The “Find it in Fayetteville” campaign to promote spending money locally officially kicked off Tuesday morning.
The program, which was first envisioned during Fayetteville Forward by the Economic Incentives and Job Growth Action Group, was tooled by city staff members and then re-tooled by the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Campaign logo stickers were handed out during the vent and will be distributed around town in the next few weeks.
Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan, along with seven other advocates for shopping locally, spoke to a crowd near the food court in the Northwest Arkansas Mall.
‘Find it in Fayetteville’ logo
“An essential key to the success of any city’s economy and business prosperity is the patronage and support of the community,” said Jordan. “The sales tax that you pay in Fayetteville supports our community by building and improving roads and sidewalks. They support our library and they maintain our parks, trails, and other city services.”
Steve Clark, President of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce said what he likes about the campaign is that it’s a challenge for the citizens of Fayetteville to invest in the city. “It’s not just for people who have a business, or who have a dream, or those who have a responsibility because they’re a state institution providing services,” he said. “It’s about each of the people who live in this city.”
As the third largest city in Arkansas, Clark says Fayetteville has a lot to offer. “Whatever you’re looking for – yes you could go to the Internet to find most anything,” he said. “But whatever you find there, you’ll find here, and perhaps even better.”
The following individuals spoke Tuesday morning. Videos of each speech are included below.
Jeff Bishop – Northwest Arkansas Mall, General Manager
Lioneld Jordan – City of Fayetteville, Mayor
Marilyn Heifner – Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, Director
Steve Clark – Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, President
Julie Sill – Hog Haus Brewery/Common Grounds (representing Downtown Fayetteville)
Alli Griffin – Ozark Natural Foods (representing Midtown Fayetteville)
Mervin Jebaraj – Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas
Lioneld Jordan – City of Fayetteville, Mayor (closing statement)
