The outgoing mayor of Shreveport in Louisiana, Cedric Glover, looks back on his tenure, telling Michal Kaczmarski how a collaborative approach helped him manage his city through one of the worst recessions in US history.

This year's Bio International Convention attracted more than 15,000 attendees, among them an army of economic developers and elected officials hoping to secure investments into the sector. Michal Kaczmarski asked representatives why investors should bet on their locations and whether they see emerging markets as a source of opportunities or competition.

Famed for its bourbon, horse racing and fried chicken, Kentucky's economy is roaring thanks to the collective successes of these three industries. State officials are keen to further diversify the economy, however, and promote less traditional sectors such as logistics and technology.

A new generation of hi-tech manufacturers in the US are driving demand for industrial space in some of the country's largest cities.

The mayor of Birmingham in Alabama, William A Bell, tells Courtney Fingar how the renovation of an old railway yard into a baseball stadium is just one example of how the city is transforming its image and attracting the attention of both domestic and international investors.

Beyond the US megacities, several second-tier cities – Seattle, Columbus, San Antonio, Minneapolis/St Paul, San Diego and Portland – are in search of FDI to promote their positions on the world stage. Karen E Thuermer discovers how a major new investment initiative could help them find it.

At the turn of the millennium, after years of losing out on technology projects to established tech hubs, Chicago decided it was time to raise its game. Now its honour roll of successful start-ups includes Groupon and GrubHub.

As a family-owned company that has been producing paper for almost 100 years, Burrows Paper Corporation may have its roots in the past, but its sights are firmly fixed on the future, as it looks to emerging markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.