Gary Yates serves as Vice President and Specialized Labor Analytics Lead for Stream’s Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, and Distribution platform. He specializes in advising organizations on location strategy, labor analytics, and workforce-driven real estate decisions.
With more than 30 years of experience, Gary works closely with manufacturing, food processing, cold storage, and specialty distribution clients as they evaluate expansion, consolidation, and relocation strategies. His work supports informed decision-making around market selection, labor availability, operational risk, and long-term workforce sustainability.
Gary’s expertise spans both broad location selection initiatives—where clients are evaluating national or multi-region expansion strategies—and site-level validation efforts that assess specific markets or properties. He integrates desktop labor analytics with in-market employer interviews and workforce validation to help clients move from high-level market comparison to actionable location decisions.
Gary brings a data-driven approach to analyzing workforce dynamics, developing scenario-based insights, and identifying geographic and operational risks that impact business performance. He frequently collaborates with transportation and logistics teams to evaluate how labor markets, freight exposure, and operational structure intersect within network design decisions. His expertise helps clients align real estate strategy with labor realities and long-term business objectives.
Prior to joining Stream, Gary focused on national and international location strategy and site selection engagements with firms including Hickey and Associates, JLL, and Moran Stahl & Boyer.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Messiah College and is Six Sigma Greenbelt certified. He is an active member of the Site Selectors Guild and is recognized as a subject matter expert, with multiple speaking engagements and published contributions within the industry.
