Economic Alliance set to market region as 'Performance USA'

Published 05/01/2008 By Sharon Caskey Hayes

North Carolina has Research Triangle.

California has Silicon Valley.

Now the Tri-Cities has Performance USA.

The Regional Alliance for Economic Development, a marketing effort covering 10 counties across the region, launched a new initiative Thursday that identifies the area as Performance USA.

Alliance CEO Andy Burke and Newt Raff, alliance chair-elect, unveiled the plan at a news event at Kingsport’s MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center.

“When I got here, we were really not very well-known in the marketplace. Our job has been to create an identity and to help people understand not only where we are but who we are and what we’re all about,” Burke said. “That’s part of this mission.”

Burke said the new identity was developed after a two-year process involving marketing experts and community members from every city and town in the region. Through the process the alliance identified the region’s assets, which include Bristol Motor Speedway, Barter Theatre and the International Storytelling Center.

“We kept coming back to one word about this region, and that was performance,” Burke said. “We as a region excel in performing.”

He emphasized that the new identity is not meant to re-brand the region. He said the Tri-Cities will continue to be called the Tri-Cities, and each town and city will retain their unique names and characters.

He said Performance USA is designed to unify the region in marketing materials and efforts targeted to site consultants, corporate real estate executives, and others considering locating businesses in the area.

“We think it’s a direct and easy way to begin to think about us,” Burke said. More here.