City is in the running for a $500,000 investment and starring role on a television series
CAMAS — Tuesday was a historic day for Camas. The city has qualified for the Top 6 Towns in the Small Business Revolution Main Street competition and is in the running for a $500,000 investment, a starring role on a Hulu TV series, and life-changing makeovers to local businesses.
Typically only five towns are chosen, but this year they threw in a twist and chose six towns. Camas is the only town on the west coast chosen in this competition and with a win, would be the first west coast town in this acclaimed series.
And now, Camas needs the help of area residents.
The winner among the six remaining towns will be determined by a public vote – and the voting period is open now for a week. Camas residents, local businesses and advocates are calling on everyone who loves Camas to cast their vote on the Small Business Revolution website (www.smallbusinessrevolution.org) once per day per email. In addition, people can spread the word via social media using the hashtag #MyCamas, and you can see more about the #MyCamas movement at www.mycamas.net.
Simple steps to vote:
Go to www.smallbusinessrevolution.org
Vote for Camas
Vote once per day per email address through Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.
Camas has overcome long odds to get into the Top 6 Towns, having been one of more than 12,000 towns from across the country to submit nominations for the competition. With voting underway, the community accumulating the most votes will receive a $500,000 investment, which includes assistance and transformation of six small businesses — all of which will be filmed on location in Camas as part of an 8-part original Hulu TV series hosted by Ty Pennington and Amanda Brinkman.
“We are beside ourselves with excitement to be in the Top 6. This is an incredible opportunity for all of us here in Camas to receive not just funding, but national exposure along with advice and mentorship from nationally-renowned marketers,” said Carrie Schulstad, executive director for the Downtown Camas Association. “Cities that have previously been featured on the show have said it’s been transformational for them, and we couldn’t be more excited to be in the running to be part of this incredible project.
“Camas is a mill town in transition. We have worked hard together to revitalize our town and keep our authentic small town experience which is so important to preserve. We have an extensive amount of growth all around us and we want to stay vibrant and relevant. We need help preserving and strengthening this little slice of Americana.
“The pride Camas residents have in our town is one of the city’s best attributes, and we’re calling on people to display that pride by taking just a few moments every day for the next week to vote,” continued Schulstad. “The #MyCamas movement has been phenomenal to watch and we need to take it to even greater heights over the next week.”
In November it was announced that among the 12,000-plus applications submitted to the show, Camas had made the Top 10 Towns. In January, a crew from the show, including host Amanda Brinkman, visited Camas as city leaders, local businesses and advocates made their pitch for why Camas should make the Top 5.
The Small Business Revolution Main Street series showcases one small town and six of its small businesses each year. 2019 will be Season 4. The efforts are funded by Deluxe Corporation, a company that has been working with small businesses in marketing and finance for over a century.
The goal of the show is to document the joys and challenges of owning a small business, why supporting small businesses is so important to communities everywhere, and the powerful changes that can happen when effective and creative marketing and business management techniques are employed. The overall efforts lead to community pride and investment on a grand scale. Prior seasons can be watched on Hulu, YouTube or on www.smallbusinessrevolution.org.
For town video, photos and info, visit https://www.deluxe.com/small-business-revolution/main-street/camas-wa/.
For more information, visit www.mycamas.net, www.smallbusinessrevolution.org or www.facebook.com/smallbizrev
Information provided by Downtown Camas Association.
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