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Client: Greeley, CO
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City's image may get a boost
By: Brady McCombs
January 15, 2006
Mayor Tom Selders still remembers the reaction he received from a man sitting beside him at a bar in Manhattan when he mentioned he was from Greeley.
The man had heard of Greeley all right, but only about the bad things.
Whether it be the smelly cow town, the city with a gang problem or the place with "nothing to do," Greeley has suffered from a less-than-stellar image around the state and nation.
Selders is among a contingent of community leaders who want to change that image. He wants the state and nation to know about the award-winning Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado, the North Colorado Medical Center expansion, the Quality of Life projects and how the school district is getting back on its feet.
"I think we have a tremendous amount of positives in our community -- the quality of life recreation programs, the new police headquarters," said Selders, mayor since 2003. "We've got a lot of good things going on, and we need to tell the world about them."
On Friday, Selders and Sarah MacQuiddy, director of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce, began selling the idea of an image-improving branding campaign to about 25 business men and women and city leaders who gathered at the State Farm main building at Promontory.
There, they watched and listened to a Web presentation in Nashville from Don McEachern, chief executive officer of North Star Destination Strategies, the consulting firm chosen by the chamber to come to Greeley and facilitate the branding campaign.
Selders said he's optimistic that the city council will approve funds to help, but the bulk will need to come from businesses. Some have already committed financial backing, like Bob Tointon, longtime Greeley businessmen. He was sold before Friday, but came away even more impressed after the presentation.
Ken Cook, vice president of operations at State Farm, said his company plans to contribute. He said he has no doubt the community will fund the project.
"I think the whole community rallying around some brand is an incredible idea," said Cook, who has lived in Greeley for about 30 years. "I think it's very timely because the competition for jobs and business has never been tougher and because our schools have some well-documented challenges."
Gene O'Hara, CEO of NCMC, said he'll need more details about how the money will be spent, but predicts the hospital will contribute.
"I think this is exactly what we need for this city," O'Hara said. "As an employer who does a lot of recruiting and will continue to do a lot of recruiting, we badly need to improve our image and the message that goes out to other areas as they look at Greeley as a place to relocate."
Doug Bell, owner of Bell's Running, 3620 10th St., likes the concept but said, as a small-business owner he won't be able to help out financially.
"If more people are sold on Greeley, then it's going to trickle down to all the businesses," Bell said.
McEachern said the company has facilitated branding programs for 50 communities in 20 different states since it opened in 2000, including Gainesville, Fla.; Monterey, Calif., and Charlottesville, Va.. Greeley will be the company's first city in Colorado, McEachern said.
He said the process usually takes between six to eight months and includes research of three key factors: The vision of the community, perceptions of consumers and out-of-towners, and the city's competitive situation. He defines a brand as what people say about you when you're not around.
His company will create a brand statement, logo and help develop advertisements and brochures, but said it's much more than that.
"Your brand should last beyond changes in administration and changes in personnel and have value to you for a long time," he said.
MacQuiddy knows people will want to know why the chamber or city can't carry out the branding program on its own. She insists the quality would suffer.
"We could probably find our way through the dark but would it be as focused and as timely? Probably not. Everyone's plate is full," she said.
For Selders, the campaign provides an opportunity to change the perceptions of Greeley one bar patron at a time.
"It isn't always a positive response," Selders said. "I want to make sure it is a positive response."
What is a Branding Campaign?
North Star Destination Strategies, the consulting firm that will work on a "community brand print" for Greeley, defines branding as "what people say about you when you're not around."
The branding program will aim to improve Greeley's image and find the city's niche, which should lead to increased economic development, tourism and community pride.
The Greeley Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city of Greeley will lead the brand campaign. To find out more or contribute, call the chamber at 352-3567.
