July 7, 2020 MAYOR & COUNCIL Grand Bay-Westfield, Hampton, Quispamsis, Rothesay, Saint John, St. Martins Support for proposed Regional Economic Development Model – Delivered via Email To Whom it May Concern: On behalf of AREA 506, I wanted to send a note of thanks to members of the Economic Development Advisory Council for their review of a consolidated approach to Economic Development for the Greater Saint John region and to communicate support behind the recommended model. Our region will only reach its full potential under a well-led, jointly funded, aligned & focused economic development strategy. The economic success of your towns and cities are interdependent and you have many of the same challenges and competition – other similar regions have seen gains through economies of scale & a well-branded and diversified economic development strategy. AREA 506 was developed in 2015 following the clear insight that our region did not have a marquee event that could be leveraged to build ‘pride of place’. Our festival has grown to represent more than $4M in annual economic spinoff for the region, and we have attendees from each of one of your towns and cities. To be specific, Greater Saint John attendance in 2019 represented 37% of all attendees, 1/3 of which was made up of attendees from outside of the City of Saint John proper including the towns of Rothesay, Quispamsis, St. Martins, Hampton and Grand Bay-Westfield. We also have sponsors, volunteers, and even committee members from each one of your areas! AREA 506 is a great example of a product that both thrives and depends on the collective success of the City of the Saint John and the outlying areas through a strategic focus and alignment on clearly defined priorities for economic development. We have enough challenges competing with those outside of our region; I’m convinced that if we face them together with a model that deals with both region-based and town/city-based challenges and needs, it will result in a stronger economic development strategy for everyone involved. This strategy is a clear example of the sum being far greater than its parts, and it’s what our region needs NOW. Sincerely, Ray Gracewood Committee Chair Area 506 | Music. Culture. Goods. [email protected] 506.645.1653 .