A year after the derailment, East Palestine, Ohio, is rebranding

One year after a Norfolk Southern derailment forced the some 5,000 residents of East Palestine, Ohio, to evacuate, the community rolled out a new logo and tagline.

Village Mayor, Trent Conaway, recently introduced East Palestine’s new logo and tagline, “Pride. Tradition. Progress.” The old logo, from before the toxic 38-car derailment blackened the sky, was a circular seal showing a sun with rays beaming over a field. The new logo shows hand-drawn village landmarks as the community focuses on economic development.

“We still want to keep our small-town feel, but it would be nice to have some more development coming to town,” Conaway said at a press conference.

WRL Advertising, a marketing firm in Canton, Ohio, that’s worked with clients including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was tapped by East Palestine for the project in November. Working on an abbreviated timeline to deliver assets in time for the anniversary of the derailment, the firm did two discoveries and found that “a lot of people had the same things to say,” says WRL advertising president Jeff LeBeau.

“It’s a very small, close-knit, warm community that’s very supportive, working class. They also found that a lot of families are four or five generations in the area, so they’ve been going to the same schools and sports, a lot of small-town pride, an extremely resilient group of people,” LeBeau tells Fast Company. “We really wanted to focus and try to get that message out.”

Researchers at Cleveland State University estimate the derailment resulted in an annualized household loss of $10.3 million, in addition to other costs like long-term health impacts, a loss of tax revenue, and costs associated with housing issues and loss of businesses.

“To me that stigma’s going to take time to wear off, but all we can do is do that positive promotion,” Keith Drabick, East Palestine’s fire chief, said at the press conference.

The logo is a public-facing symbol for a larger effort to revitalize the community’s economy. As part of its recompense, Norfolk Southern announced $500,000 for the village last August to hire a private-sector economic development consultant and develop a long-term economic development strategy. That strategy will include spotlights on individual businesses in town, traditional advertising, and efforts to reach consumers over the state border in Pennsylvania.

“We’re trying to get a marketing brand for our village so that people will want to come here,” Village Manager Chad Edwards told Spectrum News.