Emporia Main Street designated as an accredited Main Street program for 2021

Emporia Main Street has been designated as an accredited Main Street™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are proud to recognize this year’s 889 nationally accredited Main Street programs that have worked tirelessly to advance economic vitality and quality of life in their downtowns and commercial districts,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of Main Street America. “During an incredibly challenging year, these programs demonstrated the power of the Main Street movement to drive impressive local recovery efforts, champion small businesses, and foster vibrant downtown districts. I am inspired by their hard work and confident that these accredited communities will continue to help their downtowns flourish in the next stages of recovery.”
In 2020, Main Street America programs generated $4.14 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 4,356 net new businesses, generated 14,988 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,488 historic buildings, and clocked 983,702 volunteer hours.
The Emporia Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by Kansas Main Street, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet 10 national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as, fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
Emporia Main Street worked in 2020 to offset impacts to businesses and organizations dealing with the pandemic. Organizational efforts with local business partners, health care providers, and the Greater Emporia Area Disaster Relief Fund resulted in national recognition through a Main Street Forward Award. Emporia Main Street has worked with area developers and entrepreneurs to invest over $120,000,000 worth of redevelopment activities, manages over $1,500,000 in loans to help businesses startup and expand, and engages in activities to enhance the region through entrepreneurial support, event management, design activities, and regional pride efforts.