MANSFIELD — The goals remain the same. Only the name has been slightly changed.
That name is now reflected in the new logo for the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, according to Jodie Perry, president/CEO of the organization.
Perry said genus for the change began when the chamber and Richland Community Development Group (RCDG) became affiliated 19 months ago.
“We decided not to do any name changes or re-branding (at that time). But the further that we have gone into the blending of our business, we decided it was time.
“Instead of trying to keep alive two brands from a public perspective, it made more sense to align under one banner publicly,” Perry said. “We share the same strategic plan.”
The chamber went though a significant re-branding process when Perry arrived in 2014 and its leadership didn’t want to lose the benefits of that 12-month effort.
“The bulk of the logo remains the same, but we did want to make a visual change,” she said.
Perry, who heads both organizations, said chambers of commerce, particularly in the Midwest, do sometimes do engage in economic development. She said that on the coasts, however, chambers and economic development efforts remain separate entities.
“From an outside perspective, or companies looking to relocate, or site selectors, having the words economic development in our title would be meaningful and would send the message we’re doing more than just the average chamber,” Perry said.
The two organizations still have separate boards, though there are some shared members and meeting times. That likely will not change, according to Perry, due to the legal classifications enjoyed by the two, in addition to the Chamber Foundation.
“It’s kind of officially making reflective what has happened behind the scenes,” Perry said. “We are all part of one team. We have a lot of similar conversations.”
All of the employees at the 55 N. Mulberry St. facility are now chamber employees, she said.
“We are all going in the same direction. Depending on what the actual work is, it may be coming through one entity’s budget or another,” she said.
Perry said the chamber and RCDG have separate websites that will be blended together later this year.
“We will have unique sections (on the website) for each, but we want to put everything together so we are not managing separate sites,” she said.
The biggest impact of the re-branding will likely be found when a prospective new employer considers Mansfield and Richland County.
“Often, when a business or a professional site selector is looking, they want to know really specific things, like what sites you have available, what buildings are available, what does your workforce look like?
“They are looking to get dialed into that information really quickly. They are usually not looking for quality of life on first blush. We want to get them the information they need as quickly as possible.
“We want to say, ‘Here is the business case for doing business in Richland County,’ ” Perry said.
