TOURISM GRANT AWARDED FOR RED GRANITE GRINDER
Left to right: Pat Snyder (State Legislator), Bill Bertram (IRONBULL), Andrea Larson (IRONBULL), and Jeff Anderson (Travel Wisconsin).
WAUSAU, Wis. – The Department of Tourism announced a $14,209 Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant to IRONBULL for the nonprofit organization to promote its Red Granite Grinder bicycle race in the Greater Wausau area this fall.
The Red Granite Grinder will draw bicyclists from across Wisconsin and the country on Oct. 14 to compete in several gravel races. Participants choose from races that are 12 miles, 50 miles, 85 miles or 144 miles long. All the races will start and end in Wausau’s 400 Block, and the routes are set to showcase the exceptional beauty of fall in Central Wisconsin, including segments in Rib Mountain State Park, past ginseng fields and dairy farms, and through a corn maze.
“The Red Granite Grinder embodies both Greater Wausau’s reputation as a top-class outdoor recreation destination and Wisconsin’s welcoming nature,” said Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers. “I congratulate IRONBULL on growing this grassroots event year-after-year and putting together a strategic, thoughtful plan to attract more visitors to experience the cycling event.”
This year, IRONBULL plans to add activities to the Red Granite Grinder, which started in 2019, to encourage participants to stay the weekend. The JEM funding supports efforts to grow the race, such social media marketing, advertising in publications targeting bicyclists and silent sport enthusiasts, and promoting the race at other bicycling events. Many of the past participants have reported learning about the Red Granite Grinder by word-of-mouth. Leaning into this, IRONBULL will partner with social media content creators in the gravel racing scene to spread awareness of the 2023 Red Granite Grinder.
“The Wausau area has such a phenomenal network of gravel roads which are close to town making it a great area to hold a gravel event,” shared by Race Director Shane Hitz. “What we didn’t know when we started this event was how enthusiastic land owners were to have us run some of the routes through their properties, making the event more community involved.”
As a $23.7 billion industry in Wisconsin that supports more than 174,000 jobs, tourism is crucial to the state’s economic success. JEM grants are just one of the tools in the toolbox for the Department of Tourism to partner with organizations and nonprofits around the state who are using innovation and creativity to bring visitors and dollars to their community.
In fiscal year 2022, the Department funded 49 JEM projects, awarding $1.13 million statewide. JEM grant funds are available to nonprofit organizations for the promotion of Wisconsin tourism events and destinations. The state can fund up to 75% of a project's first-year advertising and marketing costs and provide support for second- and third-year projects with decreasing amounts for funding until projects become self-sustaining.
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About the Wisconsin Department of Tourism
The mission of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism is to inspire travelers to visit Wisconsin. Because we believe in the power of exploration and travel, we work to market the state as a premier travel destination. By executing industry-leading marketing programs and establishing strategic partnerships, the Department plays a significant role in generating greater economic impact for Wisconsin through tourism. Learn more at industry.travelwisconsin.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrea Larson, IRONBULL
715-848-5949; executivedirector@ironbull.org
Logan Wroge, Travel Wisconsin
(608) 712-7656; lwroge@travelwisconsin.com