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ELKINS -- The City of Elkins and the City of Buckhannon have re-entered an advertising co-op with the West Virginia Department of Tourism to again promote both cities to people near Washington D.C.
Elkins City Council has voted in favor of Resolution 1946, which expends $6,934 in City Code § 31.07 funds to do another year of a Cooperative Advertising campaign in Tyson’s Corner Center with the City of Buckhannon through the West Virginia Department of Tourism. Third Ward council member Christopher Lowther and Fifth Ward council member Cody Thompson were absent from the meeting.
In July 2025, the two cities entered into an out-of-state marketing campaign in partnership with the state Department of Tourism. The campaign featured advertisements promoting Elkins and Buckhannon at Tysons Corner Center, a 2.1-million square-foot shopping center in McClean, Virginia, which sits just outside of Washington, D.C. The on-site advertising used at Tyson's Corner included digital ad panel networks, large format digital spectaculars, large sky banners, illuminated wall scapes and static backlit networks.
Before council voted on Resolution 1946, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco informed them that, during a special meeting that same day, Buckhannon City Council voted to rejoin the partnership and commit $6,000 to the endeavor.
Elkins City Treasurer Tracy Judy told council that City Attorney Geraldine Roberts recommended committing $7,000 to the co-op, while Judy had budgeted around $6,934 based on the population of the City of Elkins. The council was also informed that the West Virginia Department of Tourism would match the money both cities put into the co-op “dollar for dollar.”
Initially, Resolution 1946 allotted $6,600 from Elkins City Code § 31.07, which can only be used for advertising and promoting the City of Elkins and its vicinity, for the collaboration. After some deliberation, the council amended Resolution 1946 to instead allot $6,934, based on Judy’s budgeted amount.
This July, members of the council watched a presentation from the Department of Tourism's Cooperative Advertising Manager Destiny Workman regarding the success of the co-op. Also in attendance for the presentation were Buckhannon City Council members Randy Sanders and Jack Reger, as well as Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Cadence Ringer.
With the Tyson's Corner marketing campaign, Workman said the goal was to "directly engage high-potential travel intenders within the affluent Northern Virginia and D.C. metro markets." The campaign was set to position Elkins and Buckhannon as "premier basecamps for uncrowded outdoor adventure, authentic local charm and scenic beauty." The overall objective was to incentivize those who saw the advertising to trade the urban hustle for "peaceful and rejuvenating Mountain State getaways."
Workman said the Tyson's Corner advertisement campaign's "out-of-home" total impressions were 2,552,051. This was 58% more than the campaign's initial goal. On the digital and social media side, the campaign saw 1.1 million impressions and 11.2 thousand "clicks."
At the end of the presentation, all parties voiced interest in participating in the collaboration again. Elkins City Council, Sanders, Reger and Workman discussed possible plans for future advertising, including continuing focus on the Tyson's Corner area or possibly moving to the Pittsburgh area.
The Elkins City Council will meet again on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Phil Gainer Community Center.