The Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation has revamped its website.
Seen as one of the gateways to attract businesses to Morgan and Scott counties, Executive Director Kristin Jamison says that the previous website needed a fresh start after last year’s major rebrand of the Jacksonville area’s major entities: “When I first came to the Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation, in looking at marketing materials, it was clear at the time at that point about 5 years ago that there was a need to upgrade the look and make sure that we were using technology that was needed for site selectors, for potential businesses that might want to locate here, for potential residents looking for a place to work. We have a great Board of Directors and an executive committee that agreed. We took the plunge to completely overhaul our website. Even more importantly than that, it was to embrace the new branding that we did with the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jacksonville Main Street, and the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce. The timing was perfect because we worked on the rebranding campaign and knew exactly what we needed to do to carry that new look forward when it was time to upgrade our website.”
Jamison says that the organization worked with a web design company called Golden Shovel that specializes specifically in economic development websites. She says the amount of information has really multiplied for all the entities involved in the area’s economic development.
Jamison says that the website has been crucial in creating a great first impression of the Jacksonville area for companies, employers, and job seekers. She says in years past, that recruitment usually happened with a phone call and a visit, but now the Internet has become the tool that’s used to bring in the next potential employer and employees to the Jacksonville region: “We want to make sure to show how vibrant the region is. We want to be able to give potential employers and employees to the region the demographics that they might request initially. Then, many times, we hear from them for follow-up conversations or a lot of times they do come visit. That first impression is most generally the website. We’ve also developed social media around the website, as well. It’s something that has really taken off. We’re just trying to make sure that we are out there so that people know more about the work that we do at JREDC and provide the information to people and what they need to start a business in the region.”
Jamison says more features and sections will be arriving to the site in the coming months, including a space specific for potential new residents and people moving to the Jacksonville area for highly skilled jobs or careers.