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City Continues to Promote RUNWAY Businesss Park Network
Fredericton, NB (May 18, 2010) – The City of Fredericton is continuing its efforts to attract more economic development by improving its extensive business park network known as the RUNWAY.
“This 18-kilometre corridor network, which stretches from the Fredericton Airport all the way to the Hanwell Road, is a critical piece of business infrastructure,” said Councillor Dan Keenan, Chair of the City’s Development Committee, following a presentation to the Committee today. “It was created to help advance the City’s major growth corridor and its strategic industry clusters, and to help attract investment opportunities to the City.”
In the late nineties, the City of Fredericton recognized that a key piece of its business infrastructure – the industrial and business parks – were lacking in comparison to other prominent Atlantic Canadian parks. Fredericton’s parks were aesthetically unappealing, lacked character, and projected a low quality image. In order to deal with these challenges, the City crafted the “Fredericton Business Parkway Strategy” in 2001. The strategy conceptualized the ‘business parkway’, stretching 18 kms from the west-end to the east-end of the City, as a ‘pit lane’ off the Trans Canada Highway, with exits at Hanwell Road, Regent Street, Kimble Drive, Doak Road, Alison Boulevard and Wilsey Road.
The parkway was envisioned as a ‘network’, because it was home to a number of industrial and business parks, comprising growth sectors such as: information technology, R&D, advanced learning/education, aerospace & defence, light manufacturing, retail and service. Given the critical mass of businesses – particularly in key sectors targeted for growth, the City saw an opportunity to help these businesses expand, and to attract investment opportunities by repackaging these parks into a single entity called the RUNWAY.
The RUNWAY is made up of four nodes encompassing: the Industrial & Business Parks comprising Alison Boulevard Business Park, Vanier Industrial Park, Fredericton Industrial Park, and Wilsey Road South; the Uptown Commercial District including Regent Mall, the Uptown Centre, Corbett Centre, Bishop Drive, and Prospect Street; the Research & Knowledge-based District including Knowledge Park and Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre with Regent Street facilitating convenient access to the Research & Productivity Council, University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University and the National Research Council; and the Fredericton International Airport and Aerospace & Defence Park.
In 2004, the City announced plans to repackage the ‘business parkway’ corridor as the RUNWAY, and the brand was publicly launched. Since that time, a number of key objectives, contained in the original Business Parkway Strategy, have been accomplished. The City has invested $1.8 million to improve infrastructure and transportation access; to undertake an extensive landscaping plan to enhance aesthetic appeal; to identify the corridor and its nodes with a unified look through a four (4) level signage hierarchy program; to review zoning regulations to ensure they are in keeping with market demands; to create plans for future sustainable development; and to market and promote the network to attract investment.
Marketing and promotional activities, outlined in the RUNWAY integrated marketing communications plan, have included: the 2005 and 2009 Fredericton promotional videos (contained on the business card CD) were updated to showcase the RUNWAY; a RUNWAY vertical was established on the City’s economic development webpage linking the user to related information; a print and digital lure brochure was developed to highlight the RUNWAY and is included in all business development packages; the City has placed various advertisements using a number of media vehicles to raise RUNWAY awareness; a banner exhibit display was produced for use at events, trade missions, tenant meetings; and a powerpoint presentation was developed to apprise tenants and prospective businesses about the RUNWAY.
The next major step will be to facilitate the start-up of tenant associations within the various nodes. This will create a conduit to enable better communications and relationships. The City will be exploring opportunities for mutual collaboration and cross-promotion like having businesses include the RUNWAY logo on their respective websites and linking to the City’s RUNWAY webpage, as well as using complimenting landscaping in keeping with that of the RUNWAY. The tenants will also be provided with promotional tools (CDs and brochures) to distribute to their clients. It is anticipated that through distribution of the marketing tools and established signage, that the tenants’ customers and prospective businesses will be able to more easily identify and navigate the RUNWAY.
The City will continue to expand awareness about the RUNWAY through educating ambassadors, trade officers and stakeholders; making the promotional tools readily available; undertaking a direct mail campaign in sectors targeted for growth; continuing to enhance the website; advertising; and lending support to Enterprise Fredericton on future trade missions.
“The City is well poised for future development”, said Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside. “”We will continue to work with our partners to advance the community, build upon our long-standing reputation as a “smart city”, and promote our sustainability initiatives, cost competitive business environment, and balanced lifestyle to attract opportunities to Fredericton.”
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Media Contacts: City of Fredericton - Laurie Guthrie, Economic Development Officer (506) 460-2942; Frank Flanagan, Director of Development Services (506) 460-2028.
