A recent article in the North Kitsap Herald (dtd. 1/18/13 Port may not share marketing consultant with city) shared the apparent dissolution of discussions between the City of Poulsbo and the Port of Poulsbo regarding the proposed hiring of a shared marketing consultant.

Evidently, the Port’s Board of Commissioners felt it more prudent to keep their marketing efforts in-house. They were concerned that an outside marketing consultant would prove to be more costly than if they simply expanded their own marketing efforts from within.

In the article, one of the port tenants, Rodney McVicker, is quoted as saying, “Giving money to someone outside is not an appropriate function for the port.” He went on to say, “The Port will have limited funds in the future as the City grows, because the port district does not grow with the City.”

Really? One would think the two go hand-in-foot? Unless of course, you’re the Port of Bremerton. But that’s a whole different discussion!

Port Commissioner Tony DeCarlo was quoted, “The Commission may change the job description of a current employee to include marketing.”

It’s been this writer’s humble experience that if you want someone to do some effective, professional-level marketing, you need to bite the proverbial bullet and pay for someone who has the skill, training, and experience to do so. The old adage “You get what you pay for” certainly applies to such situations.

It seems to me (and granted, I am still relatively new to the inter-workings of all things Poulsbo) that the health, vitality, and profitability of the City of Poulsbo and the Port of Poulsbo are intimately intertwined. Much value and benefit could be derived for both organizations through the hiring of a shared marketing consultant. Obviously the key in such decisions is finding the right person for the job.

Supposedly, the Port Commissioners are going to discuss the matter further during their upcoming February 7th meeting. Let’s hope they decide to play well in the Poulsbo sandbox and ‘Share!’