Organizers of webinar say Windham's on the rise again
Mar. 17—WINDHAM — A statewide downtown advocacy organization had kind words for Windham for bringing itself back from decades of hard times.
The Connecticut Main Street Center hosted a webinar titled " Branding Windham: Engaging the Community, Embracing the Future" Tuesday via Zoom.
The event virtually brought about 60 local politicians, business owners and residents together for discussion on rebranding Windham/ Willimantic.
The webinar covered Windham's downtrodden history starting in the 1970s to mid-1980s with the end of the textile industry, plus a negative perception stemming from the Hartford Courant's infamous " Heroin Town" articles in 2002.
With the help of a branding and marketing campaign, Windham is now on the rise again, event organizers said.
Windham's branding campaign was organized by Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc. and was overseen by the Windham Economic Development Commission.
Windham Director of Economic Development Jim Bellano, Windham Grants Manager Yuk Shan Li and Fitzgerald & Halliday Visual Communications Specialist Rachel Bright gave presentations during the event.
Bellano explained how the economic development office tried to put Windham back on the map by retaining and expanding current businesses, recruiting new businesses, pursuing grants and leveraging existing community assets.
Li said the community was involved during the process. " At the town, we believe that the community engagement process is one of the most important aspects of the branding and marketing campaign," Li said.
WEBINAR, Page 4
