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Our Goals
Here are some of our key goals:
Creating a Sustainable Community
Our focus is on downtown Everett. Our goal is to promote our beautiful All America city. We believe marketing downtown also
encompasses work on important initiatives to carry the momentum of our city s revitalization efforts forward to create a sustainable
community. We set aside a percentage of funds for work on these important goals:
1.) A vibrant arts/ entertainment district with evening hours,
2.) More residential projects and anchor businesses downtown, and
3.) Fixing up old buildings.
Upside Downtown's key Marketing goals
Making downtown a more vibrant place to live, work, learn and play...by working together.
Develop an annual marketing strategy and marketing mix
1. Inventory all events in downtown Everett and outlying areas so that contact information, dates, times, target market,
and key indicators are databased.
2. Inventory all businesses in downtown Everett so that key seasons, events, key indicators, and target markets are data-based.
3. Develop a comprehensive list of media and other outlets where exposure for downtown events and businesses can be gained.
(See loose sheet.)
4. Develop key relationships with media and other outlets, plus other events in order to develop joint marketing programs
and cross promotions.
Develop a planning calendar and roll-out schedule
1. Categorize events and happenings by quarters and seasons and businesses by type for planning purposes.
2. Develop support and networking initiatives for downtown businesses so they can create their own activities around events
or work with them.
3. Plan events to augment and support existing events or seasons.
Develop programs, publicity, advertising campaigns, and marketing tools to promote downtown.
1. Create a unified brand identity to advertise downtown events through the various outlets identified above.
2. Create co-op marketing and advertising programs for downtown businesses so they can leverage opportunities and gain cost
savings.
3. Quantify results in order to develop plans for following year.
These are just a few of our goals. Together, we'll link downtown businesses, organizations, events and more into one solid,
common cooperative where we can all work together to prosper and to make our community an even more vibrant place to live,
work, learn, and play.
I'm looking forward to this journey with you.
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Why we got started
Why Work Together?
Grow your business, your life, your community
As many of you know, during the past few years I have had the privilege of working with many worthy organizations in our community,
from helping the Arts Council of Snohomish County with its Fresh Paint Arts Festival to producing a guide to downtown restaurants
for the Superior Court of Washington for Snohomish County, to assisting our Downtown Everett Action Committee with communications,
events, and more, as well as helping the City of Everett with the Hewitt Streetscape opening, 4th of July, the Christmas Horse
& Carriage rides, and the USS Abraham Lincoln Homecoming.
As I have worked with these groups I have developed a passion for our community and downtown, and I have wanted to find better
ways to support and augment their efforts, especially their communications and marketing efforts, so that together we can
seize the many opportunities that lie ahead for us, while continuing the work of building and growing our community.
As I conducted my research and worked with the many groups in our community, I saw a need for us to work together to create
a collective voice, to leverage opportunities, to create economies of scale so we could increase the effectiveness of our
marketing.
To continue to support this work, I have been looking for ways that I can focus on my core strengths in communications and
marketing. So it is with great pleasure and anticipation that I introduce a new concept that will help us all leverage the
up side of our downtown, while continuing the work that has begun.
Through Upside Downtown, I can continue to support the organizations I have been helping but in a much more powerful way as
well as new groups like the Sports & Events Council, and the over 700 businesses, organizations, and non-profits that comprise
downtown.
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Our Founder & Creativity Catalyst
Learn more about Upside Down...
Leita Hermanson, founder and owner of Upside Down, is an award-winning writer and marketer who has twenty years sales/PR/
marketing experience that includes eleven years experience as a business owner. Since 1991, she has worked with companies
like Bucher Aerospace, Prime Pacific Bank, Glacier Northwest, Puget Sound Trucklines and others to help them create marketing
strategies and promotions; from concept to finished piece; to solve problems, increase exposure and increase sales.
Hermanson launched her first firm at the age of 25 from a small corner office in the terminal building at Boeing Field in
Seattle.
"A plethora of new ideas, an asset to her community, Hermanson lives her life with determination and zeal and is an innovative
thinker, craftsman of words, with an honest desire to change our world." In addition to running her own communications company,
Upside Down, Hermanson volunteers within her community.
Hermanson has served on the board of the Arts Council of Snohomish County, attends chamber of commerce meetings and has been
called upon by the Superior Court Judges of Snohomish County to make speeches to jurors. She balances all this while raising
her young son and supporting the many other people who depend on her.
A naturally gifted writer, Hermanson started out working at the Yakima Herald Republic, a daily newspaper in Yakima Washington.
Her appetite for adventure unappeased, Hermanson joined the United States Air Force hoping to fly jets. From there she went
on to start her own public relations and communications business in Seattle Washington.
In Seattle, Hermanson also pioneered the Industrial Strength Advertising program for clients in heavy industry which resulted
in costs savings for clients, and her firm being featured in the Puget Sound Business Journal and other media. Hermanson has
won awards for her efforts, including a Washington Press Association Award among others.
On the high-tech side, in 1998, Hermanson launched the marketing/PR department for a growing software development firm focused
on the wireless automated data capture industry (bar-coding) where she developed the marketing plan and strategy; created
the overall look and design of all marketing pieces; produced a direct mail campaign targeted toward strategic business partners
which garnered a 13% response rate; plus established budgets and schedules for all advertising, PR, trade show, and marketing
functions.
In 2000, through a program she created called Sales Catalyst Coaching, Hermanson worked with Trans America Auto Glass, a division
of Speedy Auto Glass, to revamp their sales process and re-invent their proposals, presentations and marketing pieces.
Other examples of her work include: an industry review for a national wire manufacturer which resulted in the firm being featured
in local and national media when it received its ISO 9000 certification; and a PR strategy which resulted in a local clothing
manufacturer being featured on King 5 Evening Magazine and in key national media.
Early in her career, Hermanson was as an award-winning manager at Nordstrom where she received the company s highest honor
Customer Service All-Star and numerous awards for exceeding sales goals and for creating innovative promotions. Her experience
also includes work for a daily newspaper, first in the newsroom and then in the advertising department where she headed up
the national advertising. Hermanson has served as the volunteer Public Relations Director for the Downtown Everett Action
Committee, as well as PR director for Fresh Paint Arts Festival, and public relations for the 4th of July committee.
Through her involvement with DEAC, she created a downtown restaurant guide to assist the Snohomish County Superior Court with
its Juror Appreciation program. She is now expanding this guide to become a Downtown Everett Restaurant and Entertainment
Guide.
Hermanson has been an active community volunteer for over twenty years, beginning in high school where she served as editor
of her high school newspaper, was Miss Selah, an ambassador for the Apple Juice Capital of the World, and then served as the
volunteer royalty coordinator for several years when her year as Miss Selah ended. She has also volunteered for the Allied
Arts Council where she assisted with communications projects, as well as the Children s Hospital Light Up a Child s Life Auction
in Seattle.
This bio contributed by Ronda Renee
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