PPL has presented the Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation (PMEDC) with a $10,000 grant supporting economic development marketing in 2011. The PPL Blue Ribbon Marketing Partnership Program allows local economic development organizations to submit proposals for funding each year and PMEDC was awarded funding for three separate projects.
Paul Canevari, Regional Community Relations Director for PPL commented, “We have had a long-standing partnership with PMEDC and have supported many of their marketing projects in the past. We always see creative ideas with an innovative approach and are pleased to be able to contribute once again to their success.”
One of the projects was the creation of a Report Builder module on the PMEDCwebsite. It is designed to make it easier for real estate brokers, developers and site selection professionals to prepare dossiers about specific properties in Monroe County’s available commercial industrial property inventory, along with demographic data, workforce information and financing resources. PMEDC plans to use the feature at trade shows and events, though qualified professionals will also be able to access the feature from their desktops.
“In this highly competitive business, it is important that we remain leading edge with our online tools,” said PMEDC Executive Director Chuck Leonard. “Throughout the years, the generous support of PPL’s Blue Ribbon Grant program has enabled us to do that.”
The grant also supported the re-design and update of our Community Data Sheets which are used to promote the county online, at events and in response to prospects. The four documents: Demographics, Quality of Life, Workforce & Education, Location & Transportation have been updated using 2010 Census data. They can be found on PMEDC’s website available for download.
The final project was created as a follow-up to a project funded in 2010 by PPL, which was the development of a mobile version of PMEDC’s website for all smartphone and tablet computer users. A postcard campaign promoting the development of this new technology was instituted in order to direct more smartphone device users to the mobile site. The success of this campaign is being tracked by using QR codes and visitors are incentivized to register by being entered into a prize drawing.
PMEDC has contracted with Michael Beckenbach & Associates, a Stroudsburg-area public relations and marketing company, to develop and track the success of these projects.
The Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation is a non-profit economic development corporation, dedicated to creating jobs for Monroe County residents, expanding the county’s tax base, and attracting new investment with the direct support of the Monroe County Commissioners.
More information regarding Monroe County’s economic development is available at PMEDC.com or mobile.www.pmedc.com on smartphones and tablet computers.