#ILoveWichita Campaign Strengthened by Partners

Chamber Board member Ben Hutton leads the 2017 Quality of Place Initiative. By Ben Hutton Chamber Board Lead for the Quality of Place Initiative Chairman and CEO of Hutton Construction In early 2015, the Chamber initiated a very informal grassroots "pride in place" campaign centered around a hashtag proposed by the Young Professionals of Wichita (YPW), #ILoveWichita, and the city's official flag. Collaborations with area businesses, media outlets, and other partners resulted in the creation of a positive platform and a microphone for those who believe in collaborating to create the best possible future for our region. Shelly Prichard with the Wichita Community Foundation said, "Whether highlighting a person, place or activity, we use #ILoveWichita to promote all the unique happenings in our community. We're proud to amplify the stories to both visitors and locals to encourage them to explore Wichita." The Quality of Place committee that I chair for the Chamber recently recommended leveraging this ongoing social media campaign in telling Wichita's success stories and improving perceptions of the region's quality of place. Implementing this recommendation included challenging our members to apply an #ILoveWichita decal to their front door to show community support and using the same hashtag in their company and personal social media postings. Our Chamber Chairman and CEO Gary Plummer recently met with three of our partner organizations to invite them to participate and further strengthen the campaign. They’ve enthusiastically agreed to encourage their board members and investors to actively support the campaign. My thanks to Shelly Prichard of the Wichita Community Foundation, Jeff Fluhr of the Greater Wichita Partnership, and Susie Santo of Visit Wichita who have committed to adopting and promoting this effort. All three are current members of the Chamber's Board who already work diligently to ensure that Wichita is the best place to visit as well as grow a business, family and career. Jeff Fluhr with the Greater Wichita Partnership recently applied the #ILoveWichita decal and said, "We are excited to be a partner with the Chamber in the Pride in Place Campaign. This is a dynamic time for Wichita and there is a noticeable increase in the community's pride; we are a City of tremendous opportunities!" We’ve also met with the current co-chairs of the Greater Wichita Partnership Perceptions Task Force (Jerry Jones, Moji Rosson and Laura Bernstorf) to brief them on our plans. We appreciate the dedication and spirit of collaboration of these three area leaders who are also supporting these efforts. Since its inception, this campaign has been fueled by pride, passion and partnerships. The inclusion of these important organizations in our ongoing efforts will further energize and amplify the reach of the campaign and add new enthusiasm for highlighting what's best about Wichita. Join the effort! It's easy for your business or organization to get involved, too. Simply contact Courtney Sendall at the Chamber (316-268-1153) to schedule a time to apply the #ILoveWichita decal to your door and begin implementing the hashtag in your social media postings. Together we can create a constantly updated digital brochure to share our passion for the region with each other, visitors to the area and other communities around the world. See the Chamber Update page in today's Wichita Eagle for a listing of some of the organizations and companies who have already applied the #ILoveWichita decal.