MANSFIELD — The economic development market is highly competitive, especially in today’s online world.
That’s why Ellen Heinz, president and CEO of the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, is pursuing an opportunity to increase the organization’s visibility through a new website — one strictly dedicated to economic development.
The chamber’s current website — used for a variety of purposes — will remain in use.
The president and CEO said multiple quotes were received for the work, the most affordable totaling about $27,500.
Heinz asked Richland County commissioners Tuesday for a one-time contribution of $10,000 for the project.
The remaining $17,500 will be covered through in-kind contributions from DRM Productions, Inc., which will design the new website, as well as chamber funds.
DRM Productions previously designed the chamber’s current website.
Additionally, Heinz said, the cities of Mansfield and Ontario have committed to contributing additional funds — the amounts of which had not been determined as of Tuesday morning.
DRM President Jon Pierce said the economic development portion of the chamber’s website is currently more of a subsection, relative to the entire site.
“We think it makes a lot of sense, with a lot of the advice we’re getting and a lot of the asks we’re getting, that it should be partitioned out into its own (website),” Pierce said.
Commissioners voted 3-0 to execute an addendum to its economic development contract with the chamber to include the one-time $10,000 payment for website development.
Commissioner Tony Vero said the money will come from certified unappropriated funds from the board’s general fund.
“I think this would be a great investment that would show exponential returns once people see what Richland County has to offer. So I think it’s a great idea,” Commissioner Cliff Mears said.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said a dedicated economic development site will add to local momentum, including the county’s recent addition of a port authority.
Inspiration from other communities
Pierce said a new website will help bring the county “up to par” with other communities that have had success with economic development.
Rather than being greeted by multiple subsections — like membership, workforce and initiatives — visitors of the future site will be able to focus solely on economic development with a streamlined ease of access.
A targeted navigation and SEO (search engine optimization) approach will help with attracting developers, including site selectors, Pierce said.
He and Heinz presented two website examples to commissioners Tuesday, including the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County and the Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership.
Pierce said the desired URL for the site would be chooserichland.com. It would be interconnected with the chamber’s current website.
The goal is to replicate elements from both sites presented to commissioners, among a few others the chamber has researched, Heinz said. The new site will have a much different format, flow, look and feel, she added.
