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Other Regions, States See Chance to Entice Local Firms to Move

Other Regions, States See Chance to Entice Local Firms to Move

BY CONNIE LEWIS

Staff Writer

Ads running in San Diego’s business press, placed by the city of Riverside, boast of “affordable and reliable municipal electric and water utilities, substantial land and labor cost advantages.”

Readers should expect to see more of them , only bigger.

“We will increase both the frequency and size of our ads in San Diego for next year,” said Kevin Palmer, manager of the Riverside Development Dept.

Is it any coincidence the ads will be beefed up at a time when San Diego faces high energy rates and a potential water supply shortfall?

“I won’t say it’s because of the recent problems,” he said.

But he makes no bones about the agency’s strategy of advertising in business publications in Southern California to lure companies to relocate or expand to Riverside.

Responding to such an ad was the first step that led Bill Ipsen, president of KPI Cos., which refurbishes medical imaging equipment, to relocate to Riverside in August from offices in Oceanside and Carson.

“We saw the ad,” Ipsen said. “We called and met with the economic development director. We’d been leasing our facilities and we wanted to build, but we couldn’t afford to do that in (San Diego County).”

Michigan is also interested in luring San Diego businesses in its direction, but doesn’t feel the need to point up favorable power rates or water supplies as bait.

“We have no plans, even under the circumstances, to run ads in San Diego saying that we have lower utility rates, or that we have the Great Lakes, so water is abundant,” said Tim Daman, director of brand management for the Michigan EDC, based in Lansing.

“Our strategy is about positioning and branding,” he said.

Its full-page, boldly colored ads are hard to miss. A catchy phrase on an orange and red layout reads: “And you thought all we make in Michigan is cars.”

“We have a lot of activity in the biotech area,” Daman said. “San Diego is big in biotech. That’s why ads will be positioned there.

“It’s a good match, but rather than trying to get those companies to relocate lock, stock and barrel, we want to get them to think about expanding here.

“Biotech also thrives on collaborations and partnerships. That would be a good for both San Diego companies and Michigan companies.”

A Virginia EDC near Washington, D.C., also uses the strategy of advertising in cities with industries that match its own, said Jerry Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Focusing half-page, full-color print ads at San Diego’s business press, the message reads: “You belong in e-country.”

Located near the nation’s capital, Gordon said Fairfax County would be an ideal spot for a company expanding to ramp up intelligence technology contracts with the federal government.

Such as a company from San Diego.

But San Diego’s Regional Economic Development Corp. isn’t content watching its counterparts try to attract businesses out of the county.

“We do an outreach,” said Julie Meier Wright, president and CEO of the EDC. “We work directly with companies to bring them here and keep them here.”

The local EDC stays on alert for signals from attorneys, accountants, utility companies and other sources that companies may be in a position to expand or are considering leaving the area.

“We’ll call and we’ll go and visit that company to see if we can assist with an expansion, or to intervene if it’s having problems,” she said. “If they’re having regulatory problems, there are things we can do to help. Or if they’re having trouble getting a labor force or are dissatisfied in other ways, we can help.”

Marketing San Diego is not a difficult chore, she said.

“Our institutions, industries and lifestyle make us second to none. That being said, we have some challenges that have to be addressed to ensure that we remain competitive and maintain our quality of life,” she said.

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