After months of discussion, the Downtown Business Improvement District Board has selected Vector Crush to help it with marketing downtown.
Vector Crush, founded in 2020 and based out of Stanton, Nebraska, is “dedicated to providing our clients all the print and digital communication assets they need to help their business, event, or organization achieve success and look absolutely amazing,” according to its submitted proposal.
All board members in attendance – Board President Josh Johnson, Board Vice President Kevin Johnson, Board Secretary Barbara Duffy, Robert “Bob” Stachura, Dick Tooley, Cory Reeder, Lindsay Thomson and Mary Nyffeler all voted unanimously in favor of hiring Vector Crush after getting the recommendation of the board’s marketing subcommittee, spearheaded by Thomson and Nyffeler. The decision was made during the board’s Oct. 10 meeting in the Community Room of the Columbus Community Building, 2500 14th St.
Thomson, who owns and operates Inspired by Soul Photography in downtown Columbus, said she was happy the Board ultimately went with Vector Crush. The Board had previously solicited marketing proposals from companies and received four before the marketing subcommittee narrowed that down to two and came up with its final recommendation.
“I feel good about it,” Thomson said after the meeting. “I feel like they're confident in my decision-making when it comes to this specific category of profession because I am in that industry with photography and marketing, so I appreciate them supporting my decision-making.”
During the meeting, Thomson said she was impressed with the company’s breakdown for items such as brand guidelines, marketing collateral (digital and physical marketing) and implementation strategy. Board members stressed during the discussion the Columbus community has already helped create the identity of historic downtown and hiring a marketing company would be to create a common denominator throughout the entire downtown district in terms of colors, signage, implementation strategy and more.
“What we want is consistency across the whole footprint of the B.I.D. and to work collaboratively with the Creative District so we are all unified,” Josh Johnson said.
Back in September, the Nebraska Arts Council awarded downtown Columbus a special Certified Creative District designation that will help promote the local arts. City Planning and Economic Development Director Jean Van Iperen and Columbus Arts Council Executive Director/City Community Coordinator Elley Coffin told the B.I.D. Board there might be ways for the Creative District and the B.I.D. Board to collaborate on wayfinding signage to make both entities’ funding stretch further.
The cost of the entire project proposed by Vector Crush totals $9,050, though payment, project timeline and other details will still have to be spelled out in the contract to be entered into by the two entities.
Board member Kristin Stock was not at the meeting.
The B.I.D. Board talked about other subjects during its October meeting. More will be published on the City’s website in the near future.
(ABOUT THE PHOTO: The Downtown Business Improvement District Board talks about marketing proposals during its Oct. 10 meeting in the Columbus Community Building. See an enlarged version of that photo by clicking here.)
Copyright © 2023 City of Columbus