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Did you know? Answers to YOUR questions...
Last week we met with 5th grade teachers to discuss ways to introduce entrepreneurial elements to elementary school students, we had and excellent discussion with the spouse of a potential ESU President, we did some planning on the upcoming Granada Bridal and Prom Expo, we met with concerned citizens from an area community looking to join the Kansas Downtown Network to help
 | | The Anderson Library, one of two Carnegie Libraries in Emporia, serves as the 2011 Holiday Ornament. In stock now for a $10 suggested donation! |
improve their community, we held a Board Meeting, we put together some holiday advertising, we met with an ESU professor concerning some cooperative ESU/Main Street projects, we met with a service agency looking to move jobs to Emporia Kansas from the east coast, we participated in an on-line "Targeted Market Research" webinar, we held a press conference at the Granada Theatre announcing Lyon County as the host for the Symphony in the Flint Hills, we attended a "Retail" meeting, we spoke with ESU's Associated Student Government about upcoming events and activities, we participated in ESU's LEAD Group community assessment, we attended an RDA Meeting, we helped show a building to a potential new business, we wrapped lights on downtown poles (Lane Hollern of L & L Pets did most of it), we held a Freedom Fest Wrap Up meeting, we helped two building owners start tax credit applications and we attended an "Emporia Celebrates the Flint Hills Meeting. It was another productive week, with some good questions from all of you!...
1. "Don't you think that helping outside of downtown is contrary to your mission?" From another organization. Most organizations have some sort of mission. Emporia Main Street's is the following:
Emporia Main Street, Inc. is a non-profit agency committed to increasing consumer business, strengthening retail and professional institutions, assisting in the preservation and maintenance of the community's heritage and promoting pride in the community's institutions and achievements through design, promotion, business enhancement & organization.
Although we primarily work downtown, we are a community organization that helps the community, serves members throughout the community and benefits the community. Per our mission, stated above, nothing we are currently engaged in would be reasonably construed as "mission creep". Like any entrepreneur, we are drawn to market gaps and service leakages, which manifests itself in some of our outreach programming.
2. "How did you get put in charge of the Symphony announcement?" From a community member. A group of concerned citizens came together last year to form a committee called "Emporia Celebrates the Flint Hills". After soliciting volunteers from throughout the community, individual business people, retirees, university professors, Jessica Buchholz of the Granada Theatre, Susan Rathke of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and staff of Emporia Main Street stepped up. The goal of the committee was to increase awareness of the Flint Hills Region while promoting Emporia as a great place to experience with events surrounding the Symphony in the Flint Hills. This year (even though I tried to get out of it) I was asked to help coordinate marketing, which started with this past Thursday's press announcement that Lyon County would serve as the host county for the Symphony. When someone came to me for help in creating a series of events that could have a huge economic impact on Emporia, I said "yes", plain and simple.
3. "What can you do to help create a better relationship between students and the community?" An ESU Student group at their formal "findings" presentation. I had the opportunity last Thursday night to speak with the Associated Student Government and then a LEAD group of students that were seeking ways to more closely align students and the community. It was great to meet and hear from the students that obviously worked hard on their concepts and presentation, although I was a little dismayed that the community only had Teresa Walters from the County Commission and I in attendance. We came up with a variety of good ideas, but I think the most important two initially were: setting up consistent speaking engagements with large representative student organizations to make students aware of upcoming activities, and Main Street leading students on tours of the community to make students aware of what Emporia has to offer in the way of businesses and entertainment options.
4. "So where are you shopping for Christmas?" From an individual that read a Gazette article about shopping local . In Emporia, as I have for the past several years. I believe that part of my job involves practicing what I preach, so you won't see me out of town this Christmas season shopping. Growing our local economy starts with simple little things like eating at our restaurants, utilizing local services and shopping at home. We can talk and mingle all we want, but it is our actions that define our priorities. My priority is you and my actions should reflect that.
5. "Why don't you get more national chain stores in Emporia, like Kansas City has?" From an on-line comment. When people compare Emporia and Kansas City, it's like comparing apples and oranges. They have over 2 million people, and we have under 25,000. They have a relatively high median income, and we do not. So, we don't have Kansas City businesses because our market is nothing like Kansas City. Now, the insinuation is that someone, somewhere is doing something to prevent businesses from locating in Emporia, and that just isn't true. I will say that it makes MUCH more sense for us to support our small businesses because they have a larger positive impact on our local economy, they diversify our economy, they can provide a myriad of products and services unique to the area and, because we are surrounded by larger metropolitan areas, they give us an opportunity to pull population bases into our community that are looking for something different. In fact, I'll say that if we spent the time, money and resources helping develop entrepreneurs and creating dense clusters in pre-existing commercial areas, we would be MUCH further ahead as a community. But, if you think that Target will stay out of a market simply because someone thinks they shouldn't be here, you need to understand that virtually nothing stands in the way of a multinational corporation and profit.
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