LONE TREE

Five board members of the Lone Tree Economic Development Group gathered around the conference room table Monday, the sixth present virtually, peering into their phones at the final three logos created and refined by Robyn Hepker, a designer with Benson & Hepker Design of Iowa City.

One of them stood out to all of them as having the perfect balance of color, legibility, and messaging for the newly formed group.

“I think it shows the whole embodiment of what we were looking for in terms of agriculture, the tree, the unity, all of it,” Caitlin Ford said.

There was no question: that was the one.

An easy decision was a boon to the group, as it faces a hard deadline at the end of the month. Having won a Johnson County-funded 2025 Community Branding Grant of $5,000 from Greater Iowa City, Inc., they have until the end of June to submit receipts showing they paid $1,500 toward the logo and up to $3,500 in matching funds – that is, $7,000 total – for marketing materials such as shirts, stickers, and murals.

Time is ticking.

After deciding on the logo and discussing which area organizations might also use versions of it – the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce, Lone Tree Community Foundation, and Lone Tree Historical Society, perhaps – the board got down to official business: approving bylaws, officers, and a mission statement.

At present the board has six members: Ford, owner of Deeply Rooted Beauty and Boutique; Kim Hamm, a city council member; Gus Jones, owner of Gussie’s Paw Spa; Sam Nelson, vice president at F&M Bank; Tyler Hotz, superintendent of Lone Tree Schools; and Christina Magruder, owner of Design Elements. They hope to eventually add a seventh.

Ford will serve as the group’s first President; Hotz will serve as both Vice President and Secretary; and Nelson will serve as Treasurer.

After hearing suggestions for possible mission statements, read by Sarah Tompson, who is providing guidance on behalf of Johnson County/Greater Iowa City, the board chose the following as their mission going forward: “To empower our community’s economic growth and vitality through volunteer-driven initiatives that support local businesses, create jobs, and enhance quality of life.”

The board’s next step is to collect quotes for merchandise that will be used to market and promote Lone Tree prior to their next meeting June 16.