Economic developers play matchmaker to woo businesses to Missouri

Missouri Loves Company does not look like a typical economic development website. It looks much more like a dating profile.

Rest assured, though: instead of connecting couples, this campaign aims to connect companies with the state of Missouri.

"We've had a really positive reaction to it ... and we're just excited be doing something that's a departure from our normal marketing and something that really puts Missouri on the map," said Janelle Higgins, vice president of marketing and communications at Missouri Partnership.

Janelle Higgins of Missouri Partnership is in charge of marketing Missouri Loves Company and selling what the state has to offer to national and foreign businesses.Courtesy of Janelle Higgins

Janelle Higgins of Missouri Partnership is in charge of marketing Missouri Loves Company and selling what the state has to offer to national and foreign businesses.Courtesy of Janelle Higgins

Missouri Partnership is an economic development organization that works alongside the Missouri Department of Economic Development and other groups to bring new businesses to the state.

"(We want) to be their point person to help them with that expansion and let them know all the advantages of doing business here in Missouri," Higgins said. "... It is definitely a collaborative effort to bring new businesses into the state. We are not doing it alone."

One thing they, and Higgins in particular, are doing is trying to make the state stand out to companies considering expansion.

"Our typical messaging and brand, it has a very corporate feel to it," she said. "If you look at the other 49 states and the way that they present themselves, we all have a pretty corporate style of branding and messaging."

Enter Missouri Loves Company, which launched in mid-October. The website has a magenta and lavender color scheme, curly-queued writing with hearts dotting the i's and touts successful expansions as "love stories".

"... It's meant to (have) this matchmaking feel because we want to show companies why Missouri would be a good match for them," Higgins said.

Missouri Partnership worked with the St. Louis-based marketing firm Elasticity to come up with the idea.

Higgins said the campaign highlights workforce development, training opportunities and the state's collaborative spirit.

"Whether you're in the north or the south, the east or the west or the central part of the state, everyone wants to see each other's region succeed and everyone is willing to step in and do whatever needs to be done to bring new businesses to the state," she explained.

Higgins and her team spent months working on the campaign. It features a business climate comparison, recent business news and also highlights Missouri's affordability in areas such as taxes and energy costs.

The end goal, Higgins added, is to help raise Missouri's profile to businesses in other states and other countries. In a sense, it's marketing the entire state.

"Economic development is really competitive and we are always competing against 49 other states, so we think that this campaign ... its creativity will help us stand out in the crowd and provide really useful information," she said.

Business attraction is a long-term game, but Higgins said Missouri Loves Company is already gaining traction, with positive responses from site selection consultants.

Missouri Partnership has offices in St. Louis and Kansas City, though its employees often work across the state.

The campaign can be viewed at www.missourilovescompany.org.

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