Golden Shovel Agency Helps Northeastern Oregon Get a Leap on Economic Recovery with 360-Degree Video and Virtual Reality

Electric Cooperative Uses PlaceVR Immersive Technology to Attract Future Visitors with Virtual Reality Tours

BAKER CITY, OR -- When you experience the opening of the new 360-degree video released by Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative to promote economic development in Baker County, your brain is going to think that you’re sitting in an old covered wagon. Then it’s going to think that you’re swooshing down a mountain slope and later enjoying an afternoon relaxing at a local brewery. That is all possible because of Golden Shovel Agency’s PlaceVR Technology.

PlaceVR is leading the way in the utilization of 360-degree video and virtual reality for economic development and workforce attraction and is now helping organizations like Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative attract interest to their community while travel restrictions and COVID-19 concerns keep people from visiting in person.

“The Baker County video really captures every aspect of the community; from the vastness of the landscape to the character of downtown Baker City,” said Lea Gettle, Manager of Administration and Strategic Services for the electric cooperative located in northeastern Oregon. “When we were out shooting all of the footage, I couldn’t imagine how it was all going to get put together into a cohesive message. The Golden Shovel Agency team made it seem easy, although I know how much work went into getting the finished product.”

Aaron Brossoit, CEO of Golden Shovel Agency, speaks at conferences all over the country, educating economic development leaders about how 360-degree video and virtual reality can be used to remove barriers of time and distance to reach more people.

“Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative recognized that they need to be innovative in order to get the attention of people who would be open to their message,” said Aaron. “They’re also showing that they’re progressive and that they’re willing to use technology to stay relevant and be competitive.”

The Cooperative plans to take virtual reality goggles with them to events and send them to site selectors across the nation. Because they’ll be able to give people tours of Baker County from anywhere, they will increase the number of people that they can reach with their message of liveability and opportunity, with the ultimate goal of sustaining the vibrancy of their community.

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative partnered with numerous Bakey County businesses and organizations to create the video.

The video is available to view online here: https://vimeo.com/375440105/cd1c50f5d6

OREGON TRAIL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE (OTEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that serves over 31,000 homes and businesses in four counties in Eastern Oregon. Headquartered in Baker City, OTEC has district offices in Burns, John Day, and La Grande. Learn more at https://otec.coop/

GOLDEN SHOVEL AGENCY is a Minnesota-based full-service economic development firm specializing in workforce attraction for economic and community development. The Economic Gateway Web system includes an expandable and on-demand content management system (CMS) and a robust social media implementation strategy. Learn how you can bring VR technology to your organization at http://www.placevr.net