Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993 TAG: 9301290184
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
COMMISSION TO UNVEIL NEW MARKETING PLAN
The Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission is putting the final touches on a new marketing plan designed to modernize its image and attract more companies to the county.The marketing effort includes a new logo, slogan, community brochure and informational video. The commission has worked for the past year with Pam Berg Consultants in Roanoke to develop the package.
The nucleus of the plan is the new logo that soon will be featured on the commission's letterhead and note pads.
The biggest question surrounding the new emblem could be the winding white path that splits the electric blue logo: Is it a river or is it a road?
It could be either, said Don Moore, executive director of the commission. "People can see what they want to see."
For the record, the white strip was designed to represent the New River that stretches across the county's landscape. But as a road it represents the county's strong transportation network, Moore said.
On the right side of the "river," the logo features a number of small buildings that represent the commercial and industrial development in the county. On the left there is a mountain range that represents the excellent recreation opportunities in Montgomery County.
The slogan on the logo reads, "Montgomery County, Virginia - Naturally Good for Business."
The commission designed the new logo hoping it would replace the seal as the county's official logo.
The county Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution endorsing the idea last spring, but reversed itself a week later and decided to continue using the county seal in departments other than economic development.
Howard Price, a member of the commission's board of directors, said the county seal has historic value, but does little to attract new business.
"A new company moving to the area doesn't give diddly about the county seal," he said. "I was dismayed by the attitude of the board."
The county seal, designed for the country's bicentennial in 1976, features a map outline of Montgomery County with small icons of a church, a deer, a rifle and one of Virginia Tech's buildings inside. The slogan around the seal reads, "Freedom Increases Responsibility."
David Shanks, vice chairman for the commission, said the new logo moves away from the historical aspects of the county seal and promotes Montgomery County as a leader in technology.
"We want to create an image that we are a progressive community," he said.
The Economic Development Commission's marketing efforts are tied in with the county's effort for recertification with the Virginia Department of Economic Development.
Moore said the VDED initiated the certification program in 1988 as a way to prepare rural communities to host industrial prospects.
"But it also puts you among the top communities that the VDED thinks about when referring prospects," he said.
Montgomery County's certification expired at the end of last year and the commission already has applied for recertification.
Among the qualifications for recertification are an updated marketing brochure, community profile and promotional video.
The new eight-minute video features fast-paced music in the background as a narrator points out the highlights of Montgomery County. The video focuses largely on the attributes that Radford University and Virginia Tech offer to the New River Valley.
It also touts the excellent regional labor force and "the lush, green, natural beauty" of the area.
Shanks said the commission's recertification and marketing efforts are just a couple of the ways Montgomery County is trying to stay ahead of other communities also trying to attract new industry.
"This is a highly competitive arena that we are working in," he said.