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| Interim County Administrator Dan Frank Chairman Wayne C. Speenburgh Legislator, District #2 wspeenburgh@discovergreene.com |
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For Immediate Release: July 16, 2009GreeneDining.com Initiative LaunchedPublic-Private Partnership Promotes Local Food Businesses to Help Boost Economy
CATSKILL, New York – A new initiative called GreeneDining.com has been launched in Greene County to promote local restaurants, food retailers, catering services and other food-related businesses through a printed guide, highly interactive website and cable television advertising. An unprecedented public-private partnership, GreeneDining.com was conceptualized and developed by Hudson-based Midhudsonmedia in conjunction with Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning. The multimedia campaign is being sponsored by Greene County’s progressive buy-local campaign, “Think BiG,” and dozens of Greene County restaurants, catering and food service businesses. “Greene County offers dining and food options to suit every taste and budget, from four-star restaurants to casual cafes,” said Rob Johanson, Midhudsonmedia’s Founder and Executive Producer. “The county’s proximity to the Culinary Institute of America and New York City has drawn talented chefs to the area and the county’s rich ethnic heritage adds to the mix. It makes sense to promote the county’s breadth and depth of culinary offerings in a way that will drive more people to support local food businesses.” “Recent market research conducted by Greene County has shown that there is significant retail leakage, particularly with residents going outside the county to eat and drink,” noted Keith Valentine, a Greene County Legislator who helped launch the Think BiG campaign last year to encourage residents to “Buy in Greene” in order to support local businesses and the Greene County economy. “Raising awareness among residents and visitors that there are more than 120 places to eat in Greene County can help people change their buying behaviors and start dining locally more often. The net result will be an increase in tax revenues that can help reduce the property tax levy and keep jobs within our community. The strategic decision to support the GreeneDining.com campaign illustrates the heart and power of the Think BiG, Buy-in-Greene campaign,” he explained. Think BiG’s partnership with this newest GreeneDining.com campaign is the direct result of the county aggressively identifying opportunities to grow important sectors of the county’s economy, like dining and food services. The investment made by Think BiG in the dining campaign is the first of several industry sector-specific initiatives to come as the county drills further down into market segments that would benefit from public investment with the goal of boosting the local economy. The printed GreeneDining.com guide, which is being distributed at lodging establishments, restaurants, chambers of commerce and retailers throughout Greene County, includes a complete listing of restaurants, bakeries and cafes, banquet facilities, caterers, beverage centers, fast food outlets, grocery stores and specialty retailers. The comprehensive booklet replaces a Greene dining brochure previously published by Greene County Tourism. The new GreeneDining.com website has a searchable database of hundreds of food establishments, which allows visitors to see reviews, specials, menus and photos/videos of restaurants, as well as to compare pricing, atmosphere, types of cuisine and more. Visitors at the site can search restaurants by town or by region – mountaintop, valley or historic river towns – and browse for special features such as outdoor dining or live entertainment. The website also links to the GreeneTourism.com and ThinkBiG.com websites. “Greene County’s decision to support the GreeneDining.com initiative and to pool our resources in one centralized directory and database that can be continually updated with the latest offers and information furthers our goal of maximizing our return on investment” said Warren Hart, Director of Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning. “There is strength in numbers and leveraging Greene’s Think BiG against this private investment makes good business sense. This partnership allows us to get the most out of our marketing dollars and to eliminate duplication of efforts.” “Of particular interest with this GreeneDining.com initiative, is the exciting cross benefits to all segments of the local economy: Greene County residents get up-to-date access to dining coupons and value, and access to information and culinary events; Greene County restaurant businesses get free or enhanced marketing with new opportunities to advertise and grow their business; Greene County lodging businesses get dining guides to distribute to their customers looking for places to dine, and the lodging owners can go directly to the website and print out up-to-date listings for their customers; and tourists get a single source of dining information that should enhance their experience, and provide additional opportunities to spend more dollars in the county,” Mr. Hart added. “The special coupons and discounted gift certificates on GreeneDining.com will be a powerful draw to the website and to the restaurants and other businesses that participate. Who doesn’t love a good deal in this economy?” Visitors to GreeneDining.com are encouraged to sign up for a free membership. Members can post their own reviews, get exclusive access to members-only coupons and discounted gift certificates and receive an e-newsletter with weekly dining specials. More than 15 coupons and specials are now posted on the site, offering everything from a free glass of wine or beer with dinner to 10% off a meal. Members must log in to redeem and print the coupons. A series of Think BiG television ads promoting Greene Dining are also in the works. Produced by Greenville-based KathodeRay Media, the spots will also underscore the variety of restaurants found in Greene County and encourage people to explore all regions of the county – from the mountaintop to the riverfront to valley towns and villages. The ads will air on GreeneDining.com and the Mid-Hudson Cable System, which feeds 21,000 homes in Greene and Columbia County, as well as southern Albany. For more information, visit www.GreeneDining.com, www.BuyinGreene.com or www.GreeneTourism.com.
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Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning
Warren Hart, Director, AICP
411 Main Street Catskill NY 12414 Phone: (518) 719-3290 Fax: (518) 719-3789