Positioning Jasper’s Potential

September 22nd, 2011

As a candidate for Mayor of Jasper, I’ve stated that one of my economic development goals includes marketing our fine city. The mayor needs to be an advocate for existing companies and businesses while pursuing new ventures which will bring diversity to local commerce and new citizens to the community. As mayor I envision my role as positioning Jasper as a premiere destination for doing business. Much of the effort will be on marketing.

I define marketing as “communicating a message to an audience”. Who the audience is, what the message is and how it is communicated are all part of a marketing plan. Several fundamentals need to be in place before we begin:

Aesthetics – One of our strengths is our community’s appearance and the pride we have in maintaining it.
Incentives – we must become competitive in today’s marketplace. I was the first candidate to advocate for passage of the Jasper Action Team’s economic development program and I’m confident the increased awareness helped the initial act of the package pass the Jasper Common Council on September 21.
Streamlined Processes – reviewing and revising how the city conducts its business.
Open-for-Business Ordinances – does the city make it easy for people to live here, move here and operate businesses here? A review of the sign ordinance is one such action.
Partnership – acknowledging Jasper’s role as an economic driver while working with our neighbors for the good of the county and region.
Ambassadorship – creating a welcoming attitude and environment in all that we do in city government and encouraging residents to do the same.

This summer I developed a Jasper Marketing Team to explore potential audiences to whom we could deliver a message. Through several weeks of work, my team arrived at three broad groups:

1) Targeted business/fields/industries

2) Entrepreneurs

3) Young families, especially those with an existing connection to Jasper

This is only an initial step, yet it helped me focus on what’s needed to engage these groups. Should I have the privilege of being elected your next mayor, I look forward to implementing a robust marketing effort to position Jasper as a home for residents and a home for businesses.

Are you registered to vote? You can do that right here: https://indianavoters.in.gov/PublicSite/PublicMain.aspx – Registration ends October 11.

I believe Jasper’s best days are still ahead. If you agree, vote for me on Tuesday, November 8^th.