James Blair

James Blair is the Founder and Managing Director of Navigator Consulting, a specialized consulting firm providing project management and site selection services to international companies looking to set up or expand manufacturing operations in North America. Since 2014 Navigator Consulting has helped locate 25 clients, announcing 5,600 jobs and $2.4 billion in capital investment.

Navigator provides classic site selection consulting, as well as FDI and strategic planning consulting for U.S. EDO’s. Blair collaborates with Berlin-based TerraLogis in performing site selection for European clients, and with El Paso-based PlazaSource to provide site assessment and site certification services to communities and developers.

During 25 years in site selection for the State of Georgia, Blair worked with over 175 companies whose U.S. subsidiaries currently employ more than 20,000 people. Client companies included global names like Porsche (Germany), UCB (Belgium), Randstad (Netherlands) and Saint Gobain (France), as well as mid-sized companies like Glock (Austria), Hansgrohe (Germany), JCB (UK) and Terma (Denmark).

Blair began his career at Georgia Economic Development in 1987 as Executive Director of the state’s European Office in Brussels. He also served as Chairman of the Council of American States in Europe, the official organization representing 18 full-time U.S. state offices in Europe. Prior to founding Navigator Consulting, Blair was Executive Director of GACC Site Selection at the German American Chamber of Commerce (Atlanta). From 2012-2014 he and his team helped locate 8 companies, announcing capital investment of $100 million and 800 jobs.

Since 2017, Blair has been recognized by Swiss Global Enterprise as a “U.S. Site Selection Expert”. He serves on the Board of the Belgian-American Chamber of the South (BACoS) and Berlin-based Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC).

He serves on the Emory University Advisory Board for German Language Study, a volunteer role helping to promote the study of German throughout the Southeastern U.S. In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious “Officer of the National Order of Merit” medal by the French government in recognition of his service in promoting French-American business and cultural relations.

Blair has spoken at numerous Economic Development conferences in his role as a site selection professional, including events organized by Consultant Connect, the Upstate Alliance, the Georgia Economic Development Association (GEDA), the Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC), the National Rural Economic Development Association (NREDA), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC).

Blair received his international MBA degree in 1983 from the University of South Carolina with a specialization in Finance and Marketing. He speaks German and French, and conversational Dutch as well.