Gwinnett (GA) Chamber of Commerce
2011 ACE Award Entry
Member & Community Communication
4 – Special Publication
2010 Annual Report
2010 Annual Check-Up
Strong Vitals. Healthy Outlook.
Summary Launched in 2007, Partnership Gwinnett is Gwinnett’s economic and community development initiative. Led by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and a host of public and private partners, the initiative targets the retention and expansion of existing Gwinnett businesses in addition to the development of new business in five key market segments: Healthcare; Advanced Communications; Information Technology; Trade & Distribution; and Regional/Corporate Headquarters. The ultimate goal is to promote economic wealth & diversification, increase education and workforce excellence, improve quality of life and heighten visibility through marketing and outreach programs for the entire Gwinnett community. By the end of 2010, the award-­‐winning economic development initiative expanded or relocated more than 200 companies – representing over 9,400 jobs – in Gwinnett. An annual report was created to communicate the goals of Partnership Gwinnett and report to investors the results of the community and economic development initiative in an effort to obtain further support from investors and local community members. Needs Identification The Gwinnett Chamber’s 2010 Partnership Gwinnett annual report, entitled 2010 Annual Check-­‐Up: Strong Vitals. Healthy Outlook. needed to report achievements and benchmarks in the four goals of the initiative to Partnership Gwinnett investors and the local community. The report not only had to align with Partnership Gwinnett’s brand and messaging, but also creatively summarize the initiative’s successes over the past year. In addition, the reported needed to give a comprehensive review of the goals and initiatives of the program reiterating the importance of the initiative to the local community, while also giving an outlook of what can be expected in the future. To support the 16-­‐page annual report, a video highlighting Partnership Gwinnett’s 2009-­‐2010 accomplishments and the latest efforts in global investment was released in conjunction with the report. The video, which mirrors the report, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/thegwinnettchamber#p/u/9/C7shTCOJP60. Objectives Our objectives were specific, measurable, realistic, attainable, and time-­‐sensitive. They were relevant to our target audiences: 1) Partnership Gwinnett Executive Council 2) Partnership Gwinnett Investors, 3) Gwinnett Chamber members, 4) site selectors, and 5) local economic development professionals. In addition, the objectives were relevant to Partnership’s Gwinnett’s goals of achieving more sustainable, long-­‐term economic health in Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta. After analyzing the annual report alongside the goals and objectives of Partnership Gwinnett, the Gwinnett Chamber determined the following objectives for the 2010 Annual Report: 1.
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Recognize the Partnership Gwinnett Executive Council and Investors Communicate the results and success of the previous year and give an outlook for the future Promote the Partnership Gwinnett brand and mission Serve as an information source to acquire new funding dollars Evaluation The result of the 2010 Annual Report was a publication that reflected Partnership Gwinnett’s brand, mission, and initiatives relaying important information to investors and members of the Gwinnett Chamber while emphasizing Partnership Gwinnett’s image as an award-­‐winning initiative that is setting the bar for success in community and economic development across the world. The title, 2010 Annual Check-­‐Up: Strong Vitals. Healthy Outlook., sets a precedence for the publication regarding the medical theme that is weaved throughout the publication -­‐ in conjunction with the event theme of the Partnership Gwinnett Summit where the report was publicly released. The success of the piece can be measured by the amount of funding received for 2011 as the annual report was used to garner support for future investment. Because of the positive results showcased in the 2010 Annual Report, Partnership Gwinnett received $1.8 million, a record amount of investment dollars. In addition, the results revealed in the report led to the Partnership Gwinnett initiative to receive the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Award of Excellence for best Multi-­‐
Year Economic Development program of a large community (500,000> population). One of the qualitative measurements of success were quotes received from key investors of Partnership Gwinnett on the positive results released in the annual report: Renee Byrd-­‐Lewis, director of community relations for Cisco, a Fortune 500 angel investor in the Partnership Gwinnett initiative, said, “It’s very important for businesses like Cisco to ensure that its local community is doing those things essential to business development and success. Focusing on a strong workforce and a healthy quality of life for the region are two key goals in the Partnership Gwinnett initiative and we are pleased to be supporting such a benchmark community development program.” Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Technical College, said, “Partnership Gwinnett has taken a leadership role in strategic business development for the region, successfully attracting targeted industries and increasing job growth. Their efforts are very much in step with Gwinnett Technical College’s major role in workforce development.” The budget for the annual report was $3,000 and $1,000 for the video. The annual report was produced by the in-­‐house graphic designer and written by the in-­‐house economic development marketing and public relations team. The video was outsourced to a professional video production company. Objective one (recognize the Partnership Gwinnett Executive Council and Investors) was met and achieved by listing the Partnership Gwinnett Executive Council and investors in the report. These two groups are an important audience as they fund and guide the economic and community development initiative. Recognizing these audiences in the report gives ownership to this select group and showcases their support to the community. Objective two (communicate the results and success of the previous year and give an outlook for the future) was met and achieved by giving a broad achievement overview and then subsequently listing the successes in the four key goal areas of Partnership Gwinnett. Going above and beyond just listing the achievements, the report and its results were marked by a consistent medical theme throughout the publication. The graphic elements throughout the publication alluded to the message that Partnership Gwinnett is the heart of community and economic development for metro Atlanta region. The report also shared the latest trends and reviewed the life support system of Partnership Gwinnett and future prognosis for preventative health and sustainability. This theme was also carried out in the video and at the Partnership Gwinnett Summit where the report was initially released. Objective three (promote the Partnership Gwinnett brand and mission) was met and achieved by clearly restating and defining the goals of the initiative. In each goal area, the successes clearly related to their respective areas and were supported by quotes, pictures, and news clippings, and charts. Objective four (serve as an information source to acquire new funding dollars) was met and achieved by releasing and distributing the annual report at the Partnership Gwinnett Summit attended the report’s target audience members – Partnership Gwinnett Executive Council, Investors, site selectors, Gwinnett Chamber members, and local economic development professionals. The report was also mailed to site selectors and investors. As mentioned earlier in the evaluation section, the positive results that were revealed in the annual report led to a record amount of investment dollars for Partnership Gwinnett. The bottom line is that Partnership Gwinnett and the Gwinnett Chamber developed an annual report that was an effective, creative, and results-­‐driven publication that communicates the economic development initiative’s mission and key message leading to increased funding and continued success for the award-­‐winning economic development initiative.