Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Local firm revising efforts to market the Toledo region

BY JON CHAVEZ
Toledo Blade Business Writer

After nearly 4½ years, a $500,000 effort to create and promote a “Toledo Brand” has progressed to where the group behind the initiative will begin a fourth phase — attaching their brand’s message to local companies in an attempt to move it out beyond the northwest Ohio-southeast Michigan region.

The latest effort likely will begin in the spring and utilize traditional media, social media, and help from North, a local marketing firm that designed the logo for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

But before the fourth phase can start, the brand on which the group has worked since 2009 will need to be revised and updated.

Jeff Schaaf, the Toledo native hired last December to sell the “Toledo Region” brand, said the effort up to now has painted Toledo and northwest Ohio as the heart of the “New Manufacturing Economy.” It was a narrative designed to tell outsiders the truth about the Toledo they only thought they knew.

“Our DNA is strong with manufacturing. We know how to build things,” Mr. Schaaf said Thursday in an interview with the editorial board of The Blade. More here.
After nearly 4½ years, a $500,000 effort to create and promote a “Toledo Brand” has progressed to where the group behind the initiative will begin a fourth phase — attaching their brand’s message to local companies in an attempt to move it out beyond the northwest Ohio-southeast Michigan region.
The latest effort likely will begin in the spring and utilize traditional media, social media, and help from North, a local marketing firm that designed the logo for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
But before the fourth phase can start, the brand on which the group has worked since 2009 will need to be revised and updated.
Jeff Schaaf, the Toledo native hired last December to sell the “Toledo Region” brand, said the effort up to now has painted Toledo and northwest Ohio as the heart of the “New Manufacturing Economy.” It was a narrative designed to tell outsiders the truth about the Toledo they only thought they knew.
“Our DNA is strong with manufacturing. We know how to build things,” Mr. Schaaf said Thursday in an interview with the editorial board of The Blade.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/12/20/Local-firm-revising-efforts-to-market-the-Toledo-Region.html#iXgefUX5ewq6GsTP.99
 4½ years, a $500,000 effort to create and promote a “Toledo Brand” has progressed to where the group behind the initiative will begin a fourth phase — attaching their brand’s message to local companies in an attempt to move it out beyond the northwest Ohio-southeast Michigan region.
The latest effort likely will begin in the spring and utilize traditional media, social media, and help from North, a local marketing firm that designed the logo for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
But before the fourth phase can start, the brand on which the group has worked since 2009 will need to be revised and updated.
Jeff Schaaf, the Toledo native hired last December to sell the “Toledo Region” brand, said the effort up to now has painted Toledo and northwest Ohio as the heart of the “New Manufacturing Economy.” It was a narrative designed to tell outsiders the truth about the Toledo they only thought they knew.
“Our DNA is strong with manufacturing. We know how to build things,” Mr. Schaaf said Thursday in an interview with the editorial board of The Blade.
But, “while it’s true, it doesn’t resonate with everyone,” he said. Feedback has indicated that for half the region, which is involved in other businesses and services, manufacturing is not their Toledo, Mr. Schaaf said.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/12/20/Local-firm-revising-efforts-to-market-the-Toledo-Region.html#iXgefUX5ewq6GsTP.99
After nearly 4½ years, a $500,000 effort to create and promote a “Toledo Brand” has progressed to where the group behind the initiative will begin a fourth phase — attaching their brand’s message to local companies in an attempt to move it out beyond the northwest Ohio-southeast Michigan region.
The latest effort likely will begin in the spring and utilize traditional media, social media, and help from North, a local marketing firm that designed the logo for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
But before the fourth phase can start, the brand on which the group has worked since 2009 will need to be revised and updated.
Jeff Schaaf, the Toledo native hired last December to sell the “Toledo Region” brand, said the effort up to now has painted Toledo and northwest Ohio as the heart of the “New Manufacturing Economy.” It was a narrative designed to tell outsiders the truth about the Toledo they only thought they knew.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/12/20/Local-firm-revising-efforts-to-market-the-Toledo-Region.html#iXgefUX5ewq6GsTP.99
After nearly 4½ years, a $500,000 effort to create and promote a “Toledo Brand” has progressed to where the group behind the initiative will begin a fourth phase — attaching their brand’s message to local companies in an attempt to move it out beyond the northwest Ohio-southeast Michigan region.
The latest effort likely will begin in the spring and utilize traditional media, social media, and help from North, a local marketing firm that designed the logo for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
But before the fourth phase can start, the brand on which the group has worked since 2009 will need to be revised and updated.
Jeff Schaaf, the Toledo native hired last December to sell the “Toledo Region” brand, said the effort up to now has painted Toledo and northwest Ohio as the heart of the “New Manufacturing Economy.” It was a narrative designed to tell outsiders the truth about the Toledo they only thought they knew.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2013/12/20/Local-firm-revising-efforts-to-market-the-Toledo-Region.html#iXgefUX5ewq6GsTP.99

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dublin Officials Say 'You Are a Piece of the Dublin Puzzle'

When your city shares the name with an internationally recognized place brand, it makes the task of marketing and branding your community even more difficult.  You can't create or change your name, nor can you protect it from being used by others as consumer brands can. The puzzling part will be how to uniquely distinguish it from it's Ireland namesake AND the other 20 or so Dublins in the US. More here.

Development group hopes to profit from teaching venture

By
Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan First is moving into for-profit territory with the creation of Consultant Connect LLC, which aims to help economic development groups connect with and learn from site consultants around the country.

The nonprofit has contracted with New York City-based Development Counsellors International to provide programming and other services for the new venture — led by Jennifer Owens, who operates it as part of her responsibilities as a vice president of Southwest Michigan First.

The goal is to sign up 50 agencies by the end of the year. Each would pay $5,000 for access to quarterly strategy webinars with four site consultants.

So far, 39 have signed up, said Ron Kitchens, Southwest Michigan First's CEO.

Each Consultant Connect webinar focuses on how to improve a particular skill needed in economic development, including how to impress site consultants with an area's workforce, the most effective deal-closing programs and what marketing tools site consultants care about.More here.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

3 Economic Development Trends that are Closer than they Appear


Fourth Economy Consulting

The practice of economic development is like driving using only the side view mirrors – you can’t even see exactly where you’ve been, but you can see the edge of the path you’ve been taking.  We try to guide ourselves forward with tools that are built for where we’ve been. Part of this rear-view navigation results from using a lot of tools that were developed to fix the problems of the past.  But it is also because we have very little useful predictive information about the future.  The majority of economic data is old.  If we have any information about what happened even a month ago, it is somewhere between a guesstimate and an approximation of the actual conditions.

By the time we manage to collect and verify the best information we can get, it is still incomplete and its shelf-life is expired.  Despair.com makes a poster, “Economics:  The science of explaining tomorrow why the predictions you made yesterday didn’t come true today.”

So while we can’t do a very good of predicting where the economy is headed, there are some trends coming up in our side view mirrors that are closer than they appear, or already passing by.


1) The evolution of cluster strategies
 

2) Regions are all the rage! 
3) The new Walking Dead 

More here.

Florida gives economic development spotlight

Written by on October 30, 2013

Florida has taken a more active role in pursuing economic development in the past few years, the state’s Secretary of Commerce and President and CEO of Enterprise Florida says.

Gray Swoope, who was keynote speaker at the Beacon Council’s annual meeting Thursday, said that for many years Florida had an economy that would allow the state to sit back and not be aggressive. He worked in Mississippi, where he is originally from, and said that at the time he didn’t see Florida as an active player looking for businesses outside of the state or out of the US.

“That changed in 2008,” Mr. Swoope said, with the economic recession. And, he said, since he took over in 2011 the state organization has become much more aggressive in seeking business growth. More here.

Cities turn to streetcars to spur economic development

Written by USA Today

Tucson has built four-mile-long streetcar tracks that will run between the University of Arizona campus and downtown. Only two of the eight cars that will be used to ferry passengers every 10 minutes have arrived, and operations will not start until next year.

But local business leaders say the streetcar has already revived the center of this sprawling, artsy city of 524,000. Roughly 150 businesses have opened their doors along the route in the last five years, and the once-dormant area is in the middle of a $230 million construction boom, according to the Downtown Tucson Partnership. The group estimates that 2,000 jobs have been created or relocated to the area.

"The fact that Tucson could reinvent itself in the middle of the worst recession to hit the state since 1928 is astonishing," said Michael Keith, CEO of the downtown group.

It is a common theme among city planners from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Seattle, as younger workers flock to areas where cars are not needed for daily living. Cities as big as Los Angeles and as small as Norfolk, Va., are turning to streetcars and light rail lines to tie together neighborhoods, attract businesses and lure residents.

"They help drive development. They help create a sense of place. They help shape your community… and bring a vitality to your community. It's a combination of all of those factors," said Art Guzzetti, vice president for policy for the nonprofit American Public Transportation Association, which advocates for public transportation. More here.

Monday, November 04, 2013

Minneapolis-St. Paul makes relocation pitch to Delaware North

 
Buffalo Business First Reporter- Business First
The local controversy concerning tax breaks for Delaware North Cos. has caught the eye of out-of-town site selectors, some of whom have started making their pitches to one of the region’s largest, privately held companies.

Among those: David Griggs, vice president of business investment and research for Greater MSP in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Greater MSP is the Twin Cities' economic development marketing and recruiting agency, much like the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. More here.

Saturday, November 02, 2013

GTDI will push regional economic development

 
Southern Georgian Bay municipalities need to work together to promote the region as a great place to do business, or risk missing out on a huge economic development opportunity.

The Georgian Triangle Development Institute (GTDI) will be pushing for local municipalities to work collaboratively after a recent regional economic development forum held at the Toronto Ski Club.

The forum heard that in June of 2011, an economic development strategy for South Georgian Bay was completed and accepted by all four municipalities in the region, however, to date, the strategy is not being implemented.

The GTDI is concerned that although the South Georgian Bay region is Ontario’s only four season destination recreational area, with the best lifestyle, great communities, services and attractions, available land and housing, and a good population base, it is not effectively selling the power of the South Georgian Bay region as a place for business.

“By not doing so, we are missing opportunities to attract great labour force talent, new small
businesses, support existing small business growth and attract sources of funding to do so,” said the GTDI in a statement at the close of the forum. More here.

Buffalo development ramps up; site selector says keep it going


Buffalo Business First Reporter- Business First

An impressive array of projects helped fuel the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise to another “better-than-expected” year, but a national site selector warned the region should not get too complacent with its recent streak of positive economic development news.

The BNE, at its annual meeting, said that it played a role in helping bring 10 new companies to the region, or assisting others in their expansion efforts. The companies, collectively, created 522 new jobs while retaining another 1,003 jobs. Those gains represent $253.21 million in new private-sector investment and have a total regional economic impact of $324.55 million.

The 14-year-old Buffalo Niagara Enterprise is the region’s economic development marketing agency. Its staff not only has put the region on the map of many site selectors, they also help craft incentive packages to bring new investment to the area. More here.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Supplier Envy: Southern states set sights on Michigan’s auto suppliers

Written by 

A new Brookings Institution report on the future of Tennessee’s automotive industry might make for some interesting reading for West Michigan supplier companies.

At the very least, it will make them feel wanted.

After luring auto assembly jobs south over the past couple of decades, the Volunteer State is discovering that cheap labor, attractive incentives and a business-friendly environment won’t be enough to stay competitive long term, the report noted. Assembly jobs have continued to move south, specifically to Mexico where there’s been more than $3.5 billion invested in automotive plants in recent years.

So Tennessee and its southern neighbors have looked north again and are setting their sights on the automotive supply chain, according to the report.

“They want to get what we have,” said economic developer Randy Thelen, president of Zeeland-based Lakeshore Advantage. In particular, southern states are eyeing the engineering, technology and design assets that Michigan-based automotive supplier companies have built up over the past century. More here.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Even if Jaguars lose, Jacksonville hopes to win over London businesses

By Andrew Pantazi

Regardless of how the Jacksonville Jaguars fare against the San Francisco 49ers in London, city officials and business leaders hope they can persuade British businesses to move to the First Coast.

The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is leading a delegation of nine people who will be courting about 20 British businesses. Most of the delegation lands in London Tuesday.

Chamber spokesman Dan Dawson said officials have been talking to business leaders already, and he thinks they’ll succeed at bringing business to Jacksonville.

“It’s going to be 100 percent economic development,” Dawson said.

Most of the trip will be spent persuading people to come to Jacksonville.

“Once folks get here and they realize, ‘Oh wow, I don’t have an hour commute. I can go to the beach anytime. The weather’s beautiful,’ it’s a pretty easy sell.” More here.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

BNE to market region at D.C. forum


Buffalo Business First Reporter- Business First
 The Buffalo Niagara Enterprise will be part of a national economic development forum designed to lure foreign interests into investing in the U.S.

Tony Kurdziel, BNE business development manager, will be among more than 40 economic development specialists meeting with as many as 50 international interests in Washington, D.C. as part of Select USA’s investment summit. Select USA is a federal initiative run under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The two-day meeting takes place on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

The summit is part of a directive from President Obama aimed at encouraging more investment and expansion in the U.S. by foreign companies.

For the BNE, it is a chance to put the region on the economic development radar of a potentially lucrative market.

“It’s about networking,” said Tom Kucharski, BNE president and CEO. More here.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Great Lakes States Still Dominant in Auto Employment

Despite recent gains by southern states, the Great Lakes region remains the leader in automotive industry employment. The province of Ontario, Canada employs 90,000 auto workers and would rank second to only Michigan.  All GL states but Wisconsin and Minnesota rank in the top 15.  So those at Southern Business & Development who would like to characterize the Great Lakes - and Michigan in particular - as "destitute" or past its "heydey" are sadly misinformed. The magazine statement that no new assembly plants have been built in North America except in the South or Mexico since 2006, overlooks the new Honda Civic assembly plant in Indiana that opened in 2008.
 

Marketing of Detroit heats up despite bankruptcy

Corey Williams, Associated Press

Detroit — Convincing top executives that Detroit is a comeback city where they should hold company meetings and conventions could only be characterized as the most monumental of pitches or the slickest of con jobs.

But Bill Bohde, senior vice president for sales and marketing at the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, is plowing ahead with a $1.6 million marketing campaign even as the city is trying to become the largest in the U.S. to enter bankruptcy.

“People were inquiring: How can you talk about a great comeback city when you just filed for bankruptcy?” said Bohde, referring to the campaign’s kickoff during a trade show in Atlanta this summer.

He had to convince savvy business leaders that Detroit’s July 18 bankruptcy “filing has nothing to do with the city and the development going on right now.”

“To the general public, it is confusing,” he said.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Commerce Secretary Showcases NC Metro Areas

 Article Courtesy Piedmont Triad Partnership

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker is working with presidents of the state's three urban regional development partnerships in a concerted push to promote North Carolina to national location advisors and business media. Their initial plans call for visits with site-selection consultants and journalists in New York City in mid-November.

"It's exciting to see our largest economic regions coming together, and I'm eager to collaborate in their efforts," Secretary Decker said. Plans call for her personal participation with the presidents of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, Piedmont Triad Partnership and Research Triangle Regional Partnership in a series of outreach events in coming months. The four will promote business opportunities in North Carolina, specifically how economic assets along the "crescent" that connects Charlotte, the Triad and Raleigh-Durham can support the needs of growing, cutting-edge firms. "The high-wage jobs and high-dollar investments that power our major metro areas are the fuel for North Carolina's overall economic revival - moving the needle for us in the near-term as we reconsider the longer-range infrastructure and workforce needs of our state," Decker said. More here.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

START-UPNY off and running

Staff
New York Business Journal


With hundreds of business, education and economic officials standing by, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has formally launched START-UP NY.

The program is designed to create tax-free zones to attract and grow new businesses across the state, particularly in Upstate New York.

“In a tax-free environment, no one can match what New York has to offer. Businesses that are looking to startup or expand, and most importantly create jobs, should look no further,” said Cuomo. “We are leveraging our world-class SUNY system and prestigious private universities to partner with new businesses, providing direct access to advanced research, development resources, experts in high-tech and other industries and all with zero taxes for ten whole years.” More here.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Economic development players team up to improve business

by Alana Garrigues

What can the city of Hermosa Beach do to attract and retain a diverse set of high-quality businesses and boost economic development in the city? How can the business owners in downtown, upper Pier Avenue, Pacific Coast Highway and Aviation Boulevard team up to have more affluent shops, stores and restaurants that meet the needs of residents and tourists alike?

The first step in discovering answers to those questions was recently taken when the PCH and Aviation Improvement Committee met to discuss the future of their group.


The PAIC, which will morph into an ad hoc resource for the Hermosa Beach City Council, planning commission and public works commission, spent their Oct. 3 meeting talking about the future of the economic development subcommittee, chaired by resident Gila Katz. The committee identified three organizations – the PCH/Aviation Economic Development Subcommittee, a Chamber of Commerce committee and the Friends of Hermosa Beach Redevelopment – already working to improve the business climate in Hermosa Beach’s 1.4 square mile footprint. The consensus was that by working together, those organizations could have more success.

“I think the intent is all the same,” said Councilman and Committee Chair Howard Fishman. “I think at the end of the day people want to work on improving the business climate and improving the businesses in this community… so, does it make more sense to put it together? I think it does.”

Ultimately, he saw a few common threads among all of the committees.

“Everyone is looking at the same thing,” Fishman said. “It’s about attraction, retention and making this community a more desirable destination.” More here.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Enterprise Florida to push for message money again

ORLANDO - Enterprise Florida, the state’s public-private economic development arm, will again ask lawmakers for $3 million to promote Florida’s business climate, the organization’s CEO Gray Swoope said Tuesday.

Lawmakers turned down Enterprise Florida’s $3 million request this year, caught up in criticism that its “orange tie” business marketing plan wasn’t inclusive of women. But Swoope says the funding is essential to getting a positive message about Florida’s business climate to executives around the globe. After missing out on state funding, he’s putting together a $1.2 million marketing campaign paid for by private businesses and local economic development organizations.

He cited the elimination of the sales tax on manufacturing equipment as a “story that needs to be told” outside of Florida. The marketing campaign will push that message in business publications and television advertisements in the U.S. and internationally, he said.

“We’ll want to be in business publications, we’ll do mixed media. It’ll include print advertisement, it’ll include social media, it will include actually some limited television marketing. But it’s all telling our story,” Swoope told The Florida Current after speaking to a crowd at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum.   More here.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Jackson County branding itself as part of Greater Ann Arbor Region

Mike Mulholland | mmulholl@mlive.com

Jackson County is branding itself as part of a bigger region with five other counties in order to attract new businesses to the area.

The county’s economic-development agency, The Enterprise Group of Jackson, will be a part of the Greater Ann Arbor Region, a collaboration that will focus on marketing itself to company executives and site selectors who are considering expanding and building their businesses in the area.

An $80,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. will be used to market the region –
which also includes Hillsdale, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw counties – and highlight its different industries, including manufacturing, life sciences, automotive, software and information technology.

The marketing campaign also will promote the region’s university and college system.
Enterprise Group President and CEO Tim Rogers said the collaborative will help attract more site selectors who are looking for locations where their corporate clients can move their businesses. More here.

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

St. Pete leaders consider more aggressive economic development

BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Tribune staff

When Magna Marque wanted to open a plant to manufacture electric bikes in St. Petersburg, it talked with city officials about renting a building in the port.

At the time, city officials were hopeful of attracting a cruise liner and were reluctant to lease the building, said City Council Chairman Karl Nurse.

The Ontario-based company, instead, opened a plant in Europe. The port building is still sitting empty.

Missed opportunities such as that one have frustrated members of City Council who say the city’s economic development office does not do enough to market the city and that when businesses do come knocking, city officials are too slow to close deals.

Now, Nurse is proposing a partnership with the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce to boost the marketing of St. Petersburg to companies across the United States. Under the agreement, the chamber would match any funding the city puts up to hire a marketer and negotiator, someone who could quickly close deals with businesses considering coming to the city.

Without that, the city could continue to lose out to other cities, including Tampa, he said. More here.

City debuts new logo in an effort to appeal to businesses


A new city logo is set to debut on materials meant to market Petaluma to outside businesses this October, thanks to a collaboration between the city's Economic Development Department and a group known as the Petaluma Design Guild.

The project, initiated by the city's Economic Development Manager Ingrid Alverde, was originally commissioned late last year with the intent to lure companies out of San Francisco and the South Bay and into Petaluma's growing business sector. Alverde said the city is hoping to draw more high-tech and creative businesses, as well as food producers, to town.

“We have been working to brand Petaluma as a quality destination for businesses and employees,” said Alverde. “Petaluma's strongest attributes are its quality of life, its affordable housing when compared to the rest of the Bay Area, its access to the North Bay and its focus on sustainability. We wanted to take those main points and wrap them up in a presentable package.” More here.

Tri-state cooperation? Pigs may not be flying yet, but they're trying on their wings


Three states — Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana — came together in Chicago's Loop recently to talk about their common future. They didn't decide anything, and the conversation itself revealed how far they have to go. But this meeting simply wouldn't have happened two years ago, and that's progress in itself.

The meeting attracted the often-warring governors of the three states. Not that they were all there at the same time, or even shook hands. But their presence at least endorsed the idea that the three-state Chicago region might gain more from cooperation than cut-throat competition — and that wouldn't have happened two years ago, either.

The eventual goal is to create a single, high-powered, 21-county regional economy stretching from Milwaukee south through Chicago into northwestern Indiana. Right now, the region is incredibly balkanized, with virtually no cooperation across state lines. But a major “territorial review” last year from the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said this has to be reversed if Chicago and its region are to compete in the global economy. More here.

Maryland Economic Development Association promotes ‘place making’


Looking to boost your community’s economy? Consider sprucing up the town’s welcome sign, organizing an outdoor farmers market or printing T-shirts with the town name on them.

These actions and more, shared during Tuesday’s Maryland Economic Development Association fall conference in Frederick, may not directly translate into new jobs, but the sense of place they create will help deliver sustainable long-term growth. Experts—ranging from a innovative mixed-use land developer to a social branding consultant—spoke on the importance of improving place to attract higher skilled workers, foster entrepreneurship and increase an area’s overall quality of life.

“Why would anyone invest in a city that doesn’t want to invest in itself?” asked keynote speaker Ed McMahon, Senior Fellow for Sustainable Development at the Urban Land Institute.

McMahon discussed the importance of basic aesthetics. “Every single day in America, people make decisions about where to live, where to work, where to retire, based almost entirely on what communities look like,” he said. More here.

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Dorchester branding campaign unveiled


Water Moves Us.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t and relates well to the county, don’t you think?

Well, as a matter of fact, it is the new marketing identity for Dorchester County.

At the Oct. 1 county commissioners meeting, the county’s new marketing identity was revealed; complete with a new logo, sample billboards, print and flag ads, and even water bottles.

The presentation was made to the commissioners by Keasha Haythe, the county’s Economic Development director. During her presentation, Mrs. Haythe also announced the formation of a cooperative branding campaign with the county’s Tourism Department and Chamber of Commerce.

Distributing the water bottles wrapped with the “water moves us” logo, Mrs. Haythe thanked the commissioners for providing the resources to implement the county’s strategic plan.

“More than a logo or a tagline, branding unifies and strengthens our economic development marketing efforts,” said Mrs. Haythe. “It gives us a solid foundation to build clear, consistent and compelling messages to communicate our many assets.” More here.

When will overseas trips spark jobs?

Written by

After a trio of Muncie and Delaware County officials completed an economic development trip to China in late September, the local Economic Development Alliance issued a press release calling it a “successful” trip.

But was it? Will the trip lead to any jobs locally?

And how many years could pass before we even know?

After trips to China, Japan and Turkey in recent years, city and county officials and those from the Economic Development Alliance say the trips have generated some local jobs with the promise of more to come.

But others say that after five years of trips, something more concrete than just relationship building should be happening. There’s an undercurrent of restlessness and skepticism among local officials and business leaders who spoke privately with The Star Press. Most declined to speak on the record. More here.

Ready for Takeoff?

Pat Kimbrough
Source: The High Point Enterprise, N.C.

Oct. 05--HIGH POINT -- Could the Triad's aviation sector become the type of industrial engine that textile and furniture manufacturing used to be in the region?

Representatives of a new coalition of businesses, economic development organizations, community colleges and local governments hope so.

"Aviation Thrives Here," a marketing initiative launched in August, seeks to spotlight the aviation industry as an economic bright spot for the Triad.

The goal is to raise awareness of the industry as an economic driver and showcase job opportunities within the sector. There are at least 29 aviation companies in the Triad. The best-known are arguably those at Piedmont Triad International Airport, including Timco Aviation Services, Honda Aircraft Co. a Cessna Citation facility and a FedEx cargo hub. More here.

Officials unveil website to market Allen County

GREG SOWINSKI 419-993-2090
Lima News

LIMA — The number is astonishing, 80 percent of decisions by a company looking to open its doors in a community are made before it ever contacts local officials.

Anyone whose job it is to attract business to Allen County knows it means finding a way to reach the leaders of companies they’ve never knew were looking.

“We really don’t have much control in that decision process,” said Jeff Sprague, president and CEO of Allen Economic Development Group.


But that’s changing.

On Monday, Sprague and other local economic development officials unveiled a website aimed at marketing Lima, Allen County and the smaller towns in the community.

The website provides a wealth of information on the community along with educational videos highlighting the community’s strengths.  More here.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Chicago, St. Louis face off over ADM decision

AP) — At opposite ends of Illinois, St. Louis and Chicago have famously parried for more than a century: St. Louis snatched the 1904 Olympics even after Chicago had been named the host city, and the disdain between St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs fans fuels one of baseball's biggest rivalries.

Now the competitors are facing off on a new field of play in trying to woo the new global headquarters of Archer Daniels Midland Co., an agricultural giant that has been based for decades in the central Illinois city of Decatur, roughly halfway between the two cities. The multibillion-dollar company announced last week it needed better access to its global customers, including an international airport.

But it isn't just about the 200 executive and information technology jobs that are part of the deal. It's also about prestige and bragging rights — and no doubt tax revenue from the high-paying boardroom jobs— that come with landing a company that's among the world's biggest players in agricultural processing, ranked No. 27 on the Fortune 500 list.

Houston, Minneapolis and Indianapolis also have been mentioned as contenders, though ADM is staying mum about its selection process. Chicago has been floated as a favorite by experts, largely because it's home to the nation's second busiest international airport and behemoth businesses including McDonald's, Sears and aircraft-maker Boeing Co. More here.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Customer Loyalty and Engagement as a Business Retention Tool


Can communities use customer loyalty strategies as a business retention tool? 

Marketing theory suggests that the way to keep customers coming back (or staying in the case of economic developers) is to keep the lines of communication open.  Loyalty requires not only building customer satisfaction but also building customer engagement.

Communities can initiate customer loyalty initiatives through collaboration and coordination between stakeholders.  There are many touch points that a community can have with one of its businesses, from its experience with governmental authorities, assistance provided by intermediary organizations or involvement with civic and social organizations. Providing a seamless message and experience is a major advantage of community branding efforts. 

Building loyalty also means listening to the business and acting on what you hear.  Business retention visits are a good way to survey businesses and learn about their engagement in the community.  If the owner or management of the organization doesn't live or engage in the community, then they may be less loyal and thus a higher risk for leaving when an expansion opportunity occurs. Encouraging them to live in the community, to get involved in local school or service club or other community activities will strengthen their interest and commitment.

The loyalty a business may have to a community is often determined by the strength of the relationships and interactions they have.  Cities, chambers of commerce, EDOs and others can work together to create a pro business environment that is consistently positive, supportive and effective. Each touch point is an opportunity to leave an impression with existing businesses and strengthen the relationship.

By adopting a customer loyalty and engagement marketing strategy, place marketers can retain more jobs, investment and wealth in their community. More importantly, it presents an opportunity to turn existing businesses into a true advocate and promoter of your area.   
   

 

Saturday, September 14, 2013

How Shakopee netted Shutterfly: people, people, people

 
Senior reporter- Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Shutterfly Inc.
broke ground on its new Minnesota factory Tuesday, about a year after the company first weighed Shakopee against other sites nationwide. But the deal for the site itself came together quickly — a pace that government and Shutterfly officials credit to strong relationships.
Ryan Cos. US Inc. developer Casey Hankinson described the process of landing the San Francisco-based company's expansion in the Midwest, which will include 330 full-time jobs and a new 217,000-square-foot facility. There's room on the north side of the building for an 89,000-square-foot addition.

About a year ago, Shutterfly was considering other sites in the Twin Cities and surrounding states. Hankinson sat down with officials from Shutterfly and its commercial real estate brokers from Jones Lang LaSalle to talk about Ryan's site. By this summer, the negotiations centered on Shakopee. Only 30 days later, a lease was signed. More here.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

How to make cities great



From: McKinsey & Company Monthly Highlights | September 2013

How to make cities greatGreat cities are great for the people who live and work there, great for business, and great for the environment. Unsuccessful ones breed economic, environmental, and social decay. How can we get urbanization right? In a report and accompanying video, McKinsey experts investigate the lessons that business and government leaders can learn from successful cities around the world. A related slideshow offers examples from six of them.