Greenville County Redevelopment Authority unveils new logo and website in celebration of National Community Development Week

GREENVILLE, SC – April 6, 2010 – To honor National CommunityDevelopment Week, the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority (GCRA)unveiled its new logo and website at the Brutontown Community Center.The organization will continue their celebration this afternoon with acommunity event in Brutontown from 4-6 p.m., which will include are-creation of the White House Easter Egg Roll.
 
Lauded by local leaders for their work in administering more than $3.5million in annual U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentfunding for Greenville County, GCRA showcased the new brand mark for theorganization, which features a homeowner figure with raised armsenclosed by an abstract letter “G” forming a roof line overhead.
 
“Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our communities’residents, and we are excited that our new logo and website representour continued promise to build and revitalize communities throughaffordable housing,” said Todd Yeomans, GCRA’s Board Chairman. “Just aswe assist many of our county’s homes in rehabilitating their appearanceand functionality, we wanted to update our own in an effort to gain theattention of potential homeowners and therefore fulfill our mission andlong-term goals.”

Above Photo: Speakers at this morning’s press conference unveil the new GCRA logo. Pictured from left to right are State Representative Chandra Dillard (District 23), GCRA Board Member Tom Van Norstrand, County Councilwoman Xanthene Norris, Brutontown resident Nathan Tate, GCRA Board Chairman Todd Yeomans and GCRA Executive Director Martin Livingston.

Above Photo: State Representative Karl Allen, District 25, greets Gwen Kennedy of the Neighborhood Housing Corporation of Greenville, Inc. at this morning’s National Community Development Week celebration as GCRA Board Member Fletcher Martin looks on. Kennedy is the former executive director of GCRA.
 
GCRA aids community revitalization by building new homes, rehabilitatingexisting homes, strengthening the infrastructures of the communities,as well as providing credit and homeownership education programs. Alongwith the unincorporated areas of Greenville, neighborhoods in FountainInn, Greer, Mauldin, Simpsonville and Travelers Rest also benefit fromgrants such as the HOME Partnership funds and Community DevelopmentBlock Grants.
 
GCRA works with 20 local small business homebuilders and generatesalmost $5 million in annual housing and infrastructure constructiondollars to the local economy. Since 2002, GCRA has assisted more than420 seniors or disabled homeowners with emergency repairs. All of GCRA’snew homes are built to Energy Star standards, lowering utility bills byas much as a 30% savings compared with other homes similar in size andlocation.
 
“I am passionate about helping make the dream of homeownership a realityfor many in our county,” said State Representative Chandra Dillard,District 23. “GCRA is making that happen and helping homeowners maintaintheir assets with key training and education about the oftenoverwhelming responsibility of owning a home.”
 
Through GCRA and partner agencies, potential homeowners are required totake more than six hours of homebuyer training and education. Since2002, GCRA has worked to place 150 families in new homes throughoutGreenville County, and despite the high foreclosure rates across thenation, GCRA homeowners remain in their homes.
 
“National Community Development Week is the perfect time for us tocelebrate the revitalization of our communities as well as our ownrevitalization as an organization by unveiling our new brand andlaunching our new website,” said Executive Director Martin Livingston.“We are very excited about how the new website will enable us to meetthe needs of homeowners and potential homeowners more efficiently, aswell as help us interact with partners and contractors to effectivelyservice our communities.”
 
GCRA hired DNA Creative Communications, a full-service communicationsfirm specializing in advertising, branding, e-communications, publicrelations and special event planning, to conduct a needs assessment anddevelop the new brand.
 
The annual recognition of National Community Development Week honors thenumerous accomplishments of the Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. This year marks the 24th consecutive celebration of localcommunities supported by the CDBG program.
 
The community event will take place today from 4-6 p.m. at theBrutontown Community Center, located at 200 Leo Lewis Street inGreenville. Guests will be able to participate in the Easter Egg Rolland a Homeowner’s Scavenger Hunt, tour GCRA’s available new homes, enjoyrefreshments and prizes, visit BB&T’s Homeownership Bank bus, seedemonstrations of the Community Center’s activities and peruse thechildren’s art show.
 
For more information about GCRA, please call 864-242-9801 or visit www.gcra-sc.org  toview the new website and brand.
 
About GCRA
GCRA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for low- andmoderate-income citizens of Greenville County by administering Housingand Urban Development (HUD) funds and developing community partnerships.GCRA takes a comprehensive approach to community revitalization bybuilding new homes, rehabilitating existing homes, and strengthening theinfrastructures of the communities, as well as providing credit andhomeownership education programs. GCRA works throughout GreenvilleCounty, including Fountain Inn, Greer, Mauldin, Simpsonville andTravelers Rest.