The cities of Adair Village, Sweet Home, Lebanon, Brownsville, Monroe, Halsey, Philomath, and Harrisburg formed MVP in 2018 and was formalized in 2019 with an intergovernmental agreement. This group was formed as there is no formal Economic Development Organization (EDO) in the region, and existing organizations are mainly focused on the larger cities in the two counties. The purpose of the group was to create a collective voice for the rural communities in Linn and Benton Counties and to pool resources to attract new businesses and solve similar problems plaguing many of the rural communities. Through the efforts of MVP, grants have been obtained to further entrepreneurial efforts throughout the region and to develop an Economic Strategy and Action Plan (2019). This strategy was approved by all member cities, with the deliverables to be provided within the three-year IGA time period. However, the pandemic forced each city to focus within to address the emergency response and help existing businesses survive, rather than focus on economic growth and expansion.
Through the pandemic response, it became clear that the ability to connect with existing businesses was a difficult task, and once connected, identifying an applicable resource out of all those available was cumbersome and time consuming for the cities and the businesses. This is a similar constraint experienced outside the pandemic when small rural cities are trying to provide economic resource services to the business community to start, expand, or relocate to the region. With the pandemic shifting from response to recovery and preventative future planning mindset, the MVP applied for and received a grant to reengage and address recovery efforts in the rural Linn and Benton County region and engage in recruitment efforts. The grant allows MVP to evaluate the strategic plan and identify whether adjustments are needed based on economic changes from the pandemic, focus on solidifying the group’s mission, vision and objectives, and develop tools and resources to move the goals forward based on the available capacity through the form of branding, a website and asset mapping.
Scope of Work
The consultant will be expected to perform the following tasks:
1. Update Mission Statement: Through previous work on the Economic Strategy and
Action Plan, the MVP created the following mission statement and tag line:
2 MVP ECONOMIC MARKETING PLAN REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Tagline: Together we grow communities.
Mission Statement: Mid-Valley Partners advances rural economic development through
regional collaboration.
The consultant shall guide the MVP through evaluation of the existing mission
statement and tagline to identify if updates are appropriate to better define the MVP
values, goals, and objectives of the region.
2. Branding and Marketing: Upon completion of the mission statement and tagline
evaluation, the consultant shall develop a unique brand, which may include a change to
the group name, logo, and marketing materials. The consultant would be responsible for
the development of a new unique logo to represent the MVP and their commitment to
the partnership and business development needed in the region. Along with the logo
would be the development of letterhead and logo branding that could be used across all
forms of media.
3. Website Development: The consultant will evaluate and recommend a free or low-cost
website platform that is user-friendly and easy to maintain. The consultant will also
develop content, with collaboration from the MVP staff, based on information gathered
in the evaluation of the vision and mission statements as well as through the mapping
and logo deliverables. The consultant, in communication with the MVP, shall identify
how the information and resources provided for the website should be displayed and
organized to create a user-friendly website for all levels of business.
The MVP is specifically looking for an interactive visual concept for the website that
would identify the region and all partner cities and allow users to toggle through each
city to identify key resources available and unique qualifiers.
Due Date
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Address
City of Lebanon
Attn: Alysia Rodgers, Economic Development Catalyst
925 S. Main Street
Lebanon, OR 97355
Email: [email protected]
Relevant agencies to consider include Zeno Group and Finn Partners.
