Brush is a small Northeast Colorado community with a Census 2000 population of 5,117. The city is located on the plains 90 miles northeast of Denver, with Interstate Highway 76 providing convenient access to the Denver Metropolitan Area and Denver International Airport. State Highway 71 bisects Brush on a north-south route and is slated for improvements as part of the Ports to Plains Route that will stretch from Mexico to Canada. 

The Brush Area Chamber of Commerce / Main Street Program retained Downtown Professionals Network (DPN) to facilitate the completion of a Downtown Market Analysis Study. The project was designed to identify Downtown Brush's strategic advantages based on an economic profile and retail report that was created to highlight key findings and to promote entrepreneurial opportunities.  

The planning process emphasized input from community leaders, business people and residents, especially their perspectives on opportunities for the future of Downtown Brush. Their input, along with information and data collected through local surveys completed by Brush Main Street Program staff and volunteers and information from other sources, was used to develop strategies for downtown Brush business development and marketing efforts.

Project goals and objectives achieved throughout the course of the study include:

Consumer Study

• Profile existing and potential downtown Brush consumer segments

• Identify and gauge consumer attitudes and preferences related to the patronage of downtown and its “identity”

• Identify marketing, advertising and promotional vehicles that will effectively reach targeted consumer segments

• Identify potential business types, uses and activities that consumers view as being part of the “right mix”

Business Study

• Profile the existing downtown business mix

• Identify and gauge the business community’s status and outlook regarding potential growth and opportunities

• Gauge the effectiveness of current marketing, advertising and promotional efforts

• Identify possible business assistance programs, services and incentives that could catalyze redevelopment, improvements, expansions and entrepreneurial opportunities

• Identify potential business types, uses and activities that businesses view as being part of the “right mix”

Results of the study are providing direction for Brush Chamber of Commerce / Main Street committees. Specific actions for business retention and expansion, business recruitment, marketing and design-related enhancements are being incorporated as part of the program's work plan. A "Top Prospects" list for business expansion and recruitment is providing direction for the identification and pursuit of specific business prospects that could capitalize on existing and emerging opportunities in the marketplace.  

Market Analysis & Business Development Strategy

The area was first known as a livestock region, and this continued when the railroad arrived, with Brush becoming a shipping center for cattle and other livestock. Today it is still known as a major livestock center with three livestock auction businesses. Agriculture in the region has always been a big part of the economy, from the very beginning with the early irrigation projects, right up through today with production of record crops each year.

Brush is a regional retail and commercial center for business as well as a transportation center for the railroad and trucking industries. The Downtown Brush Trade Area defined as part of the study includes the communities of Akron, Brush, Fort Morgan, Hillrose, Snyder and Woodrow.

Marketing, promotion and business development strategies that appeal directly to the composite target market’s demographic and lifestyle characteristics identified in the study offer great potential to strengthen Downtown Brush’s position in the marketplace.  

Looking Ahead – Downtown Brush! Market Analysis and Business Development Strategy is a project of the Brush Area Chamber of Commerce / Main Street Program.  The Colorado Community Revitalization Association provided support for the project. DPN is proud to be Brush’s partner in this exciting venture and is sincerely grateful to all that participated and contributed toward the project’s success.