THE CINCINNATI REGION INTELLIGENCE REPORT SITE SELECTION MAY 2020 THE CINCINNATI REGION INTELLIGENCE REPORT PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Renderings courtesy FC Cincinnati discussed the impact of FC Cincinnati and design a new stadium for 2021. We global currency. People everywhere can on the region and why he himself is a big had to build a new training stadium. If relate to international football. They can fan of Greater Cincinnati. you don’t get your front office right, you come to Cincinnati and have a soccer will not succeed. I think we did that. team. It makes us seem a little less The rapid rise of FC Cincinnati has been one of remote and foreign. We need things like the more phenomenal MLS success stories of the How were you able to build up such a large and FC Cincinnati. For Cincinnati, we have past decade. What did your organization do to loyal fan base so quickly? been a real positive impact. enable this? BERDING: Through word of mouth. People What lessons can other MLS franchises learn from BERDING: When Carl Lindner and I were coming and saying, “Wow, that is the success of FC Cincinnati? created the club, we had a very specific fun and awesome,” and then they would plan about how to build FC Cincinnati. tell their neighbors and friends. We BERDING: The biggest thing is that It was going to be a very organic build. wanted to be a manifestation of a rising relevance is so critical. We used our HOW SOCCER TOOK We wanted to create a winning team Cincinnati. Cincinnati has been a rising three core values — and the fans know and a family-friendly club that gives success story since 2001, with Over that winning is very important to us. back to the community, and we wanted the Rhine and other developments. If we did all of that, we knew that we A CITY BY STORM to run it at a major league level. We had FC Cincinnati has been an example of would have the opportunity to build a a strong ownership group right from that. When we were pushing to earn a successful brand. the start. We were going to audition promotion to MLS, I was talking about in the USL and earn our promotion to how we grew organically. Having a How has FC Cincinnati integrated itself into the A well-crafted plan MLS through our performance. We great game-day experience was doing wider community of the city and region? made the rapid rise of wanted to do it in four years. Orlando something good for the city. Our tag did it in five. We had influencer groups line is “Rise Together.” We want to rise BERDING: A big part is by living our values. FC Cincinnati possible. that we concentrated on — a business as a city together. We are giving back. When the pandemic community that would buy into the started, a lot of kids were getting their success of building the international lunch at school. Many kids in the West reputation of Cincinnati; a strong End were in danger of missing meals. youth soccer community; and the most Soccer is the one We started collecting donations and we by RON STARNER passionate soccer fans anywhere. We have been funding those meals. In the [email protected] felt we could organically build the club sport with real West End, they never had youth soccer through those three universes. teams before. They now have the West Our goal was to draw 10,000 fans per global currency.” End Pride complete with 10 teams. We hoever thought shattered USL attendance records and President Jeff Berding aren’t resting game and sell $600,000 in merchandise — Jeff Berding , FC Cincinnati President also contribute in the leadership of the a soccer team preconceived notions about the viability on laurels, however. Team officials are in year one. In year one, we averaged community. Our owners Carl Lindner could capture the of soccer in a mid-tier Midwestern city. preparing the organization for its move 17,000 in attendance and sold $1.6 and others are big-time leaders in the imagination of sports From its inaugural home opener into a new $250 million West End million in merchandise. Our second- How has FC Cincinnati impacted the economy in wider community. Our foundation is Wfans in the land of the Big Red Machine on April 9, 2016 — when it defeated Stadium that architect Populous says year average was over 21,000 in USL. We the Greater Cincinnati region? significant too. Over a million dollars must have been dreaming. the Charlotte Independence at the “features an ambitious interpretation averaged 30,000 fans at three matches last year were leveraged or invested in Yes, they were. University of Cincinnati’s Nippert of Cincinnati on the rise.” Scheduled in the U.S. Open Cup. We averaged BERDING: Ask the restaurants and bar the community. Carl Lindner III, co-CEO of Stadium — to today, FC Cincinnati has to open in March 2021, the 26,500- over 26,000 a game in year three, won owners in Clifton around Nippert Cincinnati-based insurer American drawn a blueprint for how to construct a seat stadium will be unlike any the USL Supporters Shield and won our Stadium. They would say we are a What do you like best about living and working in Financial Group, heads an ownership successful pro sports franchise. other in MLS. promotion to MLS. We did not have welcome addition to the social scene. Cincinnati, Ohio? group that brought FC Cincinnati not By averaging over 27,000 spectators “There’s a dedication and authenticity two or three years to prepare. We had That’s good business. Think of all the only into existence, but all the way to the per match in its first MLS season in to soccer in Cincinnati that rivals 270 days from winning our bid to our hotels. We are bringing in people from BERDING: The best selling point for ranks of Major League Soccer — and he 2019, the club proved that success can any city in the U.S.,” says Jonathan first match. out of town. You get the economic Cincinnati is that it’s the biggest small did it in less than five years. be achieved quickly. FC Cincinnati Mallie, Populous senior principal and From a business standpoint, we were multiplier — Uber rides, bars, etc. If town or the smallest big city in America. To call FC Cincinnati a professional captured the hearts of supporters, whose lead designer. successful right away. We did over you’re a worker and have a part-time job We have pro sports and a vibrant sports franchise success story would be ranks now include billionaire Meg Former Cincinnati City Council 27,000 in attendance — No. 3 in the as usher or ticket taker, you’re getting 17 business community. The geography of an understatement. In only its fourth Whitman. The former boss of eBay member and longtime Cincinnati league — in year one in MLS. There matches a year to help provide for your the city is interesting. People can get year of existence, the club ranked and Hewlett Packard plunked down Bengals front-office executive Berding were challenges along the way. We had family. When our business groups are to work in 15 or 20 minutes. You can third in attendance in MLS in 2019. $100 million to buy a 20% stake in FC says West End Stadium will be “the to go from 30 employees to about 88 recruiting international companies or bike to work. FC Cincinnati players are Its meteoric rise through the United Cincinnati on Nov. 28, 2019. Jewel in the Queen City’s Crown.” In an today. We wanted to hire a GM on the talent, FC Cincinnati is often part of the noticed in this market, and the people of Soccer League, from 2016 to 2018, Whitman, Lindner and FC Cincinnati interview with Site Selection, Berding soccer side. We had to hire the architect pitch. Soccer is the one sport with real Cincinnati are so nice to them. 4 MAY 2020 SITE SELECTION SITE SELECTION MAY 2020 5 THE CINCINNATI REGION INTELLIGENCE REPORT PERSPECTIVE Photo: Getty Images UNIQUE COALITION by ADAM BRUNS [email protected] ‘FORGED OVER TIME’ ruce Katz, director of the apart from other places, and it’s a singer Dolly Parton: “Find out who you Nowak Metro Finance manageable city in size and scale, with are and do it on purpose.” That sense of Lab at Drexel University’s so many anchor institutions. It’s a highly authenticity rings loud and clear in this Lindy Institute for Urban functional place in terms of multi-sector tri-state region. BInnovation, is best known as the networks and relationships that have “One thing that makes Cincinnati founding director of the Brookings been forged over time.” such a unique and special place is large Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Shared history takes time, but enables anchor institutions with a history of Program and the author of “The New a community to react quickly in times doubling down when things get tough,” Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the of crisis, Katz says, and the current says Kimm Lauterbach, president and Age of Populism.” He’s been studying pandemic offers a case in point. Regions CEO of REDI Cincinnati. “We are a metro-area economies for nearly 30 years. such as Cincinnati that have local capital midsize city that feels a lot like a small Katz says several things set Cincinnati invested locally and a strong cluster of town when it’s time to get together.” apart, starting with a particularly strong intermediaries are able to pivot quickly Cincinnatians have been getting network of chambers, large companies, and get things done.