CLINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – The Vermillion County Economic Development Commission held a community forum to get community opinion on how the county can rebrand itself on Monday.
County leaders said that they want to improve public perception and the image of the county to retain and bring new people to the county.
Vermillion County EDC Executive Director Doug Hess said that this is the first time that the county has tried to brand itself. He said that he wants to improve the image of the county to those who may overlook it.
“We want people to be able to think of whatever that branding is going to be in the future,” Hess said. “Something that we can get people engaged in when they think of Vermillion County.”
Hess emphasized that this process is still in its early stages, so it’s difficult to predict what this branding will look like once this process is finished. However, he’s confident that it will help keep and attract new people and businesses.
Vermillion County resident Meredith Addison attended the community forum that was held at the Clinton Community Center. Officials with RJL Solutions led the discussions at the meeting. Addison was one of the most vocal in the crowd, and said that she was pleased to see fellow community members join her in talking about things that could be promoted to help brand the county.
“One stick won’t just burn, and when you get different sticks together, we can get some real heat going and make things happen,” Addison explained.
The heat that Addison explains was exemplified in the forum. Community members made numerous suggestions of things that could be better promoted such as the large riverfront in the county. Addison is hopeful that these discussions will help county leaders put a positive light on the county.
“There are people who really are interested in their community and really do want to make things better,” Addison stated.
The next community forum will be held at the Vermillion County Fairgrounds on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.