Northeastern Pennsylvania -
Real estate developer Robert K. Mericle has long touted the region's skilled workforce and proximity to interstate highways when seeking to attract industries to locate in Northeast Pennsylvania.
A website he launched in May adds a new pitch to the mix - quality of life.
The website, DiscoverNEPA.com, is a comprehensive multimedia initiative that promotes more than 2,000 recreational and leisure activities Mericle says make this region a great place to live.
Looking for a restaurant or a place to stay? A simple click instantly reveals 745 eating and drinking establishments and 125 motels, hotels and bed-and-breakfast locations.
More interested in visiting a park or museum or engaging in a sporting activity or shopping excursion? Check out any of the 1,154 listings under those categories.
Mericle, owner of Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, is one of the largest real estate developers in the region, having developed 22 million square feet in 15 local business parks. He was motivated to create the website after reading a survey of hundreds of corporate executives who cited quality of life as the third most important factor - behind workforce and interstate highway access - they consider when deciding where to locate their businesses, said Jim Cummings, vice president of marketing for Mericle.
“That really struck a chord with us,” Cummings said. “It also indicated to us we needed to step up our game as far as marketing the community.”
The project first launched on Facebook and Instagram in October. The website went live on May 23. As of last week it had 10,000 visitors.
The site has a staff of five full-time and two part-time employees dedicated to finding new listings and to maintaining and updating current listings. Mericle does not charge any fee to the businesses and other organizations listed or generate revenue in any other way from the site, Cummings said.
Cummings declined to say how much it cost to operate the site, but acknowledged it's a significant investment. He said Mericle chose not to charge any fees because he views the site as a community service as well as a marketing tool his company and other local organizations can use to recruit industries here.
The site will also help other exiting businesses, colleges and universities and medical facilities recruit employees, he said.
“If they are trying to recruit from outside the area, they have this tool to put in front of people - here is what Northeastern Pennsylvania is all about,” he said.
Bob Durkin, executive director of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, said Mericle has always been dedicated to helping business organizations attract industries to the area. The website is a great new tool to aid those efforts.
“Rob has committed substantial resources to the site to make sure it's going to be fresh and show the myriad of amenities our communities have that have not always been given the spotlight,” Durkin said.
When searching for amenities, the sites break out the amenities into six categories:
Local, state and national parks, arts and culture, leisure, shopping and fun, places to eat and drink, places to stay and sports and outdoor. Listings cover the counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wyoming, Wayne, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Susquehanna and Columbia.
Users have the option to populate a list of all amenities within a given category. There is also an interactive map with the option to search each category by geographic region. Cummings noted that portions of the website had some technical glitches as of last week that the staff is working to resolve.
Each listing provides a brief description of the amenity, along with information on hours of operation, address, phone number and a link to its website, if it has one. Some chain store businesses are included, but the focus primarily is on those that are locally owned, Cummings said.
“We think Northeastern PA is a special place. There are lot of hidden jewels here,” Cummings said.
“We want to spotlight that local initiative and local entrepreneurship by giving them a little exposure that hopefully will help their business.”
Any business or organization seeking to be added to the site can send a request via a link on the website.
The site currently has listings for 2,024 amenities, which the staff cultivated from personal knowledge and internet research. The site remains a work in progress. Cummings encourages users to submit suggestions for additional amenities to include as well any other feedback that will improve the site and make it more user friendly.
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/real-estate-developer-s-website-promotes-amenities-in-nepa-1.2350667
