Hollister City Council members have approved spending $5,425
toward the downtown association’s hiring of a consultant to create
a brand for the city.
Hollister City Council members have approved spending $5,425 toward the downtown association’s hiring of a consultant to create a brand for the city.
Council members approved the spending Monday in a 3-2 vote while acting as the Hollister Redevelopment Agency Board, as the funds come from the RDA.
While the city RDA will fund that portion, half of the money is coming from grant awarded by the Community Foundation for San Benito County.
Council members Doug Emerson, Victor Gomez and Pauline Valdivia approved of the spending, while Ray Friend and Robert Scattin dissented. They expressed concern about the lack of a bidding process that could have involved local businesses.
The HDA is seeking $5,425 from the Hollister City Council to hire consultants South Carolina-based Arnett Muldrow and Associates to create a brand for the community.
The firm, from Greenville, South Carolina, has created brands for more than 100 cities around the United States. The cost for a three-day community workshop is $10,850.
HDA Executive Director Brenda Weatherly has noted how instead of merely encompassing the downtown, the idea is to include “all of Hollister” in the branding.
Weatherly has said the reason the board is considering Arnett Muldrow is that the firm has a background in planning and economic development instead of advertising.
Weatherly shared a presentation put together by the consultants with the HDA board and examples of branding for other cities.
For Hollister, there would be a central Hollister brand. From that, the group would create other sub-brands and logos that incorporate some of the same elements.
Over the three days of the workshop, the consultants will hold a roundtable meeting with community stakeholders on the first day. The next day, they go out and take photos and see the community. On the last day, they present their logo and branding ideas.
