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By Lawrence Emerson
FauquierNow.com Editor

Anticipating the unveiling Thursday night, more than 250 people packed the lobby of BB&T on Warrenton’s Main Street.

The Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce had used a multifaceted campaign, with the tagline “It’s Time,” to generate excitement: Personal invitations on heavy paper, print advertising and social media.

“I’ve been asking for this for nine years,” BB&T executive and chamber Treasurer Ray Knott said as he surveyed the crowd just after 5 p.m.

The 90-year-old business organization needed rejuvenation, according to its leaders.

So, with fanfare, the business group introduced its colorful, rectangular logo that reads: “The Fauquier Chamber. Better Business. Better Community.”

It replaces a decades-old oval that depicted a farm field with mountains in the background.
 
“The image of the Fauquier chamber had basically grown old,” said Scott Small, who co-chaired the committee tasked with rebranding. “It was time to infuse a new image.”

President Joe Martin said the work goes well beyond a new logo.

“Our focus really needs to be about connecting as a community,” said Mr. Martin, whom the chamber hired as its new executive a year ago.

“The energy is the number one thing we want to take out of this event,” he added.

Early in his tenure, the chamber board developed a five-year “strategic plan.” As a result, the organization will focus on more networking, more seminars and more community outreach.

For example, this spring the group will conduct a symposium for non-profit groups, a “fitness fair” for businesses in that industry and a “valor awards” ceremony to honor law enforcement and emergency services workers.

The chamber also will focus on attracting and retaining members, Mr. Martin said.

Membership has fallen to 450 from its peak of 600 several years ago.

Mr. Martin and chamber Chairwoman Priscilla Hottle said Thursday night the rebranding will help communicate excitement and movement.

The logo resulted from a committee that got down to work in September.

“The chamber could not have afforded to pay these folks for the time and effort they put into it,” Mr. Martin said.

Committee members estimated it typically would cost as much as $15,000 for such work.

The volunteers spent about 20 hours in meetings and did a lot of their work using “Base Camp” software for online collaboration.

The committee considered about 20 different logos, which committee Co-Chairman John Brand developed.

“Fresh,” committee member Amy Petty said when asked to describe the final product.

Now what?

“Any marketing campaign is gonna have a lot of spokes in the wheel: print, social media, giveaways, Google paid ads,” Mrs. Petty said.

“The second charge is to market all the chamber events throughout the year, and to make marketing an integral part of everything,” Mr. Small added.

Additionally, the chamber will seek to help members market themselves more effectively in a rapidly-changing media landscape, committee member Jamie Gorman suggested.

It started Thursday night. On the way out, each member and guest received a bag of “swag,” which included a coffee mug, a big refrigerator magnet, a pen, a window decal, a business card wallet and printed materials with the new logo.

The committee
• Co-chairman John Brand, president of Brand Design Inc.
• Co-chairman Scott Small, president of RevBuilders Marketing
• Rich Benedetto, president of Media Box Studios
• Jamie Gorman, president of SIGMA College of Small Business
• Yvonne Herbst, owner of Herbst Marketing
• Amy Petty, Fauquier Health marketing director
• Pam Symington, advertising manager of Times Community Media’s Piedmont Division

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