LIMA — For better or worse, Lima is not Cleveland. Few would argue that.
But lessons learned in the successful revitalization and rebranding the northern Ohio city once known as the “Mistake on the Lake” can be applied to Lima, according to a man who watched it all happen.
Dave Johnson is the director of public relations and communications for the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland and that city’s Global Center for Health Innovation. He was the keynote speaker Friday morning at the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Wake, Rattle & Roll breakfast meeting.
Johnson related stories to his Lima audience about “how we changed the conversation” in Cleveland in the midst of an economic recession that saw hundreds of jobs and thousands of people flee the city. He said public, private and non-profit entities joined forces to form the Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Development Corp. with the goal of promoting the revitalization of the greater Cleveland area. Through the efforts of that non-profit group, “we generated $5.5 million a year in bed tax revenue” to help finance projects that led to growth in the region, he said.
“A commitment was made to turn Cleveland into a destination city for tourists,” Johnson said. “Once the business community made that commitment, here came the infrastructure that was followed by $3 billion in visitor-related development.”
When a shortage of available hotel space was identified, Johnson said, efforts were concentrated on putting the infrastructure in place that would allow the city to attract major events, which in turn would bring tourists to Cleveland.
He said a $32 million renovation to the city’s public square area in turn led to a 46 percent increase in hotel rooms over the past five years. Of that total, 5,000 rooms are within walking distance of the downtown convention center and Global Center.
That was a major selling point, Johnson said, in convincing the Republican National Committee to hold the party’s 2016 convention in Cleveland. The event drew 50,000 visitors who filled 16,000 hotel rooms and spent an estimated $188 million during their stay in the city.
“We put on a great event, which is a great example of how the business community came together to bring that convention to town,” he said.
While it is unlikely that a major political party is going to hold its national convention in Lima, Johnson said local movers and shakers can rely on the city’s rich heritage of innovation in the railroad, gas and oil industries, coupled with the region’s reputation of having a “hard-working workforce,” to move the city and region forward.
“There has never a better time than right now for this region to begin its own economic recovery,” Johnson told the chamber crowd. “What are the key strengths of this region? I can’t answer that. I live in Cleveland. But I challenge you to begin to discussion about what it takes to bring new business to town. You have all the things you need.”
Johnson suggested that local leaders approach large, existing manufacturers and ask what brought those businesses to town in the first place … and what keeps them here.
“I simply challenge you to identify the next trends, to identify your strengths and to use those strengths to recruit future business here,” he said.
Corporate sponsors for the chamber’s breakfast meeting were Huntington Bank and Bluffton University. Breakfast was sponsored by Touchstone Construction Planning and Management.
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