Within the past two weeks, a new publication has appeared in the Chatfield area. The Chatfield Tourism Center has been the host of many tourists year after year, and the volunteers have been handing out publications for other communities such as Harmony, Lanesboro, and Preston — but never anything for Chatfield.
There wasn’t any promotional piece to promote the community, which presented an opportunity.
City of Chatfield EDA Director Chris Giesen and Tourism Director Rocky Burnett contacted the Fillmore County Journal with a request to create something that could be shared with visitors of the Chatfield area.
Their dual purpose goal was to promote tourism and encourage locals and tourists to consider Chatfield as a great place to live, work, and do business.
With the help of our newly hired Graphic Designer Taylor Case, we began sculpting a mock-up of what a tourism-based map of Chatfield may look like as a finished product. We met again with Chris and Rocky to discuss elements that may need to be modified, and then we began the process of inviting businesses to become a part of this new publication.
When working on a project like this, you really find out how much confidence and pride businesses have with respect to supporting their community. As the map was presented to business owners throughout Chatfield, there was resounding support.
And, these are the types of projects that will either be successful or fail depending on that support. Without the support of these local businesses, there would be no tourism publication for the City of Chatfield.
Today, there are over 10,000 Chatfield maps made available throughout the business community of Chatfield, along with maps available at the Chatfield Tourism Center and other strategically selected locations in Rochester and surrounding communities.
The businesses in Chatfield recognize the importance of promoting their community to locals and tourists. When we publish special pages for each town in each community in the Fillmore County Journal, we see the same thing. The businesses who show their support for their community help promote their community to locals and tourists alike.
That collaborative marketing equals community branding. When businesses — even competing businesses — band together to promote their community, that demonstrates that there’s a thriving business district in that community! That collaboration establishes an impression.
Thank you to the Chatfield business community for making this new publication possible. And, thanks to Chris Giesen and Rocky Burnett for entrusting our team with the responsibility to get this project off the ground. Also, thanks to Graphic Designer Taylor Case and Assistant Editor Ellen Whalen for putting their creative and editing skills to the test. Thanks to Fillmore County Recorder Dave Kiehne and his staff for assisting with a portion of the mapping process, as well. And, one more special thanks to Chatfield Police Chief Shane Fox for assisting us with the final mapping process of each business located in the community.
It really takes a community to make anything happen, doesn’t it?
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