Branding effort begins with community input

More than 100 community members participated in roundtable and public forum discussions during April 26-27 to bring a branding effort for the City of Ritzville.

Hosted by the City of Ritzville, Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Adams County Development Council (ACDC) the public input allowed the organization to work towards creating a brand for all local businesses and organizations to use.

Tripp Muldrow, Arnett Muldrow and Associates Principal, and Amy McGuffin, the Kittitas Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director led the discussions.

The two are part of a team of experts who will work to compile the data received to begin creating a brand for Ritzville.

The community portion began with a roundtable on April 26, followed by a public forum that evening. Muldrow explained the purpose of the brand is not to create a theme, but rather to create a tool kit to be used by the partners in the project.

The tools provided will allow the Ritzville community to uniformly tell the story of the town while simultaneously honoring the town’s history.

The themes mentioned during the forum and also at the roundtable discussions the following day helped to showcase the positive aspects of the community, as well as those areas in need of improvement.

Community members shared that the amenities in Ritzville are unique for a small community, and it’s in an ideal location.

Other positives included the alumni and fair events, how safe the community is, and the compassion and care for others, especially in times of need.

Multiple residents shared the views that there are a lot of missed opportunities and disconnects in the town, including the amount of freeway traffic that passes each day but the traffic does not bring more visitors to downtown.

Residents also believed there should be more tourism events scheduled in the town, especially in the summer months.

After meeting with the roundtable groups, Muldrow and McGuffin presented an initial concept to the Branding Steering Committee on Friday.

The quick turnaround time is focused on keeping away from mediocre ideas, Muldrow explained, and remaining tuned in on the greatest need of the community.

Over the course of the next month, Muldrow and McGuffin will work with their teams to develop the branding package for Ritzville.

They will return during the first week of June to reveal and participate in the brand launch.

The Branding Steering Committee members assisting with the project include branding event facilitator Julie Flyckt with Adams County Development Council.

The Steering Committee is also comprised of City of Ritzville Mayor Gary Cook, Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins, City Councilman Corey Umland, Brooke Pichette, Ritzville Chamber of Commerce President Marci Miller, Ritzville Public Library Director Kylie Fullmer, Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt and Ritzville Museum Volunteer Ann Olson