Port of Ridgefield: Engaging Community, Attracting Investment

Faced with a dual challenge—engaging a community deeply connected to its waterfront while attracting developers to invest in a small but growing city. We led a comprehensive engagement and marketing initiative that elevated public awareness, gathered community insights, and positioned Ridgefield as a compelling investment opportunity. My goal? Showcase a thriving city to potential investors while staying true to the community that calls it home.

Client
Port of Ridgefield

Role
Creative Director & Project Lead, PointNorth

Contributions & Strategy

As Creative Director and Project Lead, I spearheaded digital engagement strategies that spoke to both the heart of the community and the interests of potential investors. I did this by ⬇️

  • Building a compelling brand for Ridgefield’s waterfront – Shaping the project’s identity with strategic messaging and visual storytelling to position the waterfront as both an economic driver and a community asset

  • Designing and launching a dedicated project website – Creating an engaging online presence to inform the public, later evolving the site with investor-focused content that highlighted Ridgefield’s growth potential and its Americana charm

  • Crafting a unified narrative through video storytelling – Developing a multi-layered video series that blended community voices, historical context, and polished promotional content to capture Ridgefield’s unique appeal

  • Driving record-breaking public engagement – Leading digital outreach efforts that secured the highest public survey response for a government project in Ridgefield, ensuring development decisions reflected community priorities

  • Strengthening Ridgefield’s investment appeal – Directing and developing a visually compelling RFQ document and overall brand that refined the Port’s messaging, clearly articulating the vision and potential to prospective partners

  • Amplifying brand reach through strategic partnerships – Equipping community partners with a digital toolkit of shareable materials to expand the project’s visibility and engagement

The Impact

The project elevated community engagement through strategic storytelling, digital outreach, and unified branding and positioned Ridgefield as a prime investment opportunity. Expectations for public participation were exceeded, the waterfront’s identity was strengthened, and strong developer interest was secured. Highlights include⚡️

  • Record-breaking public engagement – Delivered the community’s highest survey participation for a governmental project, shaping development decisions

  • Strong digital reach – Drove nearly 4,000 website visits from social media outreach, reinforcing high community interest

  • Multi-layered storytelling – Blended community voices, historical narratives, and investor-focused content to keep residents engaged while showcasing Ridgefield’s potential

  • Lasting digital presence – Established a project website with custom branding, graphics, and messaging that continues to support future phases

  • Developer engagement success – Created a visually compelling RFQ campaign that generated a high volume of quality responses, reinforced by a surge in website traffic at launch