Media Contact: Jeannie Waller Zieren, Director of Training and Information
(601) 941-5409
jeanniewaller@msmainstreet.com
MISSISSIPPI MAIN STREET ANNOUNCES 2018 AWARD WINNERS
June 21, 2018 – JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) celebrated achievements of Mississippi Main Street Communities at the 29th Annual Awards Luncheon in downtown Jackson.
MMSA Board President Ed Gardner, MMSA Past President Allison Beasley, and MMSA staff presented awards to recipients from local Main Street programs throughout the state.
The annual awards luncheon honors Main Street directors, board members and volunteers and recognizes the most outstanding downtown development projects from Main Street communities in Mississippi.
| Award | Name of Entry (Project or Individual) | Community | Accepting Award |
| Premier Partner | Northwest Community College | Senatobia Main Street | Julie R. Bauer |
| Outstanding Creative Fundraising | Cleveland Bites Food Festival | Team Cleveland Main Street | Tasha Huerta |
| Outstanding Marketing | Que on the Yazoo Marketing Campaign | Main Street Greenwood | Megan Slaughter/Brantley Snipes |
| Outstanding Community Education Campaign (2) | How Downtown | Main Street Greenwood | Brantley Snipes |
| Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trails | Vicksburg Main Street | Kim Hopkins | |
| Creative New Event (2) | Mini Wine Downtown and Shopping Tournament | Downtown Tupelo Main Street | Craig Helmuth |
| Hattiesburlesque | Historic Downtown Hattiesburg | Abigail Lenz-Allen and Rebecca Chandler | |
| Outstanding Retail Promotion | Sit, Stay, Play, Greenwood | Main Street Greenwood | Brantley Snipes |
| Outstanding Image Promotion (2) | Meet Me on Main Street | Main Street Clinton | Jonathan Nutt |
| Downtown Greenwood Promo Video | Main Street Greenwood | Matthew Moore/Brantley Snipes | |
| Outstanding Historic Rehabilitation Project | Starkville Police Department | Starkville Main Street | Chief Frank Nichols |
| Outstanding Public Improvement Project (2) | Russell Street Corridor – Entrance to Downtown Starkville | Starkville Main Street | Michelle Jones |
| Crosby Commons | Picayune Main Street | Jim Luke | |
| Outstanding Visual Merchandising Project | The Lucky Rabbit | Historic Downtown Hattiesburg | Abbey & Brandon Thaxton |
| Outstanding New Development Project | Brady’s Steak and Seafood | Pascagoula Main Street | Steven Brady & Chad Brady |
| Outstanding Adaptive Reuse Project | The Burton’s Building | Laurel Main Street | Josh Nowell |
| Outstanding Economic Impact | Cottonwood Public House | Vicksburg Main Street | Tim Cantwell |
| Outstanding New Business | The Steel Forest Furniture Company | Columbus Main Street | Chip and Maureen Gerber |
| Outstanding Community Transformation – Medium Size town | Laurel, Mississippi | Laurel Main Street | Lew Yoder |
| Outstanding Community Transformation – Small Town | Water Valley, Mississippi | Water Valley Main Street | Jeff Bynum |
| Main Street Trailblazer | Dr. David L. Beckley | Holly Springs Main Street Chamber | Dr. David L. Beckley |
| Merchant of the Year | Lott Furniture Company | Laurel Main Street | Rodney Rowell |
| Outstanding Director of the Year | Kay Miller | Biloxi Main Street | Kay Miller |
| Main Street Hero | Michelle Jones | Starkville Main Street | Michelle Jones |
| Mayor George Flaggs | Vicksburg Main Street | Mayor George Flaggs | |
| Jim Luke | Picayune Main Street | Jim Luke | |
| Mallorie Rasberry | Laurel Main Street | Mallorie Rasberry | |
| Penny Frazier | Senatobia Main Street | Penny Frazier | |
| Dawn Edwards | Hernando Main Street | Dawn Edwards | |
| Becky Nowell | Team Cleveland Main Street | Becky Nowell | |
| Bob Luke | Meridian Main Street | Bob Luke | |
| Doug Pellum | Columbus Main Street | Doug Pellum | |
| Mayor Dane Maxwell | Pascagoula Main Street | Mayor Dane Maxwell | |
| Award of Service | Allison Beasley | SMPDD | Allison Beasley |
| Award of Service | Ken P’Pool | MDAH | Ken P’Pool |
“This is the Mississippi Main Street Association’s most important event of the year,” said Ed Gardner, MMSA Board President. “It gives us an opportunity to meet with and celebrate the local directors and investors throughout the state that are doing the hard work of making our downtown districts more competitive, successful and sustainable.”
“We are thrilled to honor our economic development and preservation heroes in Mississippi’s downtowns,” Gardner said.
Since 1993, Mississippi Main Street Association has generated more than $5 billion in private and public investment (including more than $1.2 billion in public investment).
In 2017, Mississippi Main Street programs generated 325 net new businesses, 95 business expansions to existing businesses, 1,458 net new jobs, 109 façade rehabilitations and 86 downtown residential units.
MMSA currently has 48 active Main Street cities throughout the state, six Downtown Network members, and numerous Associate, Allied professional members, and Friends of Main Street.
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Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) has been improving the quality of life in Mississippi for more than 30 years by developing Mississippi’s downtowns. Main Street is an economic development program based in historic preservation. The mission of the Mississippi Main Street Association is to provide visionary leadership, guidance and counsel to Mississippi Main Street communities through organization, promotion, design and economic development to make our cities and towns better places to work, live and play. Since 1993, MMSA has generated more than $5.2 billion in private and public investment (including nearly $1.3 billion in public investment), 36,996 net new jobs, 5,673 net new businesses, rehabilitated 3,298 buildings and added 2,921 downtown residential units. MMSA is a coordinating program of the National Main Street Center, with many public and private partners.
For individual photos and awards narratives, please email jeanniewaller@msmainstreet.com. These will be available on Friday, June 22.