PAVE Progress Report at Community Breakfast

A great turnout this morning for the first PAVE Community Breakfast. 

The event included reports from Teutopolis and from Effingham County on their long-range visioning and the progress that has been seen.

PAVE is the acronym for Promoting a Vision for Effingham County. It's a volunteer effort working towards a 20-year vision of making Effingham County the best place to live, work and thrive. The PAVE components are Parks and Recreation, Housing, Workforce and Education, Childcare, and Festivals and Events.

(BRITTANY SUNDERMAN)

Brittany Sunderman, the PAVE Project Coordinator, shared the progress on the Effingham County front, while Dave Tegeler of the Teutopolis for Tomorrow MAPPING group, reviewed the progress seen in the village since their work in recent years.

Those gathered at Teutopolis Banquet Hall also heard from Ron Watkins, who serves as Associate Vice-President for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Illinois. 

(RON WATKINS)

Watkins shared that Value Propositions are a key to marketing a business. He said Value Propositions are generally centered in one of three areas:

--Operational Excellence (success in getting a product to customers in a quick and affordable manner)

--Customers Intimacy (letting customers that they are valued and appreciated by a business)

--Product Superiority (making sure that your product is best)

Watkins also shared the need for a business to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. He said the three ways a business can protect its position in the market are:

--brand

--offerings

--relationship

Watkins said that each of those need investment and create value that isn't on the balance sheet.

PAVE is always looking for more volunteers. For more information about any role in the planning process, contact Brittany Sunderman at effcopave@gmail.com or click the page image below to visit their Facebook page.