The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce has introduced a new logo and tagline to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the region’s largest business organization.
The current black and yellow logo, in use since 2000, has been replaced with a green and teal icon that reflects the many services offered by the Chamber and communicates “an outward and upward future-oriented leadership that only the Chamber offers.”
The Chamber also simplified its name to Roanoke Regional Chamber and unveiled the new tagline, “It’s Our Business.”
“Together these changes position the Chamber as an inclusive, creative and proactive leader while reinforcing our trustworthy, reliable and long-standing reputation to a new generation of business leaders and members,” said Joyce Waugh, president and CEO. “It’s part of our continual focus to be as relevant as ever and better serve our members through advocacy, networking, information and business assistance.”
The new branding was unveiled before hundreds of business and community leaders at the Chamber’s Annual Membership Dinner at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.
The new branding was developed by advertising and public relations agency Neathawk Dubuque & Packett.
“We began this project as we would with any other – poring through research and meeting with the Chamber’s staff and board to gain insights and review strengths and weaknesses,” said Thomas Becher, ND&P senior vice president. “In doing so we learned of some perception challenges faced by the Chamber. Focus groups and surveys found that members ranked the Chamber high but noted areas to improve. After all, any 125-year-old is going to have to continue to adapt and inject change to remain relevant in the new economy of the 21st century. We also saw an opportunity to better communicate the value the Chamber brings to its members and the region.”
The icon can be interpreted in a number of ways. Some of may see it as a power-on button, a signal or a beacon. Others may see ears listening to Chamber members – and then actively responding like a broadcast announcement.
The new tagline expresses that members, their individual businesses, the employees of those businesses and the collective growth and success of these and the greater business community are the business and focus of the Chamber.
“We believe the tagline also helps to better communicate the core elements of the Chamber’s business and provides a platform to communicate these offerings to members,” Waugh said. “As the only true regional chamber in the area, we are fostering the growth of our members and our community by offering relevant programs and workshops designed to address business needs, solve business problems and increase opportunities for members.”
The new branding and tagline are just symbols of change. For without decisive steps to adapt, to address member concerns and to attract new members, these items are just meaningless marks, she said.
“We want to be sure we remain relevant, especially to a new generation of leaders, those with new ideas and fresh ambitions representing the future of this outstanding organization,” Waugh said.
The Chamber tonight also introduced new initiatives, including:
- Global Business Owners Group to help all small businesses grow
- Quarterly Signature Events scheduled with a new Chamber Business Summit set in May 2015
- Expanded social media presence, including a YouTube Channel with weekly policy videos
- Enhanced membership listings on the Chamber’s Online Directory
The Chamber also handed out the following awards:
- Officer Melissa Register was named the 2014 Roanoke City Police Department Officer of the Year
- Officer Paul McMillan was named the 2014 Roanoke County Police Department Officer of the Year
- Jeff Howard, owner of ARCpoint Labs of Salem, was named the 2014 Ambassador of the Year
- John Prillaman, counsel for the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, was named the 2013 Jack C. Smith Award honoring the Chamber’s Backbone Club member of the year
