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Decades-old organization will now be called Vía
BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 10, 2012 – Special Transit is no longer. Executive Director, Lenna Kottke, today officially announced the 33-year-old organization’s new brand name is Vía. “We provide our customers with mobility options that enable them to live a more self-sufficient and independent life, and our new name, Vía, captures that breadth of services we offer,” she said.
Building on a multi-year planning effort that resulted in the organization’s completion of a successful $11.7 million capital campaign and construction project which culminated in the opening of a new, sustainable 36,000-square-foot headquarters in January of 2011, the organization soon realized the physical space was not the only thing it had outgrown.
“That process helped us focus on our need to look at our growth in many areas, including the fact that we had also outgrown our name,” Kottke noted. “As a nonprofit, we did not take this process lightly. We know our stakeholders are highly invested in our organization and that played a large role in our decision. Our due diligence was extensive and thorough.”
The organization partnered with Boulder branding agency Vermilion to sift through the research, and to help weigh the risks of a name change versus the benefits of a new brand. “Changing the name of an organization is always a serious decision,” said Bob Morehouse, Vermilion’s CEO. “On balance, while the name Special Transit was well known, it didn’t capture the full extent of the organization’s strengths. The name ‘ Vía ‘ offers a fresh start, an opportunity to revitalize public awareness of this important community organization.”
“This is an exciting time for Vía,” said Gretchen Fapore, Via’s Board President and Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank. “The opportunity exists to introduce Vía and its range of services to more people in Colorado. As our population continues to age, more people will need to be aware of the services Vía provides.”
“As Vía looks to its future, the goals are clear.” Kottke said. “As an organization, we hope to continue to grow while gaining more financial stability in order to provide services well into the future. We look to improvements in technology to help guide efficiency while remaining focused on maximizing the human touch for those we serve.”
In addition to the new name and logo, the rollout includes new graphics for the organization’s vehicles, new uniforms for drivers, and a completely redesigned website, via2.wpengine.com. Vía has also added five new MV-1 vehicles to its fleet. The MV-1 is the first-ever mobility vehicle engineered from the ground up for wheelchair accessibility. It is the only vehicle in its class with an available OEM engineered and assembled compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling system. This allows the same durability, reliability and quality that is in gasoline-powered vehicles.
Why Vía?
Vía is the Latin word for road or path. It is short, yet both fresh and memorable. The new name Vía, represents the wider breadth of mobility services offered to the community. The organization’s goal is to be the one-call resource for people living with mobility limitations and for the greater community committed to increasing access and inclusion for this population.
About Vía
Vía, formerly Special Transit, is a nonprofit that exists to provide its customers with mobility options that enable them to live a more self-sufficient and independent life.
Vía provides service in 19 communities in five counties in Colorado.
Vía is a full-spectrum “mobility manager” providing accessible on-demand transportation, individual and group travel training, and mobility options information and referral for older adults, people with disabilities, low-income individuals and others living with mobility limitations. Vía also serves the community through volunteer driver training programs, disability awareness education and advocacy, human service collaborations and partnerships, community transit offerings and contracting capabilities.