Living Here
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(Corporate Headquarters)
Baton Rouge is the home of IEM headquarters and the capital of Louisiana. The state capitol complex, located in downtown adjacent to the Mississippi River, features the tallest state capitol building in the country. Baton Rouge is a friendly city that offers urban advantages while retaining a small-town, Southern charm. The city and East Baton Rouge Parish are ranked among the top 20 areas for attracting businesses, according to Expansion Management magazine, and the parish is ranked as the 8th best medium-sized county for business recruitment and attraction.
Downtown is the heart of the city, where new economic activity and a growing cultural district attracts residents of all ages. The area is home to the nationally-acclaimed Shaw Center for the Arts which houses the LSU Museum of Art and the Douglas L. Manship Theatre. Residents and visitors alike shop at the downtown Red Stick Farmers Market on Saturdays, before taking in a tour of the Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, or the Pennington Planetarium and Exxon Mobile Space Theatre, all within easy walking distance.
Collegiate sports is a leading pastime in Baton Rouge, and it won’t take long for newcomers to realize that LSU and Southern University football reign supreme. Known as the sportsman’s paradise, Louisiana also provides an abundance of hunting and fishing spots, as well as camping and hiking.
Louisiana residents love a good celebration and there are plenty of opportunities in Baton Rouge, including Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day Parade, FestforAll, and Baton Rouge Earth Day, one of the nation's largest environmental festivals. Baton Rouge is just a short drive from New Orleans and its diverse cultural, entertainment, and sporting activities, including professional football (Saints and Voodoo), basketball (Hornets), and baseball (Zephyrs) teams.
Anniston, Alabama
Beautifully situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Anniston’s old-style Southern charm and picturesque natural setting of gently rolling hills and abundant trees make it an ideal spot for visitors and residents alike.
With the area’s mild climate and outdoor appeal, hunting and fishing are naturally big pastimes, with game management areas and large lakes less than 50 miles away. For golfing fanatics, the nearby Silver Lakes Golf Course, which is part of the well-known Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, is just one of the many courses in the area. Also near Anniston are the Talladega Motor Speedway and Motorsports Hall of Fame for NASCAR fans.
Anniston also offers cultural resources like the Anniston Museum of Natural History and the Berman Museum of World History. With a reasonably low cost of living, Anniston is only an hour’s drive from both Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, so big-city offerings are within reach.
Atlanta, Georgia
Take a bit of the old—Antebellum mansions and Scarlett O'Hara—mix it with a lot of the new—CNN, ultramodern skyscrapers, World of Coca-Cola®, the Georgia Aquarium—and you've got Atlanta today. Located in the geographic center of the Southeast, the area is the nation’s 9th largest metropolitan area and home to the busiest airport in the country.
Atlanta is ranked 1st as least costly large U.S. city for business by KPMG (2006), 3rd by Expansion Management magazine’s list of “America’s 50 Hottest Cities” (2006), 3rd by Fortune magazine for “Top Cities with the Most Fortune 500 Headquartered Firms” (2005), and 1st by Black Enterprise magazine for “Top Cities for Black Americans” (2004).
The city rates high with sports fans, too, with professional baseball (Braves), football (Falcons), arena football (Georgia Force), basketball (Hawks), hockey (Thrashers), and soccer (Silverbacks) teams offering year-round entertainment.
Washington, D.C.
IEM’s Washington, D.C. area office is situated in "Crystal City," a beautiful urban community just across the Potomac River from our nation’s capital and the hub of our government. Arlington is home to some of the world's largest companies, U.S. government agencies and places of national and historical significance, such as the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery.
A variety of transportation modes is available to and from Crystal City, including the Metro, train, car, or air via the Washington National Airport. The area offers a wealth of entertainment, culture, and site-seeing opportunities. Sporting events in the greater metro area include professional baseball (Baltimore Orioles), football (Redskins), hockey (Capitals), basketball (Wizards), women's basketball (Mystics), and soccer (D.C. United).
Arlington is close to the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis, Baltimore, the Shenandoah Valley, the Virginia Piedmont, and areas of historical interest such as Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and Old Richmond. Educational opportunities abound with George Washington University, George Mason University, Marymount University, University of Northern Virginia, and numerous other institutions.
Bel Air, Maryland
The Bel Air area offers a wealth of choices when it comes to choosing a home and lifestyle. A range of urban, suburban, and rural living options is possible.
IEM’s Bel Air office is convenient to Baltimore; the suburbs of White Marsh and Towson; the small towns of Abingdon, Aberdeen, and Edgewood; and the open horse farms and forested areas of Harford and Cecil Counties. The area is known for its proximity (a 15-minute drive) to Chesapeake Bay and the historical town of Havre de Grace, which missed becoming our nation’s capital by a single vote and is presently the home of hundreds of sailboats and yachts.
Bel Air sits in the northeast corner of Maryland, a comfortable 45 minutes from Delaware (which has no state sales tax) and 30 minutes from rural, southern Pennsylvania. Bel Air is less than 40 minutes from Baltimore and 1 1/2 hours from Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. With the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mountains only 2 hours away, there are endless cycling, boating, hiking, hunting, and fishing opportunities. Baltimore professional football (Ravens) and baseball (Orioles) teams are within easy reach, as are several D.C. metro area sports.
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Fort Leonard Wood, beautifully situated in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, is dedicated to the training of military personnel and is the headquarters for the Total Force’s Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN), which IEM supports as a prime contractor. MANSCEN and Fort Leonard Wood provide the nation with values-based leaders and teams trained in basic combat skills and chemical, engineer, military police, and transportation disciplines. MANSCEN develops concepts, doctrine, force structure, materiel requirements, and experiments to ensure the vitality of the U.S. Army Chemical, Engineer, and Military Police Regiments.
There are many growing residential areas surrounding the base, including the cities of St. Robert and Waynesville. Located midway between Branson and St. Louis, the base is just hours away from unique and world-famous shopping, entertainment, and nine professional sports teams, including baseball (Cardinals) and football (Rams). For the devoted sportsman, plenty of recreational opportunities abound for fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing.
Raleigh, North Carolina
IEM’s Raleigh area (and newest) office is in Morrisville within the famous Research Triangle, a high-tech urban region anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Morrisville retains a small-town charm while providing easy access to the Triangle, which is home to some of the nation’s leading research and development businesses and universities.
Golf courses, walking trails, and lakes for fishing or water sports are just a few of the recreational opportunities within easy driving distance of Morrisville. The picturesque Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Coast are only a few hours away and provide popular settings for rest and relaxation. For a weekend getaway, take a scenic drive to the historic Biltmore Estate, which boasts the largest home in the U.S. (the house alone spans four acres).
In addition to historic landmarks, there are a variety of parks, museums, and performing arts theaters in close proximity. Avid sports fans will not be disappointed with the range of collegiate (Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tarheels, North Carolina State Wolfpack) and professional sports teams available, including football (Panthers), arena football (Cobras), hockey (Hurricanes), and women's basketball (Sting).
Salt Lake City, Utah
IEM's office in South Jordan is located a few minutes from the heart of Salt Lake City. In addition to breathtaking scenery, the beautiful mountain landscape surrounding the city offers a wealth of outdoor sports and recreation, from white-water rafting and golfing to hiking and fishing. The region’s world-famous ski slopes attract thousands of visitors each year and earned Salt Lake City the right to play host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
With multiple art galleries and museums, performing arts venues, and festivals all within easy reach, cultural opportunities abound within this high-tech, thriving community. Salt Lake City is also home to Westminster College and the University of Utah, known for its focus on research and computer science.
Sports fans will feel right at home, too, with professional men's basketball (Jazz), major league soccer (Real Salt Lake), minor league hockey (Grizzlies), AAA baseball (Bees) and and arena football (Blaze) within easy reach.
