Connect - Grow - Prosper

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

March 31, 2014

The Culpeper Chamber of Commerce has a new logo. We felt that it was time to set a new direction in promoting our business community. The initiative began almost a year ago with the approval of the Board of Directors to explore new logo options. The marketing committee led by Tom Spargur set a course in developing an RFP to go out to our member design firms. As a member driven organization, using our members is always a priority. The Marketing Committee reviewed the proposals and finally selected K-Art and Design to develop the new look. Their understanding of our mission and our business community after a decade of service to Culpeper was evident in the inspired result.

The Marketing Committee transitioned from the leadership of Tom Spargur to Sophie Hudson of KASH Design in January, 2014. Ms. Hudson stepped into the lead in continuing the logo development with great support from Mr. Spargur. The team effort of the committee is a testament to the value of the Chamber network. Working across company lines for the benefit of the Culpeper business community demonstrates the quality of our business leaders.

The final product was not the end of the story but rather the beginning of something very exciting. Given that we celebrate our 100th year anniversary this year, the Marketing Committee wanted to showcase the new look and feel with a grand “reveal.” With the help of the Culpeper State Theatre and over 20 sponsors, we were able to showcase the new logo in a style reminiscent of a Fortune 500 Company roll out. We had champagne glasses raised and special carry bags full of sponsor donated items in celebration of the milestone event.

The logo tells a story that is unique and progressive. Most economic development logos, including Chambers of Commerce, use the community name in the logo. However, given that we are in a new global business reality, the committee felt that we needed to make clear our location. As you will see, they approached this with a masterful display showing our location in the Virginia state profile. To take this a step further, there is a red arch starting from the letter U pointing to the location on the state map. In other words, where is the best place to do business in Virginia for U? Culpeper, of course.

The banner underneath of the name Culpeper is pointing forward to suggest positive motion. This is underscored by the key words - Connect - Grow - Prosper. The words also show a logical progress as they are in alphabetic order. The words appear obvious in their relevance to business, however, there is an element that speaks volumes about our Chamber. The word Grow is a central theme in our economy resulting from our significant agribusiness community. Agribusiness is a cornerstone of our vitality and having this represented in the center fulcrum of the logo offers appropriate respect for our heritage.

Thank you to our marketing team, our sponsors, our members, and the Culpeper State Theatre for making the new logo reveal a great success. If you would like to see the new logo - go to www.CulpeperChamber.com.