Hello Bobcat Fans!
San Marcos is such a vibrant community. It is a city full of vitality and natural beauty. It is a source of comfort and a sense of place. These are all terms that can be used to describe our hometown and they invoke feelings that connect us.
San Marcos, the home of Texas State University, the Gateway to the Hill Country, A Texas Natural, also used to reference our community. These remind us of our god given gifts and man-made assets. They frame how people will remember us.
Overtime we have grown from town to city. Texas State has transformed from a college to a university and now we must define our identity and capture the prosperity that is open for all of us. To that end, the city council has issued a call for proposals to hire an experienced, successful firm to lead our community through a journey known as “Branding”. This will determine our personality, our distinctiveness as a collective “communiversity”. City Staff have prepared the RFP documents and once they are returned a process of assessing the presentations and the professionals will begin.
The successful proponent will lead a dialogue throughout our city and on campus. We will need participation and we will need patience. It will take honesty and it will need open minds. The firm will develop a process that will launch us into many community discussions. We need citizens from every business segment and each neighborhood sector to bring your ideas and think creatively.
This one exercise may perhaps be the biggest investment we can make in our future. You may ask why and why now? I would answer, that we must distinguish ourselves in order to preserve our past and promote our future. We must single ourselves out as the growth of the I35 Corridor and Highway 130 become options for people traveling either through or around San Marcos. We must have a message that speaks to who we are today and in essence, how we envision ourselves tomorrow. We have so many exciting opportunities unfolding with our involvement in commuter rail, our downtown master plan being finalized and the new full service hotel/conference center nearing completion. Not to mention our fabulous San Marcos River, Rio Vista Falls and our entire park system with wonderful trails. As to why now, the real story goes back to 2003, when I attended a National League of Cities Conference session where this idea of branding was introduces. They showed us film of old commercials that made us all laugh, cry and remember. As a person who has been involved with marketing services and products for over 20 years, it made sense. It also was not cheap. So in 2004, I asked the council to start setting aside some of our Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars so that one day we could consider this identity process. That time has arrived, and in my opinion none to soon.
As the market for our largest generator of tax dollars, Tanger and Prime Outlet Malls face new competition, we must do everything we can to secure our revenue sources and inventory all the reasons that make San Marcos unique. We must talk about how to leverage the educational experience that is available through Texas State University with the quality of living San Marcos has to offer. We must believe, brag and brand ourselves into the future. When the time comes, please join in!
For more information regarding the “Branding” project or to share your thoughts with me on other city related topics please email me. I can’t wait to hear from you! |
WELCOME BANNERS — Dr. Denise Trauth, President of Texas State University-San Marcos, and Mayor Susan Narvaiz display the new welcome banners now decorating the downtown square as well as other entry points to the city and university. The idea for the banners was initiated by Kyle Morris, former Student Liaison from Texas State to the San Marcos City Council. The banners represent the strong partnership between the City of San Marcos and Texas State going back to the founding of the university in 1899.
ACHIEVING COMMUNITY TOGETHER (ACT) — Mayor Susan Narvaiz welcomes a group of Texas State University-San Marcos students, non-student residents, University leaders, City of San Marcos City Council members and staff, and Hays County officials on a Wednesday evening welcome to students living in the North LBJ, Craddock and Sagewood neighborhoods. The ACT program is a joint outreach of the City of San Marcos, Texas State University, police, students and volunteers to improve neighborhood relationships in San Marcos. |
