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Talking Points:
1: Start Something Here is a site designed to present positive information about our region in a clear, concise, visually appealing manner. Our goal is to attract new businesses and people to our area.
2: It is funded by several organizations, including the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Corporation, the Catawba County Tourism Development Authority, The SALT Block Foundation The City of Hickory,Catawba County, The City of Newton, The City of Conover, The Town of Catawba, The Town of Claremont, Frye Regional Medical Center, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Catawba Valley Community College, the ASU Partnership at Hickory, and Lenoir- Rhyne University. It has been developed by Pixelspace, a design company based in Hickory and the photography is by Jon Eckard Photography.
3: It has 3 distinct sections, each with a different purpose:
- Live: This section deals with the perks of living in our area. It highlights agencies, arts, sports, shopping, healthcare and recreation, plus gives information about new events, our history, and our long-term goals.
- Work: This section deals with the benefits of starting a business or working here. It highlights resources, awards we have won, manufacturing history, and our desire to diversify, along with information about new data centers and other high-tech industries.
- Learn: This section is informational and deals with the different public, private, and continuing education resources available in the area.
4: We have focused heavily on search engine optimization, so it will be quite easy for people to find this site.
5: This site will continue to be updated on a regular basis, and will remain current. It will grow much more expansive over time. Any information or suggestions for new content should be mailed to Carmen@startsomethinghere.com.
6: It will launch on February 17. We are hoping for community support, and for local businesses’ and organizations’ support as well. All links to our site are greatly appreciated. Each page has a Facebook “Like” button, and we hope that the community at large will click these buttons often. That will share our message very effectively. Please visit the site before the February 17th launch date and “Like” several pages.
Press Release:
Start Something Here is a new and exciting project for our region. While there is a wealth of information about our area on the internet, there has never been one site that presents it all in a consistent and centralized manner.
Many area organizations have joined together to create a website that showcases Catawba County’s best features. Our area has a great deal to be proud of, from attracting large companies like Corning, Draka, Google and Apple, to winning the All-America City award 3 times, and having the second lowest cost of business in the entire country. Catawba County has put much emphasis on diversifying our economy and we’re working hard to bring businesses both large and small to our area. There are many things that will entice new businesses to move here, if only that information is made easily available. That’s our goal.
The new portal website has three sections: Live, Work, and Learn. We feel that these are three vital areas that groups or individuals would need information about before choosing to move their business or family here. We’re providing that information in a clean, simple manner and in a positive light.
Start Something Here will launch February 17th. It will be updated regularly and continually. The site will be heavily linked with social media, and we hope residents will visit the site, leave comments and Facebook “Like” the pages. You’ll be able to visit at http://www.startsomethinghere.com.
Longer Press Release:
Start Something Here is a new and exciting project for Catawba County. A simple Google search will pull up pages of information about our area, but it isn’t consistent. It is difficult to tell what is fresh content, and finding specific information can be difficult. The result is that the searcher is left with a murky understanding of our area’s strengths, and no concept of how all of our communities fit together.
Many area organizations have joined together to create a website that showcases Catawba County’s best features. Our region has a great deal to be proud of, from attracting large companies like Corning, Draka, Google and Apple, to winning the All-America City award 3 times, and having the second lowest cost of business in the entire country. We also have a thriving arts community that gets stronger each year. Our manufacturing segments are on an upswing, and our unemployment rate is on the decline. We have been rated one of the top ten places to raise a family by Reader’s Digest and our schools are consistently rated highly.
Catawba County has put much emphasis on diversifying our economy and we’re working hard to bring businesses both large and small to our area. There are many things that will entice new businesses to move here, if the necessary information is made easily available. That’s our goal. Our target audience is both the business owner, who is looking for a place to start or relocate his business, and also the employee he will hire. Both of these groups want to know about our area. They want to know what they will do for fun, where their kids will go to school, and where they will go out to eat. They also want to know business facts, and what agencies can help them reach their goals.
The new portal website has three sections: Live, Work, and Learn. We feel that these are three vital areas that groups or individuals would need information about before choosing to move their business or family here. We’re providing that information in a clean, simple manner and in a positive light.
The Live section highlights all of the wonderful things about our area. Each city and town in the county is represented with a page and a map. There are sections for shopping, recreation, sports, arts, helpful agencies, healthcare, worship, childcare and news sources. There are also general informational pages about our history, and where we are going. There is a regularly updated “Spotlight” section, where current stories about different features in our region can be found. A news section keeps the reader updated on any exciting news out of the area.
The Work section is a valuable resource for anyone who is looking for a place to start a business, or anyone looking for a job in our area. There is information about our work force, including resources for starting a business or relocating and existing business here. We are known throughout the nation as a manufacturing powerhouse. While we are very strong in that area, we have many other growing sectors, like Data Centers and customer relation firms. This section of the site also details our history and plans for the future and a robust list of resources. There is also an often updated “Spotlight” section in this site. This is where we highlight businesses and individuals who decided to “Start Something Here”. We tell their stories and hope to encourage more people to do the same.
The last section of the site is the Learn section. This section is full of information about all of our educational opportunities. There are pages for each of our colleges and universities, and a page for each of our three school systems. We have a comprehensive list of all of our private schools, as well as information on the SALT Block and many other learning opportunities.
This site is a work in progress. It is updated daily, and we need your help to keep it current! We hope that you’ll visit, at www.startsomethinghere.com. There is a link at the bottom of the page that invites you to suggest content. It is our sincere hope that you will use that link. We have linked the site heavily with social media, and we’re trying to grow our fan base. You can also visit www.facebook.com/startsomethinghere to become part of our social community.
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