By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Big Creek Crossing has announced two winners of $250 gift cards following the rollout of its new name last month.

While no one person came up with the full name, Cody Dale, Big Creek Crossing marketing director, and Katie Dorzweiler, property manager, worked to ensure prizes were awarded to two participants who came closest to matching the final name.

“We did look at some of those winners, but no one person came up with Big Creek Crossing,” Dale said.

Dale said several people utilized Big Creek in their naming suggestions, so the decision was made to pick one winner, at random, for that portion of the name.

Jeff Crispin was awarded as the winner for the “Big Creek” portion. Kristin Reed was awarded for coming up with “Crossing.”

While the contest began the process, it was ultimately a group decision that led to the final name.

“Time went by, we just didn’t know how to go about it,” Dale said. “January rolls around, we’re not quite sure how to go about it, so we call our cooperation in Omaha.”

They suggested more contests at that time might help pin down a name the community would support and reached out to local media to get feedback.

“We contacted Hays Post. We got a lot of feedback there, a lot of good and bad,” Dale said.

After hearing from the community, a group from DP Management, the Crossing’s owner, got together, including management teams from other malls and corporate management,  to finalize the name.

At the meeting, Dale and Dorzweiler had to sell the idea of using a local landmark to the group.

“We wanted to come up with a landmark that everybody would know it was Hays, Kansas, ” Dale said. “After a year of trying to figure out what we were going to do, that’s what we came up with.

“Where do you spend Oktoberfest? It’s Big Creek. Where is our beloved college at? Big Creek runs through it,” Dale added.

Despite the celebration surrounding the new name and the work being done at the facility, some residents have been critical of the changes.

“We’ve had our fair share of negativity. I think that comes with the territory, but once we’re able to educate people, get the word out about how we came about it, I think people understand,” Dale said. “We’re trying to be the neighborhood shop. We want to be where you have some of your family memories, we want to be that place.”

While Crispin and Reed have received their prizes for the contest,another winner is yet to receive her prize, according to Dale.

The like-comment-share Facebook winner that ran during the naming celebration countdown has yet to come forward to claim her $25 gift card after attempts to contact the winner have not been successful.

Donna Magwire was named the winner and can pick up her prize at the Big Creek Crossing office, Dale said.