A Brief History

Here's a history of Hickey Global that explains how the firm fits into the Hickey & Associates legacy.

The history of Hickey Global truly begins with Hickey & Associates. Founded in 1986, our sister company gained experience providing services to companies engaged in physical location processes. By 1991, that work had advanced from helping companies in the US to establishing an international expertise in site selection work that would soon span the globe.

Throughout the company's growth, Hickey & Associates recognized the importance of having capable economic development partners it could trust to ensure smooth public-sector attraction and retention processes. In 2011, to honor the late Michael P. Hickey and to mark 25 years of successful growth, the Hickey Foundation was established to provide scholarships for economic development practitioners to support continuing education.

After working on several projects for communities seeking to bolster their business development value propositions, Hickey & Associates recognized the need for a dedicated business line for economic development organizations. This would eliminate potential conflicts of interest with corporate clients and communities and allow for expertise dedicated to economic development to take the reins.

In 2020, Hickey Global Economic Development Consulting was founded to meet the needs of economic development organizations. Since its inception, Hickey Global has worked with local governments, regional EDOs, Chambers of Commerce, and states to execute projects ranging from broad strategy work to more pointed studies.

In 2021, the Hickey Institute was founded to share thought leadership and best practices in site selection and economic development. The Institute has released several documents, all of which are available for public consumption on either the Hickey & Associates or Hickey Global websites.

In 2023, Hickey Global expanded its global presence by opening the Hickey Global Canada office to support Canadian economic development organizations.