Officials with the Pine Harbor Economic Development Authority remain optimistic that a recently completed business recruitment brochure will become a major tool in attracting new investment, provided staff can determine where the boxes containing most of the brochures were placed after delivery.
The 24-page publication, developed over nearly eight months, highlights Pine Harbor’s workforce, infrastructure, available sites, transportation access, target industries and quality of life.
“It is probably the best marketing piece we have ever produced,” said Executive Director Laura Benton. “The photography is beautiful. The maps are strong. The paper has a really nice weight to it.”
The authority ordered 2,000 copies.
Approximately 158 have been accounted for.
“We know they’re here,” Benton said.
Staff believe the remaining brochures may be in a storage closet near the conference room, a locked cabinet in the former finance office or possibly the back of a board member’s SUV following a trade show in March. A search is ongoing.
The brochure was created as part of Pine Harbor’s new business attraction strategy and was intended to be distributed to site selectors, corporate executives, consultants, brokers and prospects evaluating the region.
To date, most copies have been distributed at chamber luncheons, board meetings, local leadership programs and the annual Pine Harbor Business Appreciation Breakfast.
“We’ve gotten really positive feedback,” Benton said. “People around town love it.”
The authority also took 300 copies to a national trade show, where they were displayed prominently on a table alongside pens, mints and a bowl of wrapped candy.
Staff returned home with 286.
“That actually wasn’t bad,” said Business Development Manager Todd Ellison. “People don’t like carrying paper when they travel.”
The brochure includes a foldout map showing Pine Harbor’s access to major highways and markets, a feature staff described as especially valuable to companies considering the community.
The map is already slightly outdated following the completion of a new bypass.
“That’s economic development,” Benton said. “Things move fast.”
Officials said the brochure represents a significant improvement over Pine Harbor’s previous recruitment piece, which was produced six years ago and prominently featured an available industrial building that was demolished in 2023.
That brochure remains available in the lobby.
“We’re trying to use those up first,” Benton said.
The authority briefly considered producing a digital version of the new brochure but decided the printed piece offered a more tangible expression of the community’s brand.
“There’s something about handing someone a high-quality brochure,” Benton said. “It creates a connection.”
Asked when a site selector had last requested a printed brochure, Benton paused.
“They still like having materials,” she said.
Staff said the brochures will likely be useful at upcoming conferences, prospect meetings and recruitment events once they are located.
In the meantime, the authority has added a PDF version to its website under the “Resources” section.
Website analytics show it has been downloaded three times.
Two downloads were by staff checking to make sure the link worked.
At press time, a fourth box of brochures had been discovered beneath a tablecloth in the authority’s trade show supply room.
It contained 500 copies of the old brochure.
