STEELE CREEK NEWS

Branding Effort Aims to Dispel Misconceptions about Steele Creek

(February 27, 2018) Many people tend to overlook Steele Creek or lump us in with other areas of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. (See It's Steele Creek, Not Southwest Charlotte! and Just Where is Steele Creek?) Steele Creek has a strong local identity that needs to be embraced and maintained.

William Hodges, who is with New Forum, Inc. and is Leasing Agent for Ayrsley, has been working with a team of local leaders to promote the Steele Creek Brand. He presented an overview of the effort at the 2018 Steele Creek Residents Association Annual Meeting on February 22.

Through discussions with the leadership team and at a Community Meeting in July, three major misconceptions about Steele Creek were identified:

• Misconception #1 – Education
  
  The largest misconception is the quality of the education system in Steele Creek, which is viewed as marginal when in fact Olympic’s innovative programs provide strong professional training.
  
  
• Misconception #2 – Location
  
  Steele Creek is not remote an inaccessible. No other area outside of I-485 provides easier connectivity not only to Charlotte’s central business district but also to Metro Charlotte as whole.
  
  
• Misconception #3 – Economic Diversity
  
  A third misconception is that Steele Creek offers little beyond the airport and industrial manufacturing. We are an economically diverse submarket with a perfect balance of world class retail, Class A office space, and established manufacturing, complemented by a wide range of newer and older residential options that provide the most culturally diverse residential mix in Charlotte.

Several efforts are underway to promote Steele Creek Branding:

• The development of a logo that can be used on street signs and as a graphic in publications and for other purposes. Bumper/window stickers with the logo are available at Steele Creek Printing and Design, 12255 Nations Ford Rd Suite A in Pineville, Phone: (704) 583-0600.
  
  
• The publication of a special advertising insert in the Charlotte Business Journal last September. See Development in Steele Creek, September 8, 2017. It included articles on Steele Creek History, Development and Small Business Opportunities, the Award-Winning Education System, and Entertainment.
  
  
• Plans to install "Welcome to Steele Creek" signs with the new logo at key locations throughout the community.
  
  
  
  
• The replacement of signs on I-485 Exit 4 that say "Fort Mill" with ones that say "Steele Creek Road." Steele Creek's State Representative Chaz Beasley is working with NCDOT and the State Legislature staff to identify funding to replace the signs. Steele Creek is not a cut through to Fort Mill. The exit needs to have the name of one of Steele Creek's main roads on its signs like other exit signs do. See I-485 Exit 4 Signs Should Say "Steele Creek Road" not "Fort Mill".

Hodges said, “A brand is more than a logo or a product. As the Steele Creek community continues to grow it is important that we are perceived as just that – a community. The sum is greater than the parts and the more Steele Creek is portrayed for what it is the better. Olympic High School is Steele Creek. Location is Steele Creek. Affordability is Steele Creek. Ayrsley, TopGolf, McDowell Nature Preserve are all Steele Creek. All these qualities and experiences combine to make our community what it is, and it is important that our brand embodies all of these great qualities.”

See the presentation slides below, or click here: Steele Creek Branding Presentation, to view and download a PDF version of the presentation.