 
Representative Consulting Assignments For nearly 20 years, Blane, Canada Ltd. has been providing customized services by meeting and exceeding clients’ needs. Below we have summarized a few of our client’s projects to give some examples of what we do. Our clients range from small communities to larger regions; the map shows some locations in the United States and Canada. We have also done some work abroad. Blane, Canada Ltd. Representative Clients 
Midwest US
§ Conducted a management and marketing audit of a successful regional economic development program. Responsibilities included: review of the strategic plan, management practices, marketing practices, operations, and staffing. Compared current practices with benchmarks developed using 30 leading development organizations around the U.S. Identified the program’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and provided corrective actions to increase effectiveness. Conducted an in-depth analysis of the local economy and regional growth trends. Provided comparative analysis of local economic performance with eight similar communities in other Midwestern states. Identified community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as related to future job creation and the maintenance of the existing industrial base. Identified internal and external growth opportunities, then constructed a marketing plan to capitalize on opportunities and minimize the weaknesses of the organization and the community.
§ Blane, Canada Ltd., partnered with an international management consulting firm, developed a comprehensive development strategy and implementation plan for a large Midwest county. Encompassing 137 municipalities, the county has areas under economic stress, from high growth to poverty. The planning process worked to achieve a public/private partnership concept along with funding strategies. Extensive personal interviews and focus group sessions were used to insure diverse input and build consensus. Steering Committee was comprised of the regional PIC, human services managers, key local and county government personnel, and corporate leaders.
§ Conducted telephone interviews with over 150 environmental management executives with major corporations in four Midwestern states, derived from customized database of 400. Wrote and designed the survey on environmental management issues. The survey was designed to test the company’s marketing strategy, gather market intelligence on competitors, investigate service needs, and forecast future demand for a range of environmental management services. The survey provided the information needed to convince corporate executives to refocus and expand their marketing strategy for the Midwestern region.
§ Evaluated the potential of an industry‑specific marketing strategy by conducting interviews with 75 top industry executives throughout the U.S. in management, real estate, product design, production, and planning. The findings saved time and money, allowing the client to shift the planned marketing budget to more productive uses.
Central US
§ Phase I...Evaluated the quality of the State’s marketing abilities to define research requirements to position the recruitment group for enhanced future marketing effectiveness. Phase II...First, conducted a total analysis of marketing activities ─ lead generation; sorting, screening, qualifying; as well as sales ─ and support systems to identify means of improving overall marketing effectiveness and increasing efficiency. Second, established a statewide positioning strategy and craft a long-term marketing plan for business attraction and retention. The plan covered the State’s programs and incorporated allies and strategic partners.
§ Conducted a management audit covering resources, development strategy, goals, programs, and results. Identified development needs and opportunities for the countywide service area. Prepared a comparative program analysis, established management benchmarks against best industry practices, and developed a comprehensive marketing strategy and marketing plan to leverage opportunities, including the new regional airport, and addressed highway infrastructure and the organization’s operational improvements.
§ Created a broad based economic development strategic plan for a rural two-county partnership working to stem the loss of population by increasing economic activity. Classic business attraction marketing was a weak fit at best. The existing business base was shallow but creative individuals had built a number of small, creative companies selling product outside of the region. Focus group sessions and education were essential for helping community leaders understand the weakness a straight business attraction strategy. The final strategic plan included community development, tourism, economic gardening (existing business development), and business attraction scaled to fit the circumstances of the region. The plan also called for the creation of several unique community based part-time positions to reinforce the link between each community and the regional partnership.
Southern US
§ Conducted a “prospect” evaluation tour for a south central community of 25,000. Interviewed public and private sector leaders. Evaluated the economic development services and database of allies serving the community plus the local and regional marketing materials in use. The report and presentation to the board documented necessary changes to marketing strategy and materials resulting in a complete overhaul of their strategy and materials.
§ Conducted a management audit of a mature regional economic development program evaluating structure, staffing, and marketing initiatives. Identified an essential new position, defined staffing requirements and preferred qualifications for recruiters, marketers, and support staff. Crafted a long range marketing plan incorporating results of recent target industry study and the regional branding initiative. Once staffing was completed conducted one-on-one training with international and domestic marketing staff. Provided best practice examples for comparison and initiated relationships with management at leading economic development organizations. On-Site follow-up visits every six month help keep the program focused and the plan up to date with changes in the market.
Western US
§ Examined marketing potential of four remote rural airports. Compared characteristics with successful airport development in similar communities throughout the western U.S. Recommended against major investment in marketing campaign which was forecasted to have limited return on the investment, if any, to the specific communities studied.
Eastern US
§ A six-county regional marketing organization in southeastern state was nearing the end of a five year funding cycle. In anticipation of a new funding campaign, this organization wanted to do an extensive analysis of their marketing program and results achieved over the life of the earlier campaign. Blane, Canada Ltd. was selected to perform the comprehensive assessment of the marketing and sales program to provide the basis for future funding. The assessment covered marketing strategy, positioning, materials (print and electronic), the web site, staffing (marketing, research, and sales), resources, results, and outcomes. In addition to the organizational assessment, Blane, Canada Ltd. provided comparative benchmarks to show the organizations strengths and weaknesses.
§ An electric utility serving a large portion of a northeastern state has been oriented around a strong sales team supported by modest marketing initiatives. To maintain their competitive edge, the utility company asked Blane, Canada Ltd. to conduct an evaluation of their sales program, identify strengths and weaknesses, and then provide recommendations to maximize the potential of their sales orientation. In addition, a custom two-day sales training course was created by Blane, Canada Ltd. for the sales and marketing staff.
Canada
§ Identified market dynamics, location trends, industry leadership, etc. for target audience in two different industries. Set selection criteria to single out individual companies with a higher than average probability of expanding or relocating. These defined screens were applied to create a customized electronic database with detailed company information (20 fields) for use in direct mail and personal contact campaigns.
§ Conducted a management audit of a large sales group covering goals, support resources, and results. Identified team weaknesses, then crafted a series of sales training workshops for staff and local partners.
National Projects
§ Organized an ad hoc group of 10 economic development organizations from the U.S. and Canada to create a strategic information system to replace outdated business retention programs. Built on the intelligence gathering principles of customer satisfaction and market research involving interdisciplinary team of stock research analysts, management consultants, and CEOs. The system is designed to help members predict companies at risk and identify opportunities for marketing. It includes a software support system to manage analysis and identify trends.
International Projects
§ Crafting internal and external marketing strategies for the development of a national technology policy and new technology park. Train staff to carry on the planning as well as implement it. Provide direction on research covering marketing practices of comparable research parks. Define internal and external marketing messages and create presentation materials including general demographic materials, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Provide counsel to creative team on the development of a CD Rom. |
