Delta County Awarded three blueprint 2.0 Initiatives

Delta County was awarded three rural economic development initiatives through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Blueprint 2.0 focuses how to best serve rural communities and identify opportunities to leverage resources. Delta County applied for and was awarded: Business Branding, Adaptive ReUse and Tourism Promotion. DCED is taking the lead on Business Branding and Adaptive ReUse working on these project through Spring 2017. Delta County Tourism Cabinet is taking the lead on Tourism Promotion. Read more below about the work we are doing on Business Branding and Adaptive ReUse.

Business Branding for Delta County

Through this initiative DCED has convened a Business Branding Taskforce who are going through a branding process and will develop a marketing plan for branding Delta County for business recruitment. This group will be working with a marketing mentor from DCI and Colorado's Chief Marketing Officer. Over several months the Taskforce will:

Conduct research in community to uncover insights (new businesses, young professionals, older professionals, why people left, why people came to Delta County to do business)
Create positioning statement built on research
Brainstorm, review, refine brand promise
Report back to DCI and OEDIT by mid-January (who is target audience, what are outcomes, competitive set who is it, positioning statement and brand promise.)

Adaptive ReUse of the Paonia Tech College

DCED and others are looking at re-use for the Paonia Technical College in Paonia, CO, which most recently was for mine training (with the last class taking place in April of 2016). The goal is to reposition the County in the new economy as a community of choice for food manufacturing and culinary arts and create local jobs in these clusters. DCED would like to activate the Paonia Technical College as part of this effort. With this initiative we will work with the State to identify uses.

On July 21, 2016 Lieutenant Governor, Donna Lynne visited Delta County to announce the recipients of the first round of Colorado Blueprint 2.0 Initiatives. The Lt. Governor was joined by many local and state elected officials and other community leaders. Delta County was awarded all three initiatives applied for.

Shawn Larson of Big B's gave state officials a tour of the Delicious Orchards and Big B's. Fiona Arnold, Executive Director of OEDIT and Irv Halter, Executive Director of the Department of Local Affairs and Elyse Ackerman, Regional Manager of DOLA learn about the orchard & cider making business.

Steve Ela of Ela Family Farms spent time with state officials talking about the fruit growing business in Delta County and the ways his family farm have evolved their practises over the years. Everyone learned how you know a peach is ready to pick and was able to sample delicious peaches and cherries.