Recently, Main Street America’s #MainSpotlight featured a great article about the Main Street executive director experience from one of Virginia’s own, Todd Wolford of Downtown Wytheville Inc.  It cover’s Todd’s three-year experience achieving confidence and effectiveness in his role.  One of Virginia’s new directors said, “He’s like a Main Street director’s medium”.

He practically read her mind and touched on all the questions that are swirling in her head as a new director and community leader.

But, the lessons do not have to stop there, reflecting only the experience of a Main Street director; hopefully, the rest of you find it affirming, as well.  There are insights that would benefit board members, town managers, business owners or any of the diverse stakeholders that want to see change on Main.  As Todd said, “It is not about any one person or business, it is about collectively making the community better, and that benefits everyone involved.”

And when faced with a skeptic asking “why Main Street?”:

Well, my question to these folks is, “why not?” Why not change the perception of your community and the way they view your downtown? Why not create a culture that promotes bringing people together in an atmosphere that is walkable and where people can gather? Why not focus on the heart of your community and preserve the unique history from the past that many of the younger generation will not have the opportunity to know about? Lastly, what is the alternative? A vibrant downtown says a great deal about the well-being of a community as a whole. 

Keep it up, Todd! 

Read the entire article here >>