The conversation continues. Almost daily someone tells me how much they like the new Orrville brand. It makes me feel like people really do "get it" and that the committee made a great choice in settling on the wording and message.
One recent day when I was feeling really lousy and was signing in at the doctor's office, the bright faced receptionist said, "I'm glad to see you! I LOVE the new signs and the slogan!" Of course I immediately began to feel better and I hadn't even seen the doctor yet. "We've been talking here about how to share OUR story about how our practice thrives in Orrville."
She wasn't able to write me the prescription I needed, but it was almost as good.
A lovely couple who was visiting town and stopped at the Chamber for directions, also commented on the new look to the gateway. "This looks like a really nice town, and the sense of progress and tradition, like the sign said, seems to fit the way this place looks."
It was, of course, raining outside, but that sure brought sunshine in the door.
The Orrville Historical Society has been focused on reorganization and renewal. I received a special request from them to sit down and talk about how tradition and progress applies to their past, present and future. Perfect!
As I look back at the great comments made by the committee members as we prepared for our April banquet and launch of the brand, I'm reminded again of how it all came together.
"The fact that it was an old newspaper provided the seed that led to the new branding statement clearly identified that our community values haven't changed over the years," said Bob Ellis. "They have merely grown as the community grew."
Echoing that sentiment was Steve Wheeler. "The beauty of the Orrville community is we are proud and comfortable with our identity, and our values and priorities are the same today as they were for our parents and grandparents. We really are a place where progress and tradition meet."
Ellis, retired from The J.M. Smucker Company, and Wheeler, Safety Service Director for the city (and a relative newcomer to Orrville) were among those on the nine person committee who did the research and developed the brand. In an earlier blog I shared comments from David Lehman. You'll hear from the others soon, too.
Along the way we also asked people how they feel they are able to thrive in Orrville.
"Orrville is a small city in the best sense of the word," said Jack Runion, owner of Runions' Furniture. "We're big enough for some exciting things to happen but small enough that the culture of neighbors really exists. People get to know each other across lines that would divide residents of larger places. We're a customer service oriented business that asks people to do business with us because of how we treated them, their parents, their coworkers, and their neighbors in the past," "If you treat folks well, you will thrive here. If you don't you can't hide here."
"There are thousands of U.S. towns the size of Orrville that do not have the library facility we have or a community of people who would care to make use of the library if they had one," said Leslie Picot, Director of the Orrville Public Library, shortly before she retired. " This library thrives here because Orrville truly values it as such an amazing rate that we are statistically one of the best used libraries in the entire nation!"
Share your thoughts about how you "Thrive Here!" and how your traditions have brought progress. You can post your comments below, or let me know and I'll share it in my next blog.
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