Sharif Burdzik, Chair of the Business Coalition, 360-759-3528, [email protected]

Recently in the Press regarding the Shop Local Campaign:

Columbian Article:
http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/21/shop-local-campaign-asks-do-we-get-it/


You Tube Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o-0NXFBb3Y&feature=player_embedded#at=37 

    The First Annual International Food Festival

    --  Sharif Burdzik, Chair of the Business Coalition, March 9, 2010 


    Preparations are under way for what we hope to be only the first of many International Food Festivals to be held on the Fourth Plain Corridor.  It is not a new idea; rather, it is one whose time has come.  Earlier, several Task Force members were brainstorming ways to bring positive attention to the corridor and capitalize on our strengths.  Out of some wonderful suggestions and ideas, I found myself fixated on the food festival concept.  What a way to demonstrate a family-friendly use of one of the corridor’s greenspaces.  What a way to generate positive news coming out of this area to the rest of Clark County!  What a way to showcase one of our greatest strengths among the businesses in the corridor: the abundance of fabulous-tasting foods available.  What a way to showcase the amazing and vibrant diversity of cultures and ethnicities right here along Vancouver’s backbone.  And the hope in mind: what a way to encourage some of the tens of thousands of vehicles passing through each day to stop right here for the famous food and see what else we have to offer.

    After several brainstorming sessions and a multitude of fantastic and ambitious ideas from stakeholders in the area, the concept had to be honed down quickly and pressed forward or we would miss our opportunity to hold the festival this summer.  The following is the concept as it is moving forward for the first annual event.  (Necessity and constraints may bring small changes.)  I strongly encourage all those with wonderful ideas and wishes to bring your organizational talents, energies and time to the planning of the second annual festival, which should begin in earnest this fall.

    The date is a Saturday in July of this year; the time is from noon to seven in the evening.  The place is Warrior Field, and the community is ours!  I am currently leading (in a much needed and appreciated partnership with Kevin Hiebert) a small core group of seasoned owners and managers of various food-related businesses along the corridor, ranging from Ramon Gutierrez at El Rancho Viejo to Peter Kurfurst at Butcher Boys.  As we finalize the logistics of this enterprise, our task is to continue to add additional food businesses and diversity to the group.  Picture this: a family parks behind Warrior Field and walks into the event, booths and tables grouped throughout the field.  Some are corridor businesses building awareness of their enterprise; most are representatives from the many markets and restaurants in the area.  The portions are appetizer-sized, with the intention that many different foods and cultures will be sampled to make a meal.  Music, dance and crafts may be present; look for children-focused activities as well.

    We will be reaching out to many of you in the coming weeks as the final logistics are hammered out and the work of putting this event together comes upon us.  Look for us to become more visible in our efforts, and certainly: look forward to the FIRST ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL this summer!

    Please find below PDF files regarding the festival 

    flier_2_page_rev_3.pdf
    File Size: 340 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File
"Boulevard Brush-Up"
Saturday, June 20th

The 4CRTF Business Coalition, in collaboration with LDS Church, facilitated our first "Boulevard Brush-Up". The event kicked-off at 12pm (noon) at Waterworks Park (corner of Ft. Vancouver Way and 4th Plain Blvd) with a speech by Mayor Royce Pollard. Brief comments were also provided by: Mayor Pro Tem, Pat Jollota; City Council Member, Tim Leavitt; Butcher Boys owner and Corridor businessman, Jim Kurfurst; and our own Task Force Business Coalition Leader, Sharif Burdzik. Volunteers then proceeded en masse along twelve blocks of the corridor to assist businesses with everything from weeding to collecting garbage to general clean-up. Corridor Ambassadors also tagged along to engage business owners and to encourage their participation in the Business Coalition. Click here see photos from the event.