," May 16, 2014
- Quoted, "National site selectors size up Nashville," Nashville Business Journal, May 14, 2014
- Quoted, "AXUSA: How deals are done," April 8, 2014
- Quoted, "Successful Siting: Choose the Right Land or Existing Building for a Food and Beverage Operation," Food and Drink Magazine, March 5, 2014
- Quoted, "Five questions Boeing will be asking Greensboro and the Triad," December 6, 2013
- Quoted, "Public-private partnerships," September 27, 2013
- Quoted, "Developers, builders back Georgia public-private partnerships law," August 20, 2013
- Quoted, "Area’s ‘sense of place’ helps with economic development, speaker tells CVPED," June 28, 2013
- Author, Maryland Approves Public-Private Partnership (P3) Legislation, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 24, 2013
- Quoted, "The CFO’s Role in the Site Selection Process," January 24, 2011
- Quoted, "How local businesses can tap the stimulus funds," April 6, 2009
- Named to “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame: Volume 1,” Southern Business & Development, 2025
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Economic Development Law, 2020
- President’s Award, Virginia Economic Developers Association, 2017
McGuireWoods Consulting
McGuireWoods Consulting LLC (“MWC”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the McGuireWoods LLP law firm. From time to time, various McGuireWoods lawyers provide non-legal services to MWC clients, but MWC cannot provide legal services or advice. Therefore, any work MWC performs for a client does not give rise to an attorney-client relationship or privilege. Should you require legal services from McGuireWoods, as well as consulting services from MWC, you must engage the law firm separately.