Emporia Main Street Names as an 2023 Accredited Program!

EMPORIA MAIN STREET RECEIVES 2023 MAIN STREET AMERICA ACCREDITATION

Emporia, Kansas (May 2, 2023) – Emporia Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ 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 very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”

In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a

Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities. Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America

districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.

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 rigorous national performance standards. To quality for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.

Last year was important for the development of the Emporia Main Street program. Emporia Main Street aided in the first Upper Story RHID project in the state’s history, opened the region’s first Fabrication Lab, created new entrepreneurial support mechanisms like “Show of Hands”, introduced new technology entrepreneur curriculum, and managed the region’s largest events that bring thousands of people to the area. A recent third party assessment scored downtown Emporia in the 93rd percentile of similar communities nationally.

Jeremy Johns, Co-Owner of Radius Brewing Company, currently serves as the President of the Emporia Main Street Board of Directors. He stated: “National Main Street Accreditation is a wonderful recognition of the countless hours spent by Emporia Main Street staff and volunteers in an effort to grow and enhance our region in a sustainable way. The measurable progress that results from our organizations efforts benefit the entire area.”