DULUTH, Minn. – The city of Duluth is one step closer to announcing which company will land the city’s new multimillion-dollar tourism marketing contract.
In all, 26 businesses applied for the job during the Request For Proposals process. Of that number, a selection committee has chosen their top five.
The committee was formed by Chief Administrative Officer David Motgomery.
As of Wednesday, the people on that committee were not made public, nor were then names of the candidates in the top five spots and whether they were all local or involved firms outside the market.
But FOX 21 confirmed Bellmont Partners out of the Twin Cities, which holds Duluth’s current marketing contract, did not apply to possibly continue into a new contract.
The decision to go with Bellmont was a controversial one when, for the first time in 85 years,
then-mayor Emily Larson bypassed longstanding Visit Duluth as the sole marketing agency of the city after a first-ever RFP process.
Current Mayor Roger Reinert said in March, “I fundamentally believe as a Duluthian that we have the creative talents in our community to tell our own story.”
The city council will vote whether to deny or approve whichever marketing firm the committee chooses.
That vote could happen as soon as the next council meeting Nov. 25.
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