Property Pro Forma - The Economics of Downtown Property Development Being new on Main Street, there was a lot to learn for me. Having worked for the Boy Scouts for the previous eight years, I had honed my skills in event management, budgeting, communications and volunteer recruitment. However, there is a lot more to do… Read More →
Planning Your Marketing When you think about your organization’s marketing, how much planning goes into it? Do you do it with purpose, or is it something that you do when you have time? I know….time! But in reality, most downtowns are very good at event marketing, but often lack a message or strategy for marketing… Read More →
Tools to manage your Farmers Market Farmers Markets have become a staple of Main Streets throughout the country. It’s a wonderful event that brings people from all over the area into the downtown, while at the same time highlighting local foods and growers. When I came to Main Street our vendor manual was a couple… Read More →
Business Retention on Main Street One of the most important things I learned when I worked for the Boy Scouts was retention. Every Scout that I recruited was one more I didn’t need to recruit to attain my year-end goals. Every dollar I saved was one I didn’t need to raise to balance the budget.… Read More →
Business Recruitment on a Budget Business Recruitment can often be one of those overlooked items on Main Street. Sure, we all have the packet for prospective businesses with information about the downtown, maybe some vacant units, and more. But how many downtown organizations have an active business recruitment strategy? Making sure that we are recruiting… Read More →
Downtown Board Membership for "Dummies" Ok - let’s start with the title. If you are being asked (or currently on) a downtown Board of Directors there is very little chance that you are, in fact, a dummy. You’re likely a smart, talented, and driven person who wants the best for their community, and specifically your… Read More →
How to direct an Executive Director When it comes to downtowns, and Main Streets in particular, the Executive Director is the person in charge. This is the way it’s supposed to work. The Executive Director is hired to run the day-to-day operations of the organization. They’re responsible (usually) for staffing, running events, balancing the budget,… Read More →
Getting the most from conferences I just spent a few days in the great State of Virginia for their Main Street Conference. Now, if you are from Virginia you would quickly correct me to tell me it is the Commonwealth. First and foremost they, like nearly every Main Streeter I’ve ever met, are great people.… Read More →
What to look for in an Executive Director In 2009 I got a job that would change the course of my career. I was fortunate enough to be tabbed as the Executive Director for the Historic Quincy Business District in Quincy, IL. I was in my early 30s with a wife and kids and was… Read More →
What to look for in a Board Member If you’ve seen our other recent blog about what to look for in an Executive Director, you know that I’ve spent nearly a decade on Main Street. I’ve truly loved my time working with these organizations and watching them make their communities better. In getting to work… Read More →