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• <br /> • <br /> CITY OF SAN LEANDRO <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> • <br /> Date: January 6, 2011 <br /> To: City Council Business & Housing Development Committee <br /> Via: Luke Sims, Community Development Director <br /> From: Cynthia Battenbergusiness Development Manager <br /> Subject: Development of a San Leandro Branding and Marketing Strategy <br /> Summary and Recommendation <br /> Development of a San Leandro Branding and Marketing Strategy is recommended to enhance <br /> the City's business attraction and retention efforts. Staff requests the Business and Housing <br /> Development's approval for the City Manager to enter into a Consulting Services Agreement <br /> with The Placemaking Group at a cost not -to- exceed 510,000 for facilitation of a business <br /> working group and the development of a Branding Strategy to promote San Leandro•as a great <br /> place to do business. <br /> • <br /> Background and Discussion <br /> San Leandro has a long reputation as a great place to do business. We value industry and the <br /> jobs it creates. 23% of the land in San Leandro is zoned for Industrial use. We welcome retail <br /> and are a major importer of sales tax dollars with twice the average per capita sales tax income of <br /> Alameda County and the State of California. Our business license tax is one of the lower in the <br /> region and is based on number of employees, not gross receipts or payroll taxes. Our Downtown <br /> Transit Oriented Development Strategy received multiple awards and resulted in attracting <br /> approximately 530 million in grant funding. We are centrally located, considered a safe place to <br /> do business, and lease and purchase rates are relatively affordable. <br /> The world is changing, especially in terms of how we communicate. Social media has changed <br /> the way in which people connect. Websites provide people volumes of information at their <br /> fingertips. The Internet has impacted how people shop. Additionally, there is a movement <br /> towards shopping locally. A marketing campaign can assist us in leveraging these new methods <br /> of communication. We have much to be proud of and it's a good time for us to evaluate how to <br /> most effectively communicate our story to those in San Leandro and those considering doing <br /> business here. <br /> City staff has been meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and Automall •Dealers Association <br /> for the past few months to discuss creation of a marketing campaign promoting San Leandro <br /> businesses. It is unclear if funding will be available in the fiscal year 2011 -12 budget for roll -out <br />