Columbia County, Oregon, April 25, 2022 –  Keep it Local Columbia County, a popular small business promotion and marketing  program that encourages people to shop, taste, play local in Columbia County, has a new look launching today. The new brandmark is intended to showcase the county’s natural and business features; and it comes just in time for the Keep it Local’s upcoming Small Business week celebration launching April 29th. It will also figure prominently both in Keep it Local’s new county-wide business directory website, currently under development, and in the program’s familiar local business and event media channels. 

“Our new logo is a product of our recent self-exploration as an organization. It’s part of the new direction we are taking to better promote our small businesses and communities,” said Sierra Trass, who became Keep it Local’s second Director in July  2021. “New to this position, I sought mentorship, feedback and asked A LOT of questions to people in all of our communities. Our new look is representative of those conversations” Trass added.

Trass discovered that in general people somewhat unsure of what Keep it Local actually does, even as it’s a familiar name. Following months of deep diving into Keep it Local’s purpose, that included multiple business and consumer surveys and conversations, the greatest demand expressed is to best serve businesses and consumers through promotion and marketing of local businesses and countywide interconnection. Keep it Local immediately ramped up its social media activity, programming, and importantly, successfully sought funding for a complete website directory upgrade. 

The new website project then presented the opportunity re-evealute Keep it Local’s logo, along with its brand. Trass recruited a panel of local business and community advisors to help guideI logo development. The panel sought to make the new look of Keep it Local contemporary, representative of  the entire county and small business community, and clearly identifying Keep it Local’s purpose. “Our volunteer panel did amazing job contribute their own expertise while mirroring community feedback. Plus, by working with a local designer, we’re very pleased with what we came up with altogether and are excited to show it to our Keep it Local community!” Trass, said.

Trass added, “Keep an eye out for our new look as we roll it out in lots of fun ways soon- including stickers, shop local stickers in business windows, the new website, in our social and digital media posts you’ve all come to count, and in our other big plans coming your way soon!”