News & Events
PlaceVR Technology Makes Agricultural Safety Training Memorable and Easy to Deliver for Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
Golden Shovel Produces 360-Degree Video to Teach Ag Workers About the Hazards of Working Near Power Poles and Lines
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative has released a new training video that aims to reduce the number o...
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Collaborates With Golden Shovel Agency to Save Lives With Downed Power Line Safety Video
360-Degree Video and Virtual Reality Fills a Big Gap to Teach People What To Do in a Vehicle-Power Pole Crash
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC), in collaboration with Golden Shovel Agency, has released ...
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Teaches Safety Protocol for First Responders with PlaceVR Technology
360-Degree Video Created by Golden Shovel Agency Stimulates What It's Like to Be on an Accident Scene
First Responders now have a better way to learn safety protocol for approaching a vehicle crash that involves a downed power pol...
This Idea’s Time Has Come
Apr 20 2020I know what Victor Hugo meant when he wrote, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” I know this because as we have all been slammed into this new reality that we live in with the COVID-19 pandemic, an idea that the team at Golde...
On Monday, February 3, 2020, Golden Shovel's Aaron Brossoit will share insights about how virtual reality is changing workforce attraction and retention. This insightful presentation will offer video examples that communities are using to shape the future.
Mr. Brossoit's presentation will be part of the Klan Gohar's opening keynote address, "Building th...
By 24-7 Press Release
York, NE: York County Development Corporation (YCDC) is pleased to announce the availability of a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) tour that provides prospective businesses and site selection consultants with a full-immersion experience of the York region from anywhere in the world. The PlaceVR tour, created by Golde...
Article originally posted on cooperatives.com by Victoria Rocha on October 31, 2019
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative’s economic development website entices users to explore “the spirit of the Western frontier” in its beautiful and rugged service area.
With “mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes, Eastern Oregon is simultaneously breathtaking and accessible,” reads the website...
Autonomous driving cars, artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing and the sharing economy are all examples of how new technology is changing the landscape of our communities. How to anticipate and prepare for these changes was a common theme of the recent Southern Economic Development Council’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, the Texa...
Presenting the Power of PlaceVR
Jul 25 2019By Aaron Brossoit, Golden Shovel's CEO
Relationships are key in economic development. A lot of deals come down to a handshake. But let’s face it: this puts smaller, more remote communities at a disadvantage in business attraction since site selectors don’t often have the time and money to visit smaller towns.
Whe...
By 24-7 Press Release
Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site Collaborates with Golden Shovel Agency to Bring Virtual Reality Experience to Visitors
(Little Falls, MN, May 24, 2019) – Visitors to the Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site can now experience the expansive trails and outlying structures with an immersive virtual reality (VR) experienc...
Economic developers face an uphill battle to get site selectors and executives to visit their community and tour available properties. With site selectors scouting locations throughout the country, and potentially the world, it can take months or years of concerted efforts to arrange for a FAM tour. VR technology i...
By Aaron Brossoit
Golden Shovel Agency unveiled PlaceVR in Toronto at the 2017 International Economic Development Council’s Annual Conference. Our team showcased the first 360 videos of familiarization tours and site tours to the industry. For economic development professionals promoting their regions, these spherical videos are the best way to virtuall...
Marc Andreesen said “Software is eating the world” and that is increasingly true. The most valuable businesses today are software companies that have replaced enterprises in older industries. Likewise, digitally-enhanced economic development organizations (EDOs) are making traditional ones obsolete. The most out-of-touch economic development professionals are either unaware this is happening...
By 24-7 Press Release
Attracting workers and businesses is the name of the economic development game today and Executive Director for York County Development Corporation, Lisa Hurley has a game changing strategy. On November 16, 2017, York, NE will begin production on virtual reality tours to bring awareness to the area.
Golden Shovel Agency...
APEX Debuts 360-Degree Virtual Reality Tour
Sep 20 2017By 24-7 Press Release
Duluth, MN: The Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX) is pleased to announce the availability of a 360-degree virtual reality(VR) tour that provides prospective business partners and site selection consultants a full-immersion experience of the APEX region from anywhere in the world. The PlaceVR tour, created by Golden Shovel Agency...
By 24-7 Press Release
APEX, JOCO and Little Falls, MN were the first three communities to unveil their immersion videos created by Golden Shovel Agency.
LITTLE FALLS, MN – In front of an intrigued group of economic development professionals at IEDC in Toronto, Canada, Aaron Brossoit, CEO of Golden Shovel Agency, unveile...
Imagine teleporting to your favorite vacation spot, climbing the Himalayas or a soaking up the sun on a distant island. This can all be done from the comfort of your home, without fighting traffic at a crowded airport. Virtual teleportation is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but realit...
The Golden Shovel Team is Unveiling the Latest in Economic Marketing Innovation at IEDC 2017
Sep 11 2017Come witness something brand new to economic development, where Golden Shovel will be unveiling the latest economic marketing innovation at IEDC in Toronto.
We will showcase three elite communities who are “virtually” disrupting the industry during the conference on September 17-20 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
“Virtually” impossible to miss! Se...
By Aaron Brossoit
Research suggests over 60% of the internet traffic is video. We are captivated by videos and we retain information better when video accompanies content. Additionally, websites using video for promotion gain better organic search engine rankings. If you are not using video to promote your community, here ar...
By Aaron Brossoit
How do you reach a CEO sitting in a boardroom, a thousand miles away or across the world? How do you capture the imagination and attention of a site developer sitting at their mahogany desk, sifting through a mile-high stack of proposals? Elite communities have discovered the answe...
Virtual reality and augmented reality are transforming how we view and interact with the world around us. In many cases, the world half a continent or several states away. Virtual reality creates a sense of presence where viewers are transported into a realm full of experiences and possibilities. Rather tha...
From the CEO's desk
Future of Economic Development: Virtual Reality
In 1995, the internet was still far off in people’s minds and there was no clear consensus on whether the mainstream consumer would even use the internet. Four years later, advertising companies and real estate companies were using the internet to brin...