The site is a combined effort of two economic development heavyweights -- the Fund for Our Economic Future and the Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance, whose members are Positively Cleveland, the local convention and visitors bureau; Team NEO, which leads the region's business-attraction effort; and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the region's largest chamber of commerce.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The organizations toiling to build the region's economy have differing aims, but now they have one place to tell their story.A new Web site, theplus.us, is the new portal to business-building efforts from Youngstown to Lorain.
The site is a combined effort of two economic development heavyweights -- the Fund for Our Economic Future and the Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance, whose members are Positively Cleveland, the local convention and visitors bureau; Team NEO, which leads the region's business-attraction effort; and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the region's largest chamber of commerce.
The future fund and marketing alliance are collaborating "to promote the good news and information around economic development in the region," said Rick Batyko, vice president of regional marketing for Greater Cleveland Partnership.
The array of specialty nonprofits working on sectors of the economy, such as BioEnterprise Corp., NorTech Inc. and JumpStart Inc. can be confusing even to those in the know, officials said.
"I don't believe there's a clear story about what makes this region great and what we are working on," said Chris Thompson, spokesman for the future fund, which funnels millions of dollars from philanthropic groups to the specialty nonprofits. "That's what this effort is about."
Dominion East Ohio provided $25,000 to create the Web site, which Cleveland Plus will manage, Batyko said.
The site targets those involved with regional economic development, including business and civic leaders and government officials, Batyko said.
Residents can check it out to see where the region's economic development strategies are headed, Thompson said.
"If you don't know what's going on, you assume nothing is happening," he said. "If we continue to tell a cohesive, consistent story, it results in residents being more optimistic about the future. They'll be more willing to get involved with the work."
