Mike Grella
Chief Operating Officer
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Mike Grella has 26 years of domain expertise and experience in economic development, state, and local tax law, business site selection, and public policy as an attorney and advisor. Mike spent the first 17 years of his career advising hundreds of clients including some of the world’s most recognizable brands at three of the top five global accounting & advisory firms on economic development strategy and expansion transactions.
In March 2012, Mike was recruited by amazon’s legal team to build and lead its global economic development team from the ground up in Seattle. Over seven years the team created public-private partnerships
representing over ten billion dollars of capital investment and over 100,000 new jobs spanning over two dozen U.S. states and 15 countries.
From 2012 -2016 Mike was responsible for the expansion of amazon’s e-commerce logistics and last-mile delivery network collaborating with hundreds of state, regional, and local partners to construct over fifty million square feet of new development.
From 2016 - 2019 Mike spearheaded the economic development function for amazon web services, amazon’s rapidly growing, cloud computing / hyperscale global data center business segment. Mike was responsible for expanding the scope and raising the bar on economic, fiscal, and community impact studies used to communicate the direct, indirect & induced benefits of amazon investments to federal, state, & local policymakers, regulators, and community stakeholders from capitol hill to town hall.
In March 2019 Mike formed Grella Partnership Strategies (GPS), a start-up economic development & public policy advisory firm delivering value to public & private sector organizations & investment funds leveraging cutting-edge data analytics and deep connections in the logistics/e- commerce, data center, and cleantech / sustainable manufacturing industries. For EDO clients GPS plans community red carpet/fam tours, strategic planning studies, market studies, highest & best use assessments, & mock site selection RFPs to prepare communities with the precise data and tools necessary to optimize investment attraction and make curated introductions to desirable end-users & developers.
Mike is a frequent contributor and cited in national media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, Fox Business, Buzzfeed, Recode, And Business Journals around the country. He is also a frequent speaker on myriad economic development matters including Sustainable Development; Industry 4.0 & Smart Cities; Best Practices & Trends In Attracting Tech Industry Investments; The Role Of Diversity/Equity/Inclusion In Fortune 500 Site Selection; Innovation In Supply Chain & Logistics; And Demand-Based Workforce/Skills Development. Mike’s speaking appearances include Corenet Global, Utility Economic Development Association, International Economic Development Council, New York State Economic Development Council, Cornell School Of Public Affairs & Yale Graduate School Of Management.
Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University school of business and His Juris Doctor Degree from Hofstra University School Of Law. Mike is admitted to the New York State Bar.