TERRE HAUTE, Ind – A new vision for Terre Haute and Vigo County has been announced through a new community plan and community brand. It’s called, “See You In Terre Haute”.
Months in the making, the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and its Board of Directors set out on a strategic planning process, which quickly led to a larger initiative to transform the entire community. Through an extensive process of gathering data via surveys, other existing plans and community forums, major goals were identified, and an action plan created to achieve greater community success.
The two major goals identified in the plan are:
· Halt population decline
· Reverse the trend of decreasing per capita personal income
With a collaborative effort between City of Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett and CEO of Union Health Systems Steve Holman, along with Chamber President Kristin Craig, work began on gathering data, community feedback and developing a community plan document.
Based on the research, six areas of focus and corresponding priority action items were determined. At this time, the community plan will work towards:
· Economic Development
· Health and Wellness
· Infrastructure
· Quality of Life
· Talent Attraction/Retention
· Tourism
The entire community plan, which can be found via the Chamber’s website is a 100 plus page document, along with a shorter summary also available online. Chamber President Kristin Craig explains the document will grow and change as plans begin to form.
“I am thrilled to be launching this plan today. The pillars and action items outlined today will be truly transformational for our community,” Craig explains. “I continue referring to the plan as a ‘living, breathing document’. If we were to say, okay now its written, let’s not worry about ever making changes we would be failing ourselves. This entire process was a collaborative effort and we fully expect aspects of the plan to change as the process starts to move forward.”
Partnered with the release of the community plan document is the community brand, created with input from a task force and brought to fruition by the Strategic Communications Department at RJL Solutions. The community brand will be used as a visual for Terre Haute, replacing the former “A Level Above” logo and graphics. With an increased focus on tourism, the brand will be housed through the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The slogan of “See you In Terre Haute” was created with the goal of increasing overall interest in the area, whether it be visitors, someone looking to re-locate and residents alike. The goal is to increase community pride, stimulate overall population growth and investment in the community.