Think Carroll First

The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce has launched the Think Carroll First Campaign. This campaign is a community wide branding. It is a reminder for citizens that they can get everything they want here in their home, Carroll County. 

The Chambers website states that their main goal is “Growing Business in Our Community”. They focus on “Building a Stronger Business Community by Engaging Progressive Leadership and Diverse Resources.” Think Carroll First is planning to become a major resource for the county. It was created to support all things Carroll County from shopping, dining  and services to exploring all the county has to offer. The intent of the campaign is for all businesses, education, government, and nonprofits to promote their programs and services using the Think Carroll First slogan with their own unique focus. The campaign wants those getting involved to choose positive words that describe their business such as dine, buy, serve, or visit to replace the Think in the sentence Think Carroll First. Residents will soon see signs all around that say Dine Carroll First, Shop Carroll First, Bank Carroll First, etc.  

The Think Carroll First campaign was launched during the 62nd Annual Dinner of the Chamber of Commerce earlier this year. The President of the Chamber, Daniel Jackson, announced the launch of the campaign. It is a campaign that the chamber believes is beyond just retail and dining and making cash registers ring but a chance to expand and remind citizens to choose Carroll first.  A big thank you was given to Kelly Meigs, who is the Chair of the Chambers Business Development Committee and was the leader of the concept and design efforts for the campaign. Community launch events were held in Downtown Carrollton, Villa Rica and Bowdon in early February to spread the word and being to get businesses and citizens involved. 

The inspiration behind creating Think Carroll First began with wanting to expand the chamber’s reach. “A lot of chambers prompt shopping local, but realizing we have so many more offers through the county for residents, workers, students, and visitors, we wanted to expand outreach,” said Chamber Senior VP and Business Development Donna Lackey. “We brought together several marketing executives from local businesses to conceptualize the campaign.” 

Businesses such as local banks, restaurants and gyms around the county are already geared up and promoting the slogan. As local businesses invest and embrace Think Carroll First, it can impact the economic development and bring jobs to the area. The campaign promises to reach all generations and wants the entire community to become involved, not just chamber members. “We are already seeing a buzz with the social media exposure. Our goal is for participants to attract sales and activity to their enterprise before the customers leave the county,” said Lackey. “The campaign wants people to know that if you “Think Carroll first, pretty much anything you need can be found in Carroll County,” added Lackey. 

The Chamber has Think Carroll First kits that supply businesses with materials to get started using this logo with their own brand. Anyone wanting to get involved or obtain a kit is encouraged to visit the website  www.carroll-ga.org or stop by the Chamber.