The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP), an economic development group representing North Carolina’s 12-county Piedmont Triad region, announced that it has chosen McNeill Communications to direct all marketing and communications for its new furnishings cluster initiative.
McNeill Communications, based in High Point, will work with the PTP to increase the global visibility of the Piedmont Triad region among domestic and international companies involved with multiple sectors of the furnishings cluster, including residential, contract, hospitality, institutional and others. The initiative aims to make these companies more aware of the unique furnishings related assets and resources that the region offers and to attract more companies to make capital investments and create jobs here.
The appointment of McNeill Communications is the first step in a comprehensive initiative that will be announced during the October High Point Market.
“McNeill was selected because they have impressive contacts worldwide and have a distinguished history of working within the furnishings industry,” says Jim Melvin, chairman of the PTP’s furnishings cluster initiative and president of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation. “With more than 35 years of experience in the furnishings industry as a full-service marketing firm, their team has proven itself as a major player recognized by industry leaders.”
The Piedmont Triad has a unique and differentiating concentration of furnishings-related assets that exists nowhere else in the world. The Piedmont Triad region boasts nearly 4,000 businesses related to furnishings, employing more than 65,000 people with an annual economic impact on the region of nearly $9 billion. The region is home to companies involved in wood bedroom and dining room, upholstery, occasional tables, entertainment, home office, outdoor furniture, accessories, fabrics, floor coverings, wall coverings and a broad range of other related products suitable for residential, contract and hospitality use. Supporting resources include design, technology, warehousing, logistics, education, photography, marketing and other services.
PTP CEO David Powell, who started his duties with the organization this week, affirmed the importance of the furnishings industry to the economy of the Piedmont Triad. “The Piedmont Triad Partnership has identified this initiative as a top priority; our goal is to position the Piedmont Triad as the gateway for the global furnishings industry,” says Powell. “This region already is the world’s hub for furnishings design, sourcing and distribution. Rich in talent, infrastructure and other resources, the Piedmont Triad offers all of the assets and support services that are necessary for furnishings companies to be successful, from product photography, finishing and distribution to trade associations, publications, education and training.”
The PTP is also developing cluster initiatives in logistics and distribution, life sciences and nanotechnology.
About the Piedmont Triad Partnership: The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP), one of seven regional economic development partnerships in North Carolina, is the economic development organization representing the 12-county Piedmont Triad region. The Piedmont Triad, the nation’s 37th-largest metro region with more than 1.6 million residents, includes the counties of Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin. PTP’s activities include marketing and public relations, workforce development and training, cluster development, regional leadership engagement and regional advocacy.
About The McNeill Communications Group, Inc.: The McNeill Communications Group, Inc., a full service marketing agency, provides a wide range of strategic communications services including advertising, public relations, media strategy, brand development and graphic design. Clients include leaders in home furnishings, telecommunications, education, and employee recognition.