Don Schjeldahl

Don Schjeldahl

Principal DSG Advisors The Don Schjeldahl Group

DSG Advisors is a consulting platform that harnesses expertise in corporate location selection and economic development best practices. With more than 30 years’ experience in corporate consulting, company founder Don Schjeldahl is a leading expert in corporate location strategy and community/property selection for manufacturing and specialized industrial facilities. 

Geographic Areas Served:

  • North America
  • Central America
  • Europe
  • Japan

Industries or Specialties:

  • Aerospace components
  • Automotive components
  • Broadcasting
  • Craft brewing
  • Food processing
  • General manufacturing
  • Printing and publishing
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Soft drink and water bottling
  • Specialty chemicals 

Areas of Expertise: DSG Advisors are expert at investigating a wide spectrum of production and supply chain factors that influence location strategy and supply chain network optimization including:

  • Raw material sourcing alternatives
  • Seasonal considerations
  • Transportation costs and service characteristics by mode of shipment
  • Customer demand points, volumes
  • Changing demand patterns
  • Product shelf life
  • Cold chain requirements
  • Availability of specialized trucking
  • Facility capacity constraints
  • Inventory management requirements
  • Customer imposed delivery constraints
  • Carbon footprint/sustainability drivers
  • State, local development incentives
  • Introduction of new products
  • Fixed and variable production costs
  • Facility costs
  • Competitor strategies

DSG Advisors’ community and property selection services are designed to reflect each client’s unique balance of location factors which can include:

  • Labor availability, cost and work ethic
  • Recruitment and retention of technical staff, management
  • Waste water treatment capacity, cost
  • Transportation costs, service
  • Electric power and natural gas service
  • Water quality, service reliability, cost
  • Quality of life, community attributes • Site/building characteristics
  • Site image, neighborhood characteristics
  • Telecommunications services
  • Environmental risks
  • Permitting and scheduling
  • State and local taxation
  • Property costs, development costs
  • Air service connecting to key cities

Past Employment:

  • DSG Advisors – 2013-present
  • Sierra Nevada Brewing – Mills River, NC, 2011-2013
  • Austin Consulting – Cleveland, OH, 1984-2011

Notable Past Clients:

  • Alkermes Pharmaceuticals / Injectable Suspension
  • Amy’s Kitchen / Organic Prepared Foods
  • Armstrong World Industries / Ceiling Tile Systems
  • Avery Dennison / Adhesive Films
  • Avon Cosmetics / Health & Beauty Products
  • Carvel-Celebration Foods / Frozen Confectionary
  • Colgate–Palmolive / Oral Care Products
  • Deschutes Brewing / Craft Beer
  • Dole Fresh Vegetables / Prepared Salads
  • Eaton Marine / Marine Hydraulics
  • Ghirardelli Chocolates / Chocolate, Confection
  • Lindt & Sprungli / Chocolate, Confection
  • Pepsi Cola / Soft Drinks
  • Sierra Nevada Brewing / Craft Beer
  • Sundstrand Corporation / Satellite Components

Education:

  • BA Economic Geography – University of Minnesota
  • MA Industrial Geography – Wayne State University

Personal:

  • You must love travel if you’re a site selector. I’ve worked projects in 49 states (still waiting for that project in Hawaii) and 12 countries
  • I love everything outdoors – kayaking, mountain biking, photography
  • It’s all about family

 
Contact Info:
 
Phone:  828-772-9374
Email:  Don@DSG-Advisors.com
Twitter:  @donschjeldahl
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-schjeldahl-0a56556/