"Expanded Vision" Seen by John Lore for Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance
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Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce officials meet to discuss tax and development issues.
John S. Lore, president and CEO of the new Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, has a broadening vision of his group's coverage area.
In a sponsored message in the current issue of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Lifestyle Magazine, formerly the Tri City Monthly Lifestyle Magazine, Dr. Lore states:
"The Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance (GLBRA) will also be able to reach beyond our most identifiable borders... We need to expand our vision of regionalism beyond Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties to include Mt. Pleasant, areas north of our counties and the expanded Thumb area.
"There is much wisdom in the adage that together we are better and stronger. We celebrate regionalism and collaboration within the Great Lakes Bay Region."
Chairman of the 28 member GLBRA board of directors is Mike Seward, president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. The board already includes members from Mt. Pleasant and other areas outside the tri-counties.
Dr. Lore will elaborate on his vision of regionalism Tuesday, Jan. 12 in a Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Eye Opener Breakfast. The event will be held at the Dore Riverview Complex beginning at 7:30 a.m.
One of the first initiatives launched by the GLBRA is the plan to increase hotel-motel taxes from the current 2 percent to 5 percent, with a share of the additional proceeds going to promote the region.
The hotel tax proceeds are proposed to be split with 75 percent going to the GLBRA for enhanced regional promotion expenses and 25 percent to the local tourist and convention bureaus in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties.
The Bay Area Chamber and major hoteliers such as Americinn and Bay Valley Resort are backing the move that will require state legislation to implement.
For many years smaller communities in Michigan have been restricted from placing a tax over 2 percent on hotel-motel rooms. The proposal was sent recently to the Bay County Commission and was considered by the Ways and Means Committee.
Annette Rummel, president and CEO of the GLBR Tourist and Convention Bureau, said the regional approach was key to the recent decision to hold a 14-state soccer tournament in Saginaw Township in June 2012.
The tournament is expected to bring in about $7 million from hundreds of visitors who will book hotel rooms and spend money throughout the region and beyond, she said.
The idea of creating a more influential legislative influence as a region began in the mid-to-late 1980s. Originally a group from Saginaw made contact with some influential people in Bay City, then Midland, and the group met several times but eventually disbanded.
The first "revitalization" of the group then took place with special interest conveyed by the then new president of Saginaw Valley State University, Dr. Eric Gilbertson. A "blue ribbon" group including community leaders, university and college officials, chamber presidents and board chairs, and economic development organization presidents and board chairs met on a regular basis, but still was considered an informal committee working on issues affecting the entire region.
One of the first initiatives was to attract a minor league baseball team to our region. Other initiatives included an inter-modal transportation study including Genessee County, MBS airport, and Bay area water freight.
They met with the 11 county South East Michigan partnership to look for regional collaboration ideas that focused on economic development. After 3-4 years they contracted a study from McKenna and Associates identifying regional needs to improve economic development.
Then a group called VISION TRI-COUNTY was formed along with a steering committee and larger, business committee that met regularly. Some initiatives included a study on telecommunication needs and assets available, and a study done by Brogan & Associates on brand/name recognition for the region was conducted through the MEDC, and an initial presentation of the original inter-modal study was made to the MBS airport authority. Once again the make-up of the group changed and the group Vision Tri County, stopped meeting.
In 2005, VISION TRI-COUNTY was re-kindled for the second time and is made-up of the three county chambers and economic development organizations. The group's objective is to promote economic development for the region by pooling collective leverage to accomplish success in four general areas: Economic Development, Legislative Influence, Marketing/Promoting our Region, and Leadership Development.
Through an extensive rebranding effort, VISION TRI-COUNTY rebranded itself as the organization known today as the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance. The Alliance continues to grow through the support of the Bay Area, Midland Area and Saginaw County Chambers of Commerce and the outstanding support of the business community in the Great Lakes Bay Region.###
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