Woonsocket to Launch New Digital Marketing Tool

October 11, 2018

Contact: Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt

                baldellihunt@woonsocketri.org; (401) 767-9205

Woonsocket to Launch New Digital Marketing Tool

Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt announced today that her administration is proceeding with the design and launch of a new economic development marketing tool.  As stated by the Mayor, “the City is licensing GIS Planning’s cloud-based digital application named ZoomProspector, which will enable the City to digitally manage and distribute real estate, demographic and economic information to prospective businesses and investors on a 24/7 basis.”  Mayor Baldelli-Hunt referenced the announcement as part of her Administration’s efforts to position the City’s economic development program as the most advanced and effective in Rhode Island.

As explained by Scott A. Gibbs, Woonsocket’s Interim Director of Economic Development, digital applications to service business customers is a mainstay among the Nation’s top economic development programs.  “In order to effectively service our business customers, we need to be accessible 24/7 with accurate location information including real estate, demographics and labor market data.  By launching the ZoomProspector cloud-based application, Woonsocket will be the first municipality in Rhode Island to use this type of technology.”

Mayor Baldelli-Hunt stated that her team is currently collecting and verifying information on available industrial, office and retail properties, which will be inputted into the ZoomProspector application.  As explained by the Mayor, this innovative marketing tool will enable her team to respond to business and investor inquiries by quickly identifying properties that meet customer needs, and digitally transmitting the real estate data along with related mapping and demographic/economic data as part of a unified proposal.  “Initially the ZoomProspector application will be used internally, but ultimately will be placed on an economic development website allowing public access,” as explained by the Mayor.

Mayor Baldelli-Hunt stated, “I have long felt that Woonsocket needed to invest in its economic development department if the City wanted to be more effective in attracting private investment. Economic development is a highly competitive business, and the City must be firmly committed to compete.”  Our goal is to have the ZoomProspector application launched within sixty days.

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