The Office of Economic Vitality “Tapped” for State-Wide Award

The Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality(OEV) was honored by the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC) with the Innovation in Marketing Public-Private Partnership Award for its ElectroMagnetic Bitter campaign.

To celebrate the local flavors of Florida’s capital community and its world-class magnetic technologies, the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) thought to launch a new limited-edition brew, ElectroMagnetic Bitter. FEDC’s award recognizes Florida’s best economic development organizations for marketing strategies aimed at leveraging the strength of more than one community organization to advance a common goal.

“Our community’s ongoing efforts will help support local industry and science through collaboration to show why Tallahassee-Leon County is the Magnetic Capital of the World,” said Cristina Paredes, Director of the Office of Economic Vitality.

In partnership with the Tallahassee Beer Society, DEEP Brewing Company, DivvyUp, Full Press Apparel and Target Print & Mail, the ElectroMagnetic Bitter brew was created to promote Tallahassee-Leon County as the Magnetic Capital of the World, support STEM education and highlight the community’s incomparable resources in magnetics technology and applied sciences, namely the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (National MagLab), through a memorable sensory campaign.

“We felt this project was unique and tailor-made for our community,” OEV Deputy Director Drew Dietrich said. “It represents a community-wide approach to promoting the amazing assets of Tallahassee-Leon County, such as our nationally-recognized breweries and world-class magnetic technologies.”

After pitching the idea, the Tallahassee Beer Society and DEEP Brewing Company were on board, and thus, ElectroMagnetic Bitter was born. The thirst-quenching, 3.2% ABV English ale became a way to foster conversation about Tallahassee’s magnetic resources beyond traditional channels.

“Given the opportunity to lend some of our unique voice and style to a project highlighting what we think is an overlooked gem in Tallahassee — in Florida really — and to do it through a beer, is like a dream,” said Matthew Crumbaker, co-founder of the Tallahassee Beer Society. “We feel that a project like this just scratches the surface of possibilities when an entity, like OEV, lends its guidance and resources to smaller place makers in a community and parlays that into something tangible that folks from all walks can relate to.”

OEV, the Tallahassee Beer Society and DEEP Brewing Co. felt the best way to amplify this campaign was to give back, which is why they agreed to donate a portion of the ElectroMagnetic Bitter proceeds to support local STEM education programs, such as SciGirls and Camp Tesla at the National MagLab.

“Team DEEP is excited to learn that our ElectroMagnetic Bitter campaign, in partnership with OEV, has been recognized as a top-notch collaboration,” said Ryan LaPete, owner and head brewer at DEEP Brewing Company. “Lots of hard work and creativity were poured into this effort by all. Not only did we get rewarded with a great beer, awesome people and an amazing way to impact our community, we get this news as a bit of extra icing on the cake.

The brew launched in February of 2020, but the full campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. OEV, DEEP Brewing Company and the Tallahassee Beer Society decided to join forces again in February 2021 to relaunch the brew and develop swag with local businesses, including DivvyUp, Full Press Apparel and Target Print & Mail.

“It’s very exciting to be a part of this award-winning effort, and we’re grateful to have been included,” DivvyUp CEO Mitch Nelson said. “I think this campaign was an excellent display of multiple industries coming together to promote a common goal. This framework is one that we can continue to utilize to build awareness for local initiatives.”

OEV and its partners continue to ensure that Tallahassee-Leon County remains at the forefront of innovation.

“We were happy to be part of this project, and it’s great to see OEV being recognized for what they do best, shining a bright light on many of the good things happening here in Tallahassee,” said Jeremy Cohen, who works in Business Development for Target Print & Mail.

 About the Tallahassee – Leon County Office of Economic Vitality (OEV)

When you are looking to grow, relocate or start your business in Florida’s capital city, the Office of Economic Vitality is your front door to business resources. OEV can guide you in a variety of ways: site location, talent solutions, financial assistance, for instance. To foster a strong business climate, the Office of Economic Vitality provides data, resources and support to site selectors, state partners, and business leaders in the community alike. We serve as the connector between state economic development, workforce development and business.

About the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC)

The Florida Economic Development Council is the professional association of economic, workforce, and community developers. These professionals work in Florida’s 67 counties, 400+ cities, 24 workforce regions, 28 colleges, 12 universities, as well as utilities, ports, airports, and industrial authorities. FEDC’s members are among the highest credentialed professionals in the industry – many with advanced degrees in finance, business, IT, engineering, planning and real estate.

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