Why Cedar Rapids? Firm to highlight city’s selling points

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids has hired a firm specializing in economic development marketing to help answer the question of why prospective businesses and workers considering relocation should look here.

The target could be the next big industry, recruiting retailers and employers, or job seekers, city staff said. Cedar Rapids signed a contract with Indianapolis-based Brand Acceleration Inc. on Feb. 11 for $82,300 to identify and articulate Cedar Rapids' competitive advantages and publish them through a website, print material and social media.

'This company will be able to give us insight about what site selectors want to know about a community and what information will make Cedar Rapids stand out,” said Maria Johnson, city communications division manager working on the project.

The firm was selected because of its experience and because it specializes solely in economic development marketing, she said. 

"Brand Acceleration focuses on just one thing: economic development marketing," the company states on its website. "Our team of branding, marketing communications, and public relations professionals uses our experience and specialized expertise to help clients with effective, commanding message strategies that impact and motivate their target audiences."

Cedar Rapids Economic Development Liaison Jasmine Almoayed is the project manager for the city manager's office.

"When a prospect is looking at us and they are not finding information they need and move on to another community, we have no way of knowing they were even looking," Almoayed said.

That's part of the thinking behind this project: make sure metrics, features, and other information prospects need are answered and readily available before anyone even asks. The information might address larger questions about the labor pool, but also more nuanced details about local incentive programs.

Brand Accelerator's value will be in determining what information Cedar Rapids should highlight and how best to package the content. The information will accessible on a new website connected to the city's website, new social media pages the company will launch, and through brochures and other print material Cedar Rapids economic development representatives can use as ammunition with site selection committees.

Almoayed said initial meetings were held Friday with Brand Acceleration and local economic development groups, who also will being involved in the project. The contract called for a Sept. 16 completion date, but Almoayed noted that date is flexible. A quality finished product is being emphasized over a hard deadline, she said.

The marketing effort was a recommendation from the economic development strategic plan, which Cedar Rapids adopted in February 2015. Cedar Rapids hired Angelou Economics, of Austin, Texas, for $75,000 to lead that effort.

The plan recommended five target industries and corresponding niches for Cedar Rapids, including life sciences, logistics and distribution, food sciences and processing, entrepreneurial business services and fire/insurance/real estate.