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We stumbled upon this curious item yesterday, whilst googling:
Ogden City, UT (OPENPRESS) February 15, 2006 -- Once again, Ogden City, Utah, USA is extending an invitation to the world much like it did during the Winter Olympic Games in 2002. That invitation was given to athletes and spectators to take advantage of what Utah boasts as “The Greatest Snow on Earth.” Tens of thousands flocked to Ogden and surrounding Utah cities to see the games and came away impressed by the friendliness of the people, the beautiful scenery and the excellent amenities Ogden and the State of Utah has to offer. Today, the invitation is extended to companies in the ski industry from Europe to come to Ogden, which is quickly becoming a business center for ski companies from around the world.It would appear from this reader-submitted article that, win or lose, the taxpayers will be picking up the tab on this:
Under the able leadership of Mayor Matthew Godfrey, Ogden City has been capitalizing on its close proximity to ski resorts and recreational areas, its advanced civic and economic infrastructure, and highly educated workforce to attract businesses in the ski industry to what Ogden City calls “The Hub.” Already a high number of major companies from the ski industry have decided to relocate to Ogden City. These include companies such as: Scott USA, Descente North America, Goode, Kahuna, and SnowSports Interactive.
The design of “The Hub” project is to create a ski business cluster and as such to be “The Hub” of the ski industry, both nationally and internationally. This is due to the announcement of a ski resort that is proposed to be built on the “urban side” of Ogden’s mountain range. Along with the resort was discussed the possibility of connecting the resort to downtown via a gondola. A separate gondola, funded by the resort owners, will go up the mountain to the pedestrian village and year-round resort [Emphasis added].
Ogden has already paid Bridge Atlantik $6,250 to begin marketing the city. The company will receive an additional $6,250 if it has articles published about Ogden in a minimum of 10 European publications and persuades one large- or two medium-sized ski companies to establish their U.S. headquarters in the city, according to the contract.We will resist, for now, our usual editorial impulse to subject these news items to our own micro-analysis. But that certainly should not prevent our gentle readers from contributing their own $.02.
Even if Bridge Atlantik fails to deliver any companies, the money spent will be worthwhile, [mayor]Godfrey said.
"If they fail miserably and can't bring any companies, it will still create an awareness for our branding efforts," he said.
So what do our gentle readers think about all this?
