Hicks: ‘Think Dutchess’ … “it’s our identity”
POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County’s Economic Development Corporation Board made their last major decision Thursday morning with the adoption of the new county brand and tagline “Think Dutchess.”
This was the last EDC meeting before the council will be dissolved and become the Dutchess County Economic Development Advisory Council.
Deputy Dutchess County Commissioner of Strategic Planning Ronald Hicks
said this new brand is a way to not only utilize the concurrent consolidation
of the Industrial Development Agency and EDC, which will create a more
cohesive group for planning, development and promotion of the county but,
it will appeal to a new demographic of businesses and people.
“We’ve always been ‘Think Dutchess’ in the past as a tagline but, now, it’s our brand, it’s our identity and it is now ‘Think Dutchess Alliance for Business’,” said Hicks. “So, we’re working together as a team with the IDA, the Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Workforce Investment Board, tourism, the community college and Small Business Development Center as a team under this umbrella.”
Hicks said the main focus of this re-branding initiative is business
retention but, it is also to draw new businesses and people to the county.
As far as the creation of the Dutchess County Economic Advisory Council, EDC Chairman Ed Kellogg said everything is running on schedule. The resolution for the dissolution plan has been submitted to the Attorney General and will take about six to nine months to be completed, transfer of assets from the EDC, as well as the IDA are on schedule, termination for the EDC contract with the finalized contract between the county and Local Development Corporation is targeted to be done on September 1 and the launch of the Economic Development Advisory Council is targeted for October. At that point, they plan to consolidate into a new space a month later.
