Bentleyville retracts request for $50,000 from City of Duluth

Bentleyville announced that they will no longer take the $50,000 dollars that was going to go to their marketing funds. The decision coming into play after the City’s decision to have Bellmont Partners take over their marketing. And now the money can help a different organization.

Nathan Bentley says, "I think if any other organization was in that same position I’d hope they’d do the right thing. [That] If you are not necessarily needing it return it, or not except it in our case."

The money was supposed to go to marketing funds allocated back before the city cemented their tourism relationships. Bentley says, "We made the decision to apply for tax tourism dollars to ensure that there would be dollars there. Whether Bentleyville would be managing it or an outside firm for us too.”

And now with Bellmont partners, the $50,000 isn’t needed for marketing the 2022 season of the attraction. Nathan Bentley explains the situation by saying, "Well Bellmont will be taking over that role that Visit Duluth had. That’s their expectation that they are going to be marketing Bentleyville so we don’t have to the exact same thing that Bellmont will be doing for us."

The money would’ve gone to marketing tactics that would’ve targeted areas outside of Duluth. For example television commercials, billboards, and online presences in Minneapolis, Canada, or Wisconsin.

All things that Bellmont will be taking care of in the future. But for this season Visit Duluth is in control of the marketing. But come January that’s when Bellmont will be in control of the marketing for Bentleyville.