Board Spotlight: Meet Main Street America’s Three New Board Members
We are excited to welcome Lynda Tran, Tyrone Rachal, and Mary Helmer Wirth to the Main Street America Board of Directors
Each week this Women's History Month, Main Street America is spotlighting the stories of women leaders in local and coordinating Main Street programs. Women have played a critical role in the Main Street movement from the beginning, and many programs today are led by thoughtful and dedicated women who are making real change in their communities. Although they come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, each of these women are passionate about community preservation and economic revitalization, and we hope their stories inspire your work as well!
Andrea Zwiebel, Executive Director – Downtown Wabash (IN)
Andrea is a big believer in girl power—Downtown Wabash has three staff members, and all three are women. More than 50% of their small businesses are women-led as well. Her proudest achievement in her three-year tenure as executive director has been moving the organization into a downtown storefront. “Something as simple as a storefront can professionalize your organization. We are a big player in the downtown community and deserved to portray that image.” She strongly encourages other women to consider a Main Street career: “There's plenty of room for you! Come join us. We're a friendly bunch and are here to help you succeed.”
Becki Harris, Executive Director – Logan’s Landing (IN)
Becki has spent the past 14 years as the director of Logan’s Landing. “I love being right on the front lines, advocating for the ‘little guy’ while also seeing the bigger picture,” she said. Her proudest moment came early in her career. She learned that one of the business owners in her district had a negative experience with the organization, and she decided to talk to them directly. The business owner was surprised—and impressed—with her openness. “We chatted for about an hour that day and had a great relationship from that day forward. I learned that it's better to get problems out in the open and speak about them calmly, rather than letting misunderstandings become permanent.” Her advice for other women pursing this career: “Follow your heart! Always remember that every time you're talking about data, there are real people behind all of those numbers.”
Nancy Bailey, Director – Leadville Main Street(CO)
After twenty years in the non-profit sector working on housing and economic development, Nancy joined Leadville Main Street in 2021. She is proud to work for the highest-elevation CLG in the country at 10,200 ft! Her first year of work has been spent transitioning the Main Street program from a municipal program to an independent non-profit. “The biggest lesson I have learned during this process is that's it's ok not to have everything completely mapped out, fleshed out, planned out, etc. Sometimes it's ok to not know what we don't know,” she said. She encourages people to not be afraid of working their way up; volunteers and support staff are just as important as executive directors, and mentorship is a great way to learn a lot about successful strategies for Main Streets!
Sara D Bloom, Executive Director – Downtown Hays Development Corporation (KS)
Sara encourages people of all backgrounds to get involved in Main Street. Her skills in journalism, sales, marketing, and more have helped her succeed in this role. She is especially proud of the completion of the Downtown Hays Pavilion, which she described as “a testament to how not-for-profits, municipalities, and universities can work together to create something significant in their communities that will stand for generations.” She emphasizes the power of setting goals: “Without a specific focus, the organization's vision is unclear and forward momentum is unachievable.” Most of all, she encourages everyone to get involved, especially through volunteering!
Tina Longstreth, Executive Director – Batesville Main Street (IN)
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For the past three years, Tina has been activating public art in downtown Batesville. She sees Main Street work as the ultimate collaboration: “One person can't do it alone. There has to be a passionate group behind the Main Street coordinator.” Her proudest achievement was the completion of Batesville’s downtown gathering space in December 2021. She strongly urges other women to consider a career in community development, saying “if you have the desire to make a change and a positive attitude, you can make a big difference in your community!”
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Ostego, MI
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Sheridan, WY © Downtown Sheridan Association
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Sheridan, WY © Downtown Sheridan Association
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Vancouver, WA © Vancouver Downtown Association
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Florence, SC © Downtown Florence Main Street Program
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Laramie, WY © Main Street America
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Chicago, IL © Main Street America
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Florence, SC © True Light Photography
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A Statewide Movement Improving West Virginia Main Streets
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Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
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Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
