Meet Charles County

It’s nice to meet you, Charles.

On June 17, the new slogan, “I Am Charles County,” and a related joint development and tourism website — www.meetcharlescounty.com — were launched.

It’s a $41,000 bet the county commissioners hope will turn into a priceless win for residents, the business community and the future revenue stream.

“What the site [will do] is really enhance the [county's] image,” said Commissioner Reuben B. Collins II (D). “Not only will residents look at the county more positively, but people that are looking on the Web or looking at potential locations see it and it gives a very positive view of what Charles County is all about.”

“The website is going to be a very good tool,” said Commissioner Samuel N. Graves Jr. (D). “It’s fairly user-friendly; it’s a great addition to the already existing [county government] website. We can add to it and expand it.”

The milestone comes almost a month to the day after the county government announced the elimination of the county’s economic development department, an effort to bridge a $4.6 million fiscal 2011 budget gap and realign the government’s vision for business development and tourism.

The motto’s first mention came in late May during a meeting the commissioners held at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata campus to discuss the future of economic development in Charles County with local business leaders.

Charles County commissioners’ President F. Wayne Cooper (D) had promised that there soon would be a new rallying cry for residents as well as a new outsourced model for economic development.

The website is divided into two parts: Economic development and tourism.

Newcomers to the area or even longtime residents looking for a weekend activity can use the site’s Stay & Play Planner, which allows a person to build an itinerary with a few clicks of the computer mouse.

On the economic development half of the website, business owners looking for places to set up their businesses can browse through the property map to find what parcels are available and what kind of space could be provided.

Both parts of the website have a news and events calendar, and areas to highlight people and places unique to Charles County.

The overarching campaign is called “Meet Charles.”

“What we really did with ‘Meet Charles’ was to try to overcome the notion that Charles County is just a sleepy little rural town — that we really don’t have people, goods and services here.” said Tom Nelson, president of NDG Communications. “Obviously we know that’s not true and what this website really wanted to help do was bring that to the forefront.”

The La Plata-based NDG designed the site and was a previous recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Month award by the county, Graves said.

Collins, also a longtime resident of Charles County, said the new slogan was “refreshing.”

“We as ‘Charles countians’ tend to underestimate and speak very negatively about ourselves,” Collins said. “We always tend to look at things very negatively. We’re not perfect … but this county has a lot of potential, a lot of great opportunities. The location allows it to take on more of a connection to the nation’s capital and at [the] same time preserve a unique, rural-type heritage.”

Most recently known as the place “Where Eagles Fly,” Charles County was not able to tell its true story through that motto, Nelson said after his presentation to the commissioners.

Charles County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ken Gould said he was happy to see how the county was going to allow businesses to register on the site, an action that directly shows an outreach effort, “which we’re all for.”

“We’re really happy with the appearance,” Gould said of the site’s design and layout.

After conducting internal market research and interviews with people who had relocated to the area, Nelson was able to learn about the perceptions and misconceptions of the area.

While rural charm is a draw, Nelson told Cooper after the commissioners’ president asked about the omission of the eagle motto, the county needs to get past the stereotype of only being a sleepy bedroom community.

“We are a sleepy bedroom community; that is a part of us. We’re a little bit of that, a little bit of high tech and a little bit of everything in between,” Gould said. “What this does … is show people we are indeed a little bit of everything.”

The website has its roots under the former economic development administration.

Roughly six months ago, various business leaders were tapped to contribute their thoughts and feelings on growing a business in Charles County on video. Visitors to the website can click on the testimonials and watch and listen to the reasons the entrepreneurs made the county their home.

“As far as our company is concerned, we have a vested interest in the success of the county. That is because we’re members of so many different alliances and groups,” said Carlos Montague, president and CEO of Port Tobacco Consulting.

The 44-year-old lifelong resident is one of the businessmen who appears on the site. “We really want the county to live up to its potential, so whatever we can do to help that along is where we’ll be,” he said.

“I think that is an excellent approach,” Montague said of the tourism portion of the site. “With technology [today] people don’t want to have to mouse around or think much. Everything is right in front of them …”

Gould said it was a “tremendous” idea to get people who live and work in the county to talk about why Charles County is such a great place.

While the county works on getting more Web surfers to its site, there is also a request for proposal in the works, County Administrator Rebecca Bridgett said, which will solicit bids for a contractor to promote economic development. The commissioners also have approved a motion to advertise for positions and vacancies for the economic development advisory council.

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