By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
MapInfo, of Ann Arbor, will be conducting Dowagiac's $20,000 downtown market analysis the city is funding with a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Half of the cost will be borne by the State of Michigan.
The comprehensive study will examine business and marketing opportunities in the central business district, including general retail, housing, a movie theater and a "gap analysis" identifying other types of commerce that could be targeted that would likely succeed in Dowagiac.
The city received 11 proposals. Four were selected to visit the Grand Old City to make presentations to a selection committee comprised of City Manager William H. Nelson Jr., Economic Development Director Sandy Gower and Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Director Vickie Phillipson.
Nelson advised City Council May 9 that the panel unanimously recommended that Dowagiac award the services contract to MapInfo.
The firm "offers a high-quality, enthusiastic approach, along with strong experience and very good references in communities similar to Dowagiac," Nelson reported. "They provided a particularly strong value-added component for housing opportunities in the community."
According to 16 pages of documentation MapInfo provided, it was formerly known as Thompson Associates and has been serving the retail industry since 1959. Clients include The Home Depot, Gap and Kohl's Department Stores.
MapInfo's team, guided by 16-year veteran Patricia L. Formosa, says its comprehensive retail plan for the city will insure that downtown retail reflects the culture and heritage of the city, appeals to the consumer and becomes an "economic driver" for the community and becomes an asset that drives additional residential and commercial investment.
MapInfo will provide trade area definition(s), demographic analysis and a market analysis, along with its recommendations for the best land-use strategy to maximize Dowagiac's drawing power and growth potential.
Its results are data-driven with a combination of census and local planning and development information and should provide "real-world solutions" to growth issues.
MapInfo Corp. is headquartered in Troy, N.Y., and has more than 800 employees. Seventy-five persons are based in the Ann Arbor office, according to Robert W. Buckner, vice president, services.
The main company focuses on mapping and demographic software.