HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-01-07 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes 1
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE '
TUESDAY, January 7, 2003 '
Meeting Minutes
'
Councilors Attending: Frank Farrington, Gerry Palmer, John Rohman, David Nealley '
Staff Attending: Jonathan Daniels, Rebecca Hupp, Tony Caruso, Ed Barrett,
Rod McKay, Sally Bates ,
Others Attending: Linda Packard, Lianne Judd ,
Meeting convened at 5:00 p.m. ,
1. Presentation by Packard Judd Design Associates.
Linda Packard presented the highlights of the new campaign developed over the '
past several months. The positioning statement is going to identify Bangor's
unique character. Some of the goals in the process were to establish and '
identiry that was unique and memorable, build in flexibility to target specific
audiences, and to be able to modify the message delivery over time to keep it
fresh. We first explored the perception versus reality issues, in discussions with '
business leaders as well as people new to the area. One perception was that
Bangor in winter is an isolated wasteland versus the reality that it is a haven for '
winter activiry. Bangor is very accessible by interstate roads and a state of the
art international airport. Cultural wasteland was a perception of many people
coming from the Portland area, when actually Bangor is quite rich as an arts and '
cultural community. The second part of the process was to address these
perceptions head on. One way to make Bangor memorable is to take these
misconceptions into opportunities. She presented the marketing statement '
"Bangor, Maine, surprisingly metro, refreshingly real!" It takes the two primary
elements that we found as a common theme and addresses the perception
problem and allows us to laugh at ourselves a bit. It is also fairly flexible, '
because as we address different audiences, such as business development, we
can add a third comment, Bullish on Business. Developing a creative strategy to
support this was next in the process. We wanted imagery that would allow us to '
laugh at ourselves, show our unique style, would be recognized as Bangor and
have memorable input. Building on the idea that Bangor has a unique style all ,
its own, she presented the ad as it would appear in print.
,
'
'
' Farrington said that he likes the humor. Packard said that it is humorous and
, eye catching. Farrington said that he has a sense that as a group we are moving
toward regionalization, and is there a way to add this to the positioning
statement. Packard said that the term surprisingly metro, alludes to the
' regionality, with the airport and university system. Rohman said that he thinks it
is very effective, with the cruise ship coming and the reopening of the Sea Dog,
we really are metro. This gives a fresh crisp feel to Bangor. Palmer mentioned
' the phrase down home friendly. Rohman said it probably is down home friendly,
and the LL Bean boots in the ad next to the business shoes is right on. Daniels
said that the initial tag line included bullish on business, and Michael Dyer
' suggested taking it out, and utilize it for spot ads, which allows for great
flexibility. Daniels said that as we start to define Bangor's assets, the phrase
' surprisingly metro fits very nicely. Packard said that in their research that our
own perceptions of Bangor are rather downplayed, embarrassment sometimes,
yet there's a whole lot to be happy and proud of, and doing a campaign like this
, brings those items to the top. Nealley said that after his initial reaction to the
slogan, he is absolutely sold on it. He noted that refreshingly real is something
that we appreciate about Bangor. Palmer said that he thinks the slogan is
, terrific, and it addresses professional women as well. IYs a message that will sell
among our own people, and they are most often our best ambassadors. We
need to get this message to school children. He discussed the ad in the Boston
, Globe for Saucony shoes that said built with pride in Bangor, Maine. Rohman
said the marketing effort would target the individual who can live anywhere they
want. These are the types of people that respond to a place that is very real and
' has the amenities that they want. This is great outreach to those rypes of
individuals. Palmer mentioned that Bangor is a safe community that we need to
express more. Daniels said the slogan is the centerpiece that ties all of these
' concerns together. Depending on the photos and the advertising medium, we
can alter the message to address issues such as safety, culture or business, etc.
' Farrington said that metro is one aspect, but we also want down home. Packard
said that this sort of says the same thing in a more upscale way.
' Daniels said that we would be meeting with Packard Judd again to discuss
further developments.
, 2. Proposal by LifeFlightofMainefor Bangor International Airport to provide
outside maintenance for refueling station.
' Hupp introduced Tony Caruso as the new Assistant Airport Director. Hupp
discussed the Airport's year-end results. In December the Airport increased
flights 5.7% with a year to date increase of 10.5%.
'
,
'
'
Caruso presented a brief history of LifeFlight of Maine. He said they operate an '
emergency medivac operation for our region. They have been a tenant of our '
since 1999. In 2000, they installed a fuel tank facility at EMMC, where most of
the landings take place. Currently A.L. Doggett and Sons of Gray, Maine
maintains the fuel system facility, however, they are interested in discontinuing ,
this service. Caruso said that Tom Judge, the Executive Director of LifeFlight,
approached him about entering into a partnership with them for routine and on-
call maintenance for this facility. We have the technical expertise, and expect '
this to be 10-15 hours of routine maintenance per month. Although this
proposed contract might only generate a small amount of revenue, it will be well
served to strengthen our customer relations with LifeFlight. '
Hupp said that we were approached by Eastern Maine Medical Center, because
their current provider is not interested in providing this service any longer, and '
there has not been a formal bid process. Rohman wanted to know how many
other groups could provide this service. Caruso said that in the Bangor region, �
only one company could provide limited service. Rohman verified that this could
be accomplished with current staff. Nealley said that if there isn't anyone in the
private sector that can provide this service, then it would be a margin of '
opportunity. Palmer said that if we were to proceed with this, then we should
get some sort of recognition or advertising for this service, whether on the
helicopter or the building. Daniels said this would enhance our relationship with '
LifeFlight. Farrington said that since LifeFlight came to us iYs appropriate to
provide the service. We should establish a principle about future types of
requests. '
Palmer made a motion to enter into an agreement to provide maintenance for
LifeFlighYs refueling operation. The motion was seconded. '
The Committee approved the request. '
3. Executive Session — Land Acquisition — Outer Hammond Street— Economic
Development Division. '
The Committee went into executive session.
'
'
1
'
1