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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br />Regular Meeting –April 9, 2010 <br /> <br />The BWG project team has invested over <br />2200 hours of professional service over eight <br />months during Phase 2 of its contract. They <br />have distributed into the local economy <br />income for a wide variety of vendors. They <br />hire local vendors and people. <br /> <br />In Phase 1 BWG built Ignition Park’s <br />distinctive identity and began to create <br />promotional materials and a Web site. That <br />generated a lot of national interest, which <br />doesn’t get seen locally. There are thousands <br />of stories in press and on the Web about the <br />new South Bend. <br /> <br />In Phase 2 which began June 2009 and will <br />wrap up about June 2010, the strategy has <br />been to strengthen local awareness, generate <br />more positive attitudes toward the city and its <br />partners in these initiatives, and increased the <br />teamwork between all the partners. A lot of <br />people are seeing the paradigm shift from an <br />industrial based economy to a knowledge <br />based economy in South Bend and want to be <br />part of it. <br /> <br />While Ignition Park is still vacant land, a <br />vision, an opportunity, the study showed a lot <br />of people know about it. That is amazing. <br />45% of respondents in the survey understand <br />the importance of the relationship between <br />MIND, Notre Dame’s Innovation Park and <br />Ignition Park. <br /> <br />Mr. Strickler said that the South Bend ON <br />newsletter that is distributed nationally has a <br />very strong readership. BWG is seeing <br />“click-through rates” to the underlying <br />stories of 40%. That is double what is <br />expected from similar distribution. <br /> <br />Phase 2 has also enhanced the Ignition Park <br /> 42 <br /> <br />