A survey funded by a new grant award will collect the experience of living and working in Whitewater and help boost local marketing efforts. The survey will inform a promotional campaign to help the city compete for and attract residents, visitors and businesses. The survey link will be available for residents and employees in late October.

The USDA recently awarded UW-Madison Extension a $48,000 Rural Business Development Grant to meet a need identified by Whitewater businesses during a previous effort. While conducting a small business retention and expansion project in Whitewater via a separate USDA grant awarded last year, business owners frequently mentioned a desire to promote the city and connect the residential, visitor and university markets.

The new grant will utilize the structure and mission of the Whitewater Marketing Alliance to meet that business-identified demand. The Alliance includes the City of Whitewater, Downtown Whitewater, the Whitewater Chamber of Commerce, the Whitewater Unified School District, UW-Whitewater and the Greater Whitewater Committee.

Results from the community survey will be used in a set of tools to promote the city, including messaging and outreach, in addition to workshops on how to apply the tools. The survey links are listed below if you would like to participate:
Whitewater residents link here: https://tinyurl.com/WhitewaterResident
Commuters link here: https://tinyurl.com/WhitewaterCommuter