Emporia Main Street celebrated a robust year of economic development and community involvement during its annual investors meeting at the Lyon County History Center on Wednesday.
Speaking on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia on Tuesday, Main Street Director Casey Woods says his agency had a record amount of grant involvement, as well as generating over $700,000 in loans for local businesses in a year where Emporia had an estimated 2.4 million visits from almost 220,000 visitors.
Community Development Coordinator Jessica Buchholz agrees, saying, “we’ve had a heck of a year.” She also says Emporia’s local efforts are getting recognized nationwide.
On the event side, Buchholz says numerous projects are underway simultaneously behind the scenes.
Woods says Main Street’s underlying goal is to generate traffic and success for Emporia.
Part of Wednesday’s meeting included various award winners:
Advocate of the Year: Ashley Kopecky
Volunteer of the Year: Molly Otto
Business of the Year: ESB Financial
Steve Hanschu Award: Burnap Brothers
Rising Stars: Tayler Wash, Sydney Doudna, John Gage
In addition to its standard involvement in economic development and community event development, Main Street continues its work in the Forging Opportunities for Research, Growth and Entrepreneurship, or FORGE, grant program supported by $375,000 from the Kansas Department of Commerce and a dollar-for-dollar match from Emporia State University. Woods says one of the two positions available through the grant, a marketing and events coordinator to work alongside Buchholz, has been filled, while work continues to fill a Fabrication Lab Outreach and Innovations Specialist job to help Fab Lab Manager Jeremy Wharton. The three-year process is designed to increase access to technology, develop partnerships for smaller businesses and tapping Emporia State for developing certain skill sets.
Main Street has also been involved in the Kansas State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative. Besides specifically funding improvements to the Fab Lab, the initiative is also designed to develop a “statewide ecosystem” through developing job creation, capital and equity investment, business development, workforce development and technical assistance.
Photos courtesy Jessica Buchholz/Emporia Main Street
