Emporia Main Street held its annual meeting Tuesday, celebrating the past year and looking ahead at the same time.
Director Casey Woods says the last year was a productive one, thanks largely to Main Street’s staff, board, committees and volunteers.
Looking ahead, Woods says a recent survey will help Main Street chart its direction for the next 10 years. He says the local economy is shifting, and the survey made some of those trends pretty clear.
2018 was a busy year, which included Main Street’s move from its longtime home at 12 East Fifth to its new headquarters at 727 Commercial. Woods says that has gone extremely well, with the Fab Lab and incubator space leading to discussions about new business opportunities that would not have happened at Main Street’s longtime home.
2019 has also been busy, with Main Street continuing its increasing involvement in community activities and finalizing a partnership with the city of Emporia for the new downtown speaker network.
Annual awards were handed out during the program:
*Brenda Lopez was named Advocate of the Year
*Amy Bolen was named Volunteer of the Year
*Mulready’s Pub was named Business of the Year
*BG Consultants received the J Warren Brinkman Award for Design Preservation
*The Main Street Design Committee received the Steve Hanschu Award for Excellence in Design.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
{gallery}Main Street Annual Meeting 070919{/gallery}
