PANAMA CITY BEACH — A new coalition of Grand Lagoon business owners is making strides to increase exposure for the area using the tagline “Gateway to the Gulf.”
The Greater Grand Lagoon Business Coalition formed in January and has since been working to come up with strategies to market and brand the area.
Patches Pub and Grill owner and founding member Vince Greiner said increased competition on the west end of the beach helped prompt the idea for the coalition.
“Pier Park is a great venue — the beach needs it — but the Grand Lagoon area is, in our minds, what started Panama City Beach,” Greiner said. “We just want to focus and gain attention for the Grand Lagoon area and everything we have to offer.”
Greiner said the organization now has 17 paid members and soon will launch a website, grandlagoon.org, accompanied by several social media pages. The website will serve as a combined site for members, each of which made a sixth-month commitment to the coalition beginning in March with a membership rate of $300 per month.
Coalition member Tom Putnam, the owner of Half Hitch Tackle, said he sees the biggest benefit coming from the businesses sending a unified message.
“A lot of those newer developments, whether it be Pier Park or Destin Commons, they all have a single voice, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Putnam said. “Anytime you coordinate what’s going on you deliver a much more powerful message.”
That message, he said, will be all about fun.
“We’re the access to be able to go play in the water,” Putnam said. “Grand Lagoon is truly the access point to really get to enjoy our beautiful waters and enjoy the fun we can have on them.”
Following the website development, membership fees will be used for print advertisements and commercials on Beach TV, a local cable network targeting out-of-town visitors. The coalition also hopes to host events this summer, including fireworks displays over Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend.
As a new organization, Greiner said the biggest challenge the coalition has faced has come from membership commitment. He hopes to see membership increase after the peak season this year.
“Once they see our progress and what we’re doing and the message we’re sending, they will see the benefit of joining our coalition,” Greiner said. “I know we will have more people jump on board this fall.”
To encourage participation, the coalition offers associate memberships for $800 per year. Associate members will receive a link on the organization’s website but will not receive their own information page.
The coalition meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 2:30 p.m. This month’s meeting will be at Runaway Bay Caribbean Grill off Thomas Drive.
“Everybody that’s been part of our board, everything is 100 percent volunteer work,” Greiner said. “We are all local businesses and local business owners putting in time to promote the Grand Lagoon area.”