The Siuslaw news., February 14, 2018, WEDNESDAY EDITION, Page 9A, Image 9

SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Revolution
from 1A
“Over the course of the three
years of our show, we’ve
received nearly 30,000 nomina-
tions from communities who
know that their small towns are
special and love supporting their
small businesses,” Brinkman
said. “This year we had 10
incredible communities.”
After the announcement,
Huntingdon said, “I would like
to think it’s because we’re
already too good. When Small
Business Revolution visited,
they were very open with the
fact they were looking for some-
thing very specific — communi-
ties that need the help and assis-
tance. Maybe Florence doesn’t
need it as badly as the other
communities that were picked.
Maybe the other towns didn’t
have that energy to begin with.
“Honestly, I think we can
basically do what they were
going to help us with on our
own. The extra money and the
expertise would help, but I think
we can rally the community to
do this on our own.”
In an email, Cameron Potts,
vice president of public relations
and community management for
Deluxe, said, “Please know this
decision is not in any way a
reflection on Florence or the
work you are all doing to build
up your downtown. … My
entire team was humbled and
honored to visit Florence and we
were moved not only by the wel-
come and reception you put on,
but by the extreme passion of
your community leaders and
businesses for Florence. I saw
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$100 -First Pr
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$50 Second P
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$25 Third Pr
Friday, Feb 16 th
6:30PM
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the pride in the faces of the peo-
ple we met and I know there are
great things in store for you
moving forward.
“Overall, you have already
done the heavy lifting in creat-
ing momentum within your
Main Street district to revitalize
and continue to celebrate down-
town. I hope that the recognition
from Deluxe and the Small
Business Revolution will be the
catalyst for ongoing conversa-
tions and community pride mov-
ing forward.”
To live stream the event in
Florence, Robbie Wright and
Neil Ecker, both of Siuslaw
Broadband and Hyak, worked
with Kathy Stone, owner of
River Roasters.
“My wife and I were here
Friday night — quick plug for
River Roasters, they’re now
open late on Friday nights —
and I had the passing idea that
since we’re all going to be up
and watching the announcement
anyway, why don’t we come
here and watch it?” Wright said.
He brought a TV, hooked it up
to the Siuslaw Broadband Free
Wi-Fi network, and he and
Ecker monitored the streaming
of the event.
“We really did rally to make it
this far, and I am proud of every-
one,” Florence City Manager
Erin Reynolds said. “It’s people
like Kathy who made it possible
for us to even get into the top 10,
as well as the other small busi-
nesses that are gathered in this
room and, of course, amazing
community champions like you
all. … I was sure we were going
to make it into the top 5, but in
my heart, you are No. 1. We will
keep on being Florence and
being awesome. There is a lot to
come.”
Florence took on the motto
“A City in Motion” in 2015.
Thanks to efforts from the
Downtown Revitalization Team,
the
upcoming
ReVision
Florence Streetscaping Project
and multiple other improve-
ments, the city gets to harness
that momentum.
One thing on the radar is that
Deluxe Corporation plans to
return to Florence in March to
hold a business seminar.
According to Huntingdon, it
will be a full day at the Florence
Events Center, with a lecture in
the theater in the morning and a
breakout session for small group
work in the afternoon.
“It will basically be a mini
‘Small Business Revolution,’”
she said. “They will be doing
branding, marketing, some busi-
ness planning and even financial
small groups. … The focus is on
businesses and nonprofits, but I
think it will be open to every-
one.”
A small fee will be required to
cover the cost of lunch, and peo-
ple will need to RSVP.
More information will be
available in the coming weeks.
Huntingdon said, “Comm-
unication back and forth
between the towns has been so
positive. Any of them that wins
is going to be worthy. I hope to
stay involved in the voting, and I
hope other people do, too. It’s
been a fun process.”
“We just want to maximize
this momentum,” Florence Area
Chamber
of
Commerce
Executive Director Bettina
Hannigan said. “As a communi-
ty, we need to embrace when
people step forward and want to
do something different and grow
their business.”
Hannigan explained that peo-
ple often have a “knee-jerk reac-
tion” to change, and don’t neces-
sarily encourage it. However,
she added, “Thinking outside
the box is what is going to make
progress happen.”
One Facebook user, Joy
Monroe, said, “Now would be a

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9 A
good time for the group to eval-
uate and make a plan to just
deep clean inside businesses,
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like crazy. You’d be surprised
how much a little love can do.”
The City of Florence and the
Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce already have com-
munity groups dedicated to revi-
talizing the Old Town and
Highway 101 area, such as the
Downtown Revitalization Team
and Florence Urban Renewal
Agency, as well as the
Economic
Development
Committee and Public Art
Committee. With the Highway
101 ReVision, the attention will
begin to pull focus back toward
the town center, and a new
group, the Uptown 101
Committee, is seeking members
to target business growth in the
north part of town.
In addition, multiple commu-
nity groups, nonprofits, busi-
nesses and people regularly vol-
unteer for street cleanups, dona-
tion events and the Power of
Florence/Power of One, one day
a year dedicated to the mainte-
nance and beautification of area
parks and businesses.
“People need to be willing to
be the boots on the ground,”
Hannigan said. “Get out and
make a connection, or volunteer
with RAIN, the Small Business
Development Center or the
chamber. Or, if you’re a business
owner or want to improve, carve
out time to take a course. Our
momentum will only continue if
people engage and move.”
A big part of that will be the
continued kindness, involve-
ment and willingness to com-
promise, Hannigan said, as peo-
ple work together to build up
Florence and the Siuslaw region.
At the close of Tuesday morn-
ing’s announcement, Florence
Mayor Joe Henry said, “Just the
publicity and the benefits we’ve
gotten from being in the Small
Business Revolution’s top 10
really do make us winners in this
community. It shows how
important this is to us when all
of you show up at 4 a.m.”
Henry
then
thanked
Huntingdon, her committee and
other instrumental community
members. “What a town!” he
said.
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