What do you think when you hear the word ‘business?’ Since most people reading this are members of the Chamber and are businesspeople, it’s probably something positive.
A longstanding concern, however, is: What is the public’s perception of business? In a community like Fort Collins with large public institutions it might be easy to overlook the impact of business and businesspeople on the community’s livability.
In August, the Chamber commissioned intercept polls at NewWestFest. Over 300 people took time to talk to the consulting team. Among those folks, business was seen in a positive light, especially small businesses. Concerns about perhaps starting in a public relations hole disappeared.
The question then became ‘How can we reinforce those good impressions?’
So was born ‘Bringing Business Home,’ a public relations campaign to communicate the wonderful things businesspeople do for our community.
You know this already, but ‘business’ is not some abstract, impersonal concept. Businesses are actually people, and those people employ other people, they live here and are our neighbors, and they volunteer their time and donate their money to people in need and the organizations that serve them.
When you ask businesspeople what they’re involved in outside of work or what their companies are supporting, you hear wonderful stories, ones they usually don’t tell because they are just trying to help, not to get attention.
‘Bringing Business Home’ is a way to tell some of those stories. The campaign is nascent but you can visit www.BringingBusinessHome.org to see a few of the companies helping our area.
You can also help by pointing us toward businesspeople you know who are making a difference for our community. Let me know ([email protected]) or Jenn Umland ([email protected])
The ‘Bringing Business Home’ campaign is a program under the ‘Bold Voice of Business’ goal of Northern Colorado Prospers (www.NorthernColoradoProspers.com) so a head nod to those investors for their support.