New Brand Underway for Belton

The Belton Alliance has announced plans for the creation of a new brand for the City of Belton.

Building on the community development improvements created by the Belton Beyond Today project from over a decade ago, the Alliance has now partnered with the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor (SCNHC) to create a brand and an accompanying implementation strategy to market Belton to potential residents, businesses and even tourists.

“We are very excited to be working with the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor on this project,” stated Bobby Daniel, President of the Belton Alliance. “We know Belton has many great things to offer families, small businesses and industry and we know with the right message Belton will rise above the market clutter and become a destination of choice.”

A series of 90 minute group interviews were held with local citizens on April 14, 17 and 18.  Participants will follow up by completing a “Street Audit” on the downtown area.  A public meeting will be held at 5:30 on Thursday, April 28 at the Belton Depot to gather additional input from those who did not participate in the group interview sessions.  The meeting will be a joint effort between the Belton Alliance, the Appalachian Council of Governments and the Planning Committee for the City of Belton.

The rebranding is a labor of love for Belton native and SCNHC President & CEO, Michelle McCollum.

“We work with communities across the state and have even worked in the country of Barbados. But there’s nothing like working in your hometown with people you know and places you love,” stated McCollum.

The rebranding project is funded jointly by the Belton Alliance and the SCNHC and officially began April 1^st. Opportunities for community input during the branding process will be forthcoming and announced in the News Chronicle.

The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor is a congressionally designated National Heritage Area of the National Parks Service whose mission is to protect, preserve, and promote the cultural, historic, and natural resources of a 17-county area in South Carolina. For more information on the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor visit www.scnhc.org.