8.0 EDSR 01-12-2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Having said that, it should be noted that Northstar is not a sustainable source of competitive advantage over all of the City's competitors. Elk River will have a station, but so will Big Lake and Anoka. But it is a competitive advantage over nearly all competitors. So it should be emphasized. Additional Differentiation Opportunities Elk River has been known as Energy City since 1997 when the Minnesota Environmental Initiative chose it from more than 30 other applying communities to act as a geographical focal point for the demonstration of efficient and renewable energy products, services and technologies. Builders, utility companies, government agencies and businesses have implemented several projects, including Energy Houses I, II and III. The Downtown Revitalization Project will also bring nearly 22,000 square feet of commercial space, 67 for-sale housing units, 32 rental housing units and 154 below-grade parking stalls to the downtown area as part of the Bluffs of Elk River and Jackson Place projects. As with Northstar, there is an opportunity to make the Energy City Program and Downtown Revitalization Project more prominent in the City's industrial development marketing materials. Although these projects might not have a direct impact on industrial development, they reinforce a general perception of Elk River as a vital, progressive community. Strategy #4: Leverage the fact that two Fortune 50 firms recently selected Elk River for new facilities, which adds credibility and suggests that the City is ready to take industrial development to a higher level Two Fortune 50 firms recently selected Elk River for major projects. As was noted during the Aug. 28 EDA Marketing Committee meeting, that speaks volumes about how Elk River is regarded by corporate users and site selectors. It boosts the City's credibility as a viable location for more than just small to medium light industrial development. Even if future projects aren't on a similar level, these prestigious projects will undoubtedly lend credibility during the sales and marketing process with any prospective user. Unfortunately, the sensitive nature of these projects limits the City's ability to leverage these successes at this time. However, the scope of these projects is certain to bring them to the attention of other interested parties -certainly the well-informed broker community, and possibly corporate users. There has also already been limited media coverage of these projects, and the names of the companies involved will be (or have already been) mentioned in City and County meeting proceedings and other documents. Thus they are public information. And, of course, anyone driving along Highway 10 can't help but notice the enormous facility currently being built -and the second one is expected to be even larger. So while the users are understandably sensitive about publicizing these projects, the projects are public information and will probably soon be almost common knowledge. Even so, given the sensitivity of these projects, we recommend that City officials communicate their intentions with the users before mentioning those projects in any marketing efforts. 13