As Paul Harvey says… “Now you know… the REST of the story!”

Happy New Year!  No, really.  I’m not just saying that.  For whatever reason, with the rolling over of a calendar year, and the start of a completely new DECADE, I feel reinvigorated…as a dad, a husband, a broadcaster, and a councillor.  

With that said, less than two weeks into the year there’s been a story in a local newspaper that has been very upsetting to a lot of folks in our community that I wanted to address.  That story regarding bus benches can be found here. 

Courier Islander Tues. Jan. 12th 2010 “Losing Contract To Florida Company Last Straw For Local Business Couple”

 A lot of people have reacted to that story with anger, outrage, and confusion.  Unfortunately, as has been the case on more than one occasion, that particular newspaper has chosen to only print one side of the story.  Part of the reason I ran for city council was to improve communication in our community.  That’s a monumental task to tackle, but while council and city staff work on creating a corporate communications strategy for the city, I can use this handy little blog to inform you better on issues too. 

 And guess what?  I just received an e-mail from the folks who WEREN’T consulted in the bus bench situation.  They’ve taken it upon themselves to give their side of the story and correct some serious factual errors.  Here’s what council was sent:

 –Creative Outdoor Advertising would like to set the record straight following recent statements in the local media regarding our arrival in the community as your new provider of transit seating. No attempt was made by anyone in the local media to contact us for comment when preparing recent reports which contain statements about our company which are simply false. We are presenting the city with the following press release intended to correct any misconceptions about our company.

 Regards 

Bill Schwartz Creative Outdoor Advertising Municipal Affairs Manager
Tel: Fax: Email: Website:	1.800.661.6088 x325 1.866.426.2237 BillSchwartz@CreativeOutdoor.com www.CreativeOutdoor.com

 

Here’s the press release mentioned:

PRESS RELEASE

NEW CAMPBELL RIVER BENCH PROVIDER SETS THE FACTS STRAIGHT

 

Creative Outdoor Advertising (COA) is pleased to have been awarded the bench contract for Campbell River and we are looking forward to becoming an active member of the local business community and contributing to the local economy. COA was not contacted for comments as part of the recent article printed in the Courier –Islander by Dan MacLennan and would like the community to understand its plans for managing the new bench program in Campbell River.

COA is 100% Canadian owned and operated. COA is currently providing cost free street furniture to over 200 cities and managing over 7,000 amenity sites across North America. Our success has been built around marketing local advertising which is rooted in the local independent business community and managed by people who have expertise and understanding of the local business environment. Creative Outdoor Advertising of America is a separate associated American company.

COA’s business model is simple. Provide superior quality product, demonstrate design excellence, and add value for the communities we partner with. COA has never managed its business at arm’s length in any community. We are looking for strong local partners and have been trying to cooperate with the outgoing bench provider on all issues related to the transition. Existing advertisers are being contacted and given the opportunity to keep advertising at their current bench locations. Our goal is to minimize disruptions for both transit patrons and bench advertisers.

COA CAMPBELL RIVER BENCH PROGRAM: “THE BOULEVARD”

Creative Outdoor Advertising is making significant capital investment and improvements to transit seating in Campbell River. The Boulevard bench being installed in Campbell River is made of 100% high grade Polyethylene, (the same material that city’s

demand in when ordering playground equipment for parks). Unlike old style concrete and wood benches, the Boulevard has no nails, exposed screws, metal frames with sharp edges which can cause injury. It requires no painting, will not fade or discolor, and

can endure severe weather conditions without cracking and rotting. The Boulevard has a 20 year street life and can be recycled at the end of its use. To assist seniors, each Boulevard bench has the unique feature of built in arm rests to make sitting down and standing up easier!

COA is hiring its local Operations team in Campbell River. They will be trained and fully supported by COA. They will be using hand held scanner technology and GPS location bar coding , so that all service data for each bench can be uplinked to COAs Operations Website where City Officials can monitor the program 24/7!

2402 Stouffville Road, Gormley, ON, L0H 1G0

Tel: 1.800.661.6088 • Fax: 1.866.426.2237 • http://www.creativeoutdoor.com