The brand consulting firm Brand Endeavor recently revealed the visioning statement it created for the city of Ames. The statement reads:

“Ames, Iowa is the Heartland’s leading edge. As a city, we are committed to fostering innovation at the forefront of the world’s important issues that the Midwest is uniquely positioned to address, including agriculture, veterinary medicine, sustainability, development, diversity, education and health care.

For those who want the charms and convenience of a small town with the opportunities and amenities that come from a major university, Ames’ position at the Heartland’s leading edge creates a community — and a region — where everyone has opportunities to discover and thrive.”

Brand Endeavor presented the statement at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon and at a meeting Wednesday night. The purpose of the two events was to allow people in the Ames community to voice their ideas. 

“What we’re looking for is constructive, high-level feedback on the vision,” Christie Harper, president of Brand Endeavor, said on Tuesday. “What we’re looking for today is, if it’s not resonating with you, what needs to change in order for it to resonate.”

Harper and her team at Brand Endeavor created the visioning statement after conducting extensive research. Since February, Brand Endeavor has held 15 focus groups, analyzed eight competing cities and created an online survey, which was answered by 5,982 people. 

From these results, Brand Endeavor narrowed their analysis to a review of several factors: the competition (who they are and what they stand for), the stakeholders (who they are and what they need most) and the city (what residents want Ames to be known for and if Ames is known for it now). 

Brand Endeavor compared Ames to other Midwestern cities, such as Iowa City, Lawrence, Kan., Champaign, Ill., and West Lafayette, Ind. The firm found that Ames is competing in a field filled with “small town, big city” positionings. 

“There’s this real omnipresence of this ‘small-town feel, big-city amenities’ that come from an university that all of these towns are positioned around,” Harper said. 

When reviewing what Ames residents want to gain from living in Ames, the firm found that they want both cultural and economic opportunity, yet they do not know how to find it. 

“What we found is, as a community, and this is not going to surprise any of you, you know what you don’t want, but you don’t know what you do want,” Harper said. “Not everyone is on the same page with each other — that’s very clear, right?”

In its final area of insight, Brand Endeavor found that many residents want to see Ames claim “its place on the leading edge of the Midwest’s important issues.”

“You’re doing it already — you just aren’t owning it,” Harper said. “We think that’s the potential people want to tap into.”

Combining all three areas of insight, Brand Endeavor created its visioning statement for the city of Ames. 

At the luncheon on Tuesday, the majority of the attendees approved of the visoning statement. The only fear voiced by audience members was that Ames residents are too humble to broadcast to the rest of the world their accomplishments.

“If you don’t put yourselves out there and say, ‘This is how we want you to evaluate us,’ you’ll continue to be evaluated in whatever way anyone wants to evaluate you,” Harper said. “To a certain extent, you as a community have to step up and own what I think you’re already proud to be, but you kind of need to step into it and claim it.”

The next step in the vision project is for Brand Endeavor to refine the strategic plan based on citizen feedback. After taking this feedback into account, the firm will present its final vision to the Steering Committee June 13 and to the City Council June 14. The final document will be completed and delivered to the city the week of June 20.