BRADENTON, Fla. – The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation. has officially adopted its new name to align with the organization’s initiative to recruit businesses and jobs to the community located on Florida’s west coast in the Tampa Bay region, announced Sharon Hillstrom, president and chief executive officer for the Bradenton Area EDC.
Formerly known as the Manatee Economic Development Corp., the EDC is launching an aggressive outreach strategy to attract businesses to the Bradenton area and to assist existing local businesses with their growth.
Research for the strategy proved that “Bradenton” had stronger national recognition than “Manatee County” among business site selectors, a primary audience for the EDC’s message, Hillstrom said. The name “Bradenton Area” was also recently adopted for tourism marketing in the county, as well as for the convention center. Consistency in the place name used for tourism and economic development outreach will allow both efforts to collaborate more effectively.
“Our goal is to communicate the benefits of locating and growing a business in the nine communities that make up the Bradenton area,” Hillstrom said. Those communities include Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Palmetto and Parrish.
As part of the “Think Global. Think Bradenton Area.” initiative, the EDC is overhauling its website. The web address is changing now to www.thinkbradentonarea.com, and the new site will debut this spring, Hillstrom said. Additional communications tactics will roll out in the coming year.
The EDC office is located at the McClure Center in Lakewood Ranch, 4215 Concept Court, Bradenton, FL, 34211, with a satellite office in downtown Bradenton in the Manatee Chamber of Commerce building. The EDC may be contacted by phone at 941.748.4842, ext. 128 or by email to info@thinkbradentonarea.com.
About the EDC
The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation works to attract new high-impact businesses and assist in the retention and growth of targeted existing businesses in the nine communities that make up the Bradenton area of Florida. Information: www.thinkbradentonarea.com.