Moving to Green County in the fall of 2020, I was forced to learn more about where I was living by viewing websites and driving around due to Covid restrictions. I visited a lot of chamber sites, community sites, and government sites. I saw great support and pride throughout the county for industry and small businesses, tourism, health care and education. I also saw a lot of resources available to me as a new homeowner and community member.
In making the decision to move to Monroe, and Green County, both my husband and I committed to getting involved, learning more, and being a part of the community. I volunteered at the hospital, and he joined the local chamber board. When the marketing position at Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) opened, I saw that as my chance to be involved at a new level. To help others see what I saw in making the decision to move here.
In researching for my interview, I landed on the county website, which in turn led me to a lot of resources and other websites, including the Green County Development site, which took me to more sites. I became confused as to what GCDC was in relation to the county, the state, and how they operated. Upon taking the role at GCDC, it became apparent internally that a rebranding would help eliminate any confusion, provide a fresh perspective, and put Green County Development Corporation in good line with competition for drawing prospective industry and igniting local entrepreneurs to connect with us and help them find a home for their business in Green County.
Rebranding is not an easy decision, nor an easy task. History and sentiment are deeply held and respected, and change can be emotionally tied to all of the hard work that has been done through the years. Our goal in rebranding was not to negate the past, but to celebrate it and in turn showcase all of the amazing things that GCDC does in Green County, and to do so in a new light.
Creating a new logo and website, and aligning our branding through simple things like matching emails to the new website address allow us to distinguish GCDC as separate entity from the county that runs as a non-profit with different rules and goals from the government side of county work.
Our goal with the logo was to be bold and show energy, to use colors tied to the county’s branding, but that made us easily identifiable. In turn, our goal with the website was to be visually fresh, inviting, and easy to navigate. Presenting helpful resources, but always tying back to GCDC being your main resource, the “go to” for all things Green County in terms of development. Finally, we wanted to be transparent that we are a non-profit organization that relies on external funding and community investment to support the work we do.
Green County Development Corporation, GCDC as it is more locally known, has not changed at the core, we are here to serve. Whether working to support childcare initiatives, expand housing opportunities, support entrepreneurs and existing business growth, and attract talent in our county, GCDC is here to connect the dots to funding and the people that can move things forward. We are able to work more nimbly than government, we are able to create public and private partnerships and connect funding sources such as grants and incentives, that private sources don’t have access to without non-profits such as ours.
We hope you will check out our new website at greencountydevelopment.com, signup for our newsletter, find us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and contact us at GCDC@
greencountydevelopment.com — we would love to hear from you!
— Tracy Brewer is the Marketing & Project Manager for the Green County Development Corporation. She can be reached at tracy@greencountydevelopment.com.
