How Augusta, Georgia, Uses Soofa Signs as a Community Asset

Augusta, Georgia, is located on the border of South Carolina, and is considered the Garden City of the South. It’s known as the birthplace of singer James Brown, the location of the Masters’ Golf Tournament, and its rich culture. 

Augusta first partnered with Soofa to bring our discontinued solar powered benches to their community, and are now making a huge difference with Soofa’s solar powered community signs. We talked to Katherine Bonner, Project Coordinator for Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, to see how the community has been using their three Soofa Signs and what people think.

Community Engagement 

Q: How have community members responded to Soofa Signs?

A: So at first we had intense pushback, especially from some of the people that were traditionally old Augusta and old downtown. But it only took a little time talking to people and education to change their perspective. 

By the time we did our ribbon cutting a couple weeks later, some of those same people were the ones who came to the event and said, “Hey, this is an amazing resource now that we've gotten to know it a little bit better.” I think once they realized, “Wait, these are actually here to serve us and be a tool for the community for everyone no matter what,” people started getting excited about using the signs.

Q: How does Augusta use Soofa Signs?

A: We have some different nonprofits, entertainment groups, and festivals coming up and people said, “We are so excited to use this as a way to showcase what we're doing in the community, and how awesome is it that we've got these different interaction points where we can be visible in that way, not just a poster in a window, but something that's a little bit more dynamic as well.”

Early on, it was important for us to see how quickly and efficiently we could find the best way to disseminate information and make sure people have the access, not just to send it to us, but that we're removing as many barriers as we can to make sure that information gets out to the community. So that was on our end, just how can we be efficient about this but also make sure that we're getting the right information out.

We want to amplify a lot of different organizations, voices, and events. We're here to be of service to downtown and its residents' businesses. So Soofa Signs have been a really great way for us to do that and even enhance relationships with existing partners, whether that's public, private or citizen.

Q: What inspired the Augusta vinyl design? 

A: We had some joint branding that we'd all done prior to the Soofa process that we've incorporated to our social media and website, and thought it was a perfect opportunity to utilize that and make the signs really vibrant. We have so many people who take photos with them and we'll come across them on Facebook, Google and Yelp. It’s super fun to see that people are engaging with the Soofa Signs as a fun tourist point. 

Soofa Signs Technology 

Q: How have things changed on your Soofa Signs since implementing our new Facebook Widget?

A: We are definitely an organization that has moved into the digital age, not just with Soofa Signs but how we brand ourselves and communicate. We were excited when we saw the different ways we could utilize the widgets and Facebook for different things. Facebook is a platform that we already use not daily, but more than several times a week.

We can share not just our content, but we can very easily share something that's happening in the community. Just push a button and we can share event information, or a great photo of downtown.

So not just seeing words, but getting to have that photo moment too makes Soofa Signs even more dynamic and makes them something that really pushes that technology forward. It also gets the community more enticed as they walk by and see the signs.

Augusta’s Soofa Partnership 

Q: What has it been like working with the Soofa Team?

A: There's this great ecosystem within Soofa because every team knows their wheelhouse, and every team knows where to collaborate, where to pass off, and where to connect.

Every person that we've talked to at any point in the process at Soofa is so passionate about the company, the products, the different capabilities that everything has, and the forward momentum Soofa has. So for us, that's always exciting because if you've got somebody who's really passionate about what they do, and there's always a drive to keep moving forward, it's easy to get on that train.

Daniel West Cohen had been our entry point and was such a wonderful representative of Soofa and the kiosks, but also a really great advocate for Soofa as a company. For us, we felt like we really had a partnership there. So it was helpful knowing that there were a lot of different pieces of the process that needed to come together to make the signs come to life. We loved that we were able to connect with him throughout the beginning process.

The fact that there are more widgets coming out every week and every month is amazing. We even had an ask from a partner that we wanted to see if there was a way to upgrade some technology, and the programming team said, “Actually, we can make that happen,” and they did.

Also the fact that everything with Soofa Signs is a one stop shop -  that it creates its own power from the sun, and that we could work with the Soofa team to figure out the best way to mechanize that. Not just locations that were opportune for community members to see the signs, but for ensuring that the signs had consistent power.

And we're looking forward to seeing how we can continue to grow with Soofa, better communicate, collaborate and better serve our community through the signs.

Want to bring Soofa Signs to your community? Email hi@soofadigital.com and fill out our landowner interest form to get started. 

To be featured as a city spotlight, email hi@soofadigital.com.