Our board of directors leads our organization. The board of directors works along with Emporia Main Staff to engage and grow our membership, steer our overall vision, and forge partnerships with other community organizations.
Our organizational initiatives create a strong foundation for a sustainable growth of Emporia's downtown commercial district. In addition, organizational initiatives with our city and county partners benefit the entire area.
Organizational Initiatives
Community Initiated Development
In partnership with the City of Emporia, this project is for the community to proactively identify and initiate redevelopment.
Membership
Emporia Main Street was founded to serve the business needs of our members. Our board of directors works to grow our membership by ensuring that our programs provide educational, financial, and promotional value to our members.
Vision 2030
A strategic vision for the next decade, led by input from the community and our members.
Homegrown Capital Campaign
Our capital campaign raises funds to grow local business and employment in Emporia, by fostering entrepreneurship. The campaign has funded the new Emporia Main Street facility at 727 Commercial, which includes a business incubator space.
Other Organization Projects
Want to be a part of an active organization who gets things done?
Emporia Main Street makes visible and measurable impacts to help our community prosper.
Board of directors
Jeremy Johns – President
Radius Brewing Company
Aaron Sewell – Vice President
EK Real Estate
Mark McAnarney – Treasurer
City of Emporia
Tracy Weltha – Secretary
IM Design Group
Cory Falldine
Emporia State University
Eric Porter
ESB Financial
Staci Hamman
Coffelt Sign Company
Caron Daugherty
Flint Hills Technical College
Sally Sanchez
Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow
Aaron Otto
Brown's Shoe Fit
Jim Lauer
Town Royal
Organization Articles
New Year, New Business Opportunities
A calendar change often presents the opportunity for a symbolic shift in attitude. A reset button that corresponds with a clock striking midnight can be a great thing for business owners and organizational leadership. It’s time to take a brief assessment of the past year and then look to the future. Here are a few…
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December – It’s Fine, I’m Fine, We’re Fine!
I don’t know about everyone else, but those ten plus inches of snow on Small Business Saturday really put a damper on the launch of the Holly Jolly season. Casey and I were talking about what a good topic would be for the newsletter this week and I thought we could get real for a…
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2023 Veterans Banner Placements
We are excited to announce that all the Veterans Banners are officially hung for 2023! Click here for the Veterans Banners 2023 list for the downtown banner map. Click esu banner list for the list of Banners at ESU. Click here for the ESU Banner Positions 2023 map. Click HERE to view our online photo album and biography collection.
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HEAL Grant Updates: A Huge Opportunity for Qualifying Downtown Projects.
The Department of Commerce and Kansas Legislature are working through the Office of Rural Opportunity, Kansas Main Street and the State Historic Preservation Office for a new round of the HEAL (Historic Economic Asset Lifeline) program. HEAL allows for grants to support building and/or façade redevelopments. There are several guidelines that must be followed to…
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Capacity Building-Long term regional improvements require a strategic approach.
Community building is a lot like any other investing. You need a diverse portfolio, it’s important to grow your own wealth as opposed to hoping someone just gives wealth to you, and understanding the nature of risk versus potential return often puts people and regions into longer term positive trajectories. At a recent Kansas Main Street Quarterly…
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Building Momentum: Achieving Results
In today’s rapidly changing world, rural communities, faced with the challenge of keeping up with the ever-evolving economic landscape, must respond to these challenges by adopting innovative approaches and generating momentum through community and economic development initiatives to achieve remarkable results. This past year, Emporia Main Street focused on areas of development, such as infrastructure,…
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