Coeur d’Alene’s Jobs Plus rebrands itself with new name

Jobs Plus is rebranding itself with the new name: the Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Agency.

Local business leaders formed the organization in 1987 to help diversify Kootenai County’s job base. While the Jobs Plus name has a lot of recognition locally, it’s less descriptive to the companies the nonprofit is trying to recruit, said Gynii Abracosa Gilliam, the president.

“We’re trying to rebrand and we’re going with simplicity,” she said.

The Jobs Plus name often gave people the impression that the nonprofit was an employment agency, Gilliam said. People would stop by the office with their resumes, asking about job openings.

The new name does a better job of reflecting the agency’s role in growing the local economy, she said. The agency has helped more than 90 companies relocate to North Idaho.

“Some people are telling us that we’ll always be Jobs Plus to them,” Gilliam said.

That’s OK, she said. Jobs Plus will remain the organization’s legal name, which will do business as the Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Agency.