Download October 22, 2014 - Iron Range Economic Alliance

Quarterly Meeting Minutes
October 22, 2014
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board
Highway 53, Eveleth
www.ireamn.org
The mission of the IREA is to create a collaborative environment for economic prosperity in Northeast Minnesota by
providing leadership, fostering partnerships and employing professional economic development strategies.
Meeting Participants:
Bill Aho
Curt Antilla, East Range Joint Powers Board
John Bennett, UM Extension
Cathy Bisonette, City of Babbitt
Holly Butcher, City of Cloquet
Meghan Christianson, Visit Grand Rapids
Connie Christenson, Carlton County
Andy Datko, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
Lana Fralich, City of Silver Bay
Rock Gillson
Pat Henderson, ARDC
Tom Hewett, City of Buhl
Karen Hollanitsch, City of Cook
Chris Ismil, IRRRB
John Kohlhase, W.A. Fisher
Kelly Klun, City of Ely
Nick Larson, APEX/IEDC
Chris Maddy, Northspan Group
Jim Makowsky
Debbie Marinaro
I.
Theresa Martinson, City of Cook
Vardella Musech
Steve Nelson
Bernice Norregaard, City of Babbitt
Lois Pajari
Stephen Peterson, Entrepreneur Fund
Beth Pierce, Iron Range Tourism Bureau
Jennifer Pontinen, UMD-CED
Craig Pulford, City of Buhl
Wendy Purdy
Heather Rand, MN-DEED
Louise Redmond, City of Orr
Wendy Ridlon
Travis Roseth
Jane Serrano
Mary Somnis, IRRRB
Jerry Thoreson, Destination Duluth
Mike Valentine, Two Harbors Dev. Comm.
Ross Wagner, Aitkin County
Andrea Zupanich
Welcoming Remarks
Jennifer Pontinen. IREA Chair welcomed the group and set the stage for the year’s educationally-focused
meeting, with this year’s theme being “Community Marketing.” The members and guests then went around
the room to introduce themselves.
II.
Administrative
A) Approval of Minutes and Financial Statements
Meeting minutes from May and January were presented for approval. Mike Valentine corrected the
May minutes by noting that he was present for most of the meeting. Bernice Norregaard motioned to
approve the May and January minutes. Curt Antilla seconded; motion carried.
Jennifer Pontinen reviewed the May financial statements. Craig Pulford motioned to approve the
financials as discussed. Andy Datko seconded; motion carried.
B) IREA Steering Committee/Leadership Structure
Jennifer Pontinen discussed the new leadership structure at IREA, with Nick Larson and Andy Datko
both volunteering to serve on the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee meets regularly, with
the next meeting scheduled for November 20, 2014 to discuss proposed changes to the structure and
management of IREA. Any changes recommended by the Steering Committee will be presented to the
membership for approval
III.
Presentation: “Marketing and Branding your Community”
John Kolhase, Creative Director for W.A. Fisher, provided a “community marketing 101” overview for IREA
members, offering the following tips and suggestions:

A “brand” is not just your logo or slogan – it is your reputation. What do people think of YOUR
community?

Steps to Branding:
 Find out how you are percieved by others (Point A)
 Decide how you wish to be perceived (Point B)
 Formulate a strategy to get you from Point A to Point B

“Marketing” is the process of communicating the perception you would like to portray to the audience
you have selected

A successful marketing strategy must have:
 Brand Identity
 Budget
 Marketing Plan
 Advertising/Promotion
John also discussed the various media outlets and methods IREA members might employ to accomplish these
things. For more information about John’s presentation, or for more tips on how to brand and market your
community, please contact John at [email protected] or (218) 741-9544.
IV.
Presentation: “Marketing your Community Using Social Media”
Jerry Thoreson, President & CEO of Image Design Duluth, discussed the “Destination Duluth” social media
campaign as a case study for how IREA members can use social media to promote their communities.
Jerry’s presentation outlined 10 keys to success for the Destination Duluth facebook approach and he sparked
a good discussion about funding options for social media campaigns, as he described how the Destination
Duluth initiative plans to sustain itself in the years to come.
For more information about Jerry’s presentation, or for more tips on how to implement a social media
campaign to promote your community, please contact Jerry at [email protected] or (218) 390-8456.
V.
Community Marketing Initiatives Panel – Tourism Focus
Mary Somnis moderated a panel discussion with Beth Pierce, Executive Director of the Iron Range Tourism
Bureau, and Megan Christianson, Executive Director of Visit Grand Rapids, both of whom discussed how
their communities’ brands and messages were developed to promote tourism.
Beth Pierce described the Iron Range Tourism Bureau, which consists of 12 communities and was formed out
of a need to change the perception of the Iron Range. The theme of these discussions is that the Iron Range is
“not just mining and fighting politicians, but is a gateway to wilderness recreation.” Mining is a part of this
identity, and efforts have been made to help people to understand the historical impact and importance of the
Iron Range, but the message is also being expanded to focus on tourism opportunities as well.
In Grand Rapids, Meghan Christanson described her community’s work with an outside agency to develop a
brand for Grand Rapids, “It's in Minnesota's Nature.” This process was very expensive, costing hundreds of
thousands of dollars, and may not be possible in smaller communities without outside support.
Meghan noted that branding process was very enlightening, as it brought in many different perspectives from
the areas of marketing, tourism, economic development, and more. She also encouraged the audience to think
of their brand as a living thing, which will develop and evolve over time.
Mary then asked what stakeholders each party needed to engage to achieve success. Megan noted a few of the
key players, including the Grand Rapids EDA, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Itasca Economic
Development Corporation, Visit Grand Rapids and the Blandin Foundation. She encouraged IREA members
to ignore the naysayers and to keep working towards the goal of positively changing your community.
Beth Pierce noted the 12 communities that are a part of the Iron Range Tourism Bureau and noted that each
community has representation on the Iron Range Tourism board.
Megan and Beth went on to share informative and valuable information on how each of their tourism
organizations were formed and how they operate. For more information please contact Megan Christanson at
[email protected] or (218) 326-9607; or, Beth Pierce at [email protected] or (218) 749-8161.
VI.
Lunch Speaker: Tim Campbell, Explore Minnesota
Tim Campbell, Northeast Minnesota Field Representative for Explore Minnesota, gave a brief presentation
on a focus group study conducted by Explore Minnesota, whereby they narrowed the tourist segment down to
two categories that should be targeted for growth: cultural explorers and spontaneous adventurers.
For more information on the focus group study, or about Explore Minnesota in general, please contact Tim
Campbell at [email protected] or (218) 302-6378.
VII.
General Updates
After Tim’s Presentation, Mary Somnis gave an update on some tourism-related work at IRRRB, including
the Agency’s involvement with the production of the National Geographic “Heart of the Continent map,”
and the IRRRB film production incentive program. For more information on these and other IRRRB
initiatives, please contact Mary Somnis at [email protected] or (218) 735-3040.
Chris Maddy also described how the Northspan Group is working with IRRRB to quantify the regional
economic impact of tourism. For more information, please contact Chris Maddy at [email protected]
or (218) 722-5545.
VIII.
Presentation: “Community Marketing Initiatives – Business Focus”
Shifting gears away from Tourism, Kelly Klun from the City of Ely presented on the topic of Community
Marketing for the purpose of business expansion/attraction.
Kelly described Ely's struggles to retain and grow businesses, and the subsequent decline of the downtown
business district. The “Incredible Ely” initiative was formed in response to these trends.
Incredible Ely was formed as a non-profit to look into the causes of the business struggles and to attempt to
formulate a strategy to reverse the trend of decline. This work started with the City of Ely hosting a
community get-together for people to share their ideas and vision for the community.
This work resulted in several actions and developments that have reenergized the community. Looking
ahead, Incredible Ely is initiating a housing study to assess residential development needs in the Ely area.
For more information on Incredible Ely, please contact Kelly Klun at (218) 365-5866.
IX.
Presentation: “Northforce – A Regional Workforce Development Tool”
Ian Vincent, a Business Developer with APEX, presented on the new Northforce.org website tool, designed
to help address workforce development challenges in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin by
connecting job seekers with employment opportunities.
To learn more, please visit www.northforce.org, or contact Ian Vincent at [email protected] or
(218) 740-3667.
X.
Closing Remarks
Jennifer Pontinen thanked the speakers for sharing their time and insights, and she thanked the members for
participating in the meeting and for supporting IREA in general.
With no further business, Jennifer Pontinen adjourned the meeting at approximately 2:21 p.m.