TWO RIVERS MAIN STREET
RECEIVES 2023 MAIN STREET AMERICA ACCREDITATION
Two Rivers, WI – Two Rivers Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”
In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.
Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.
Two Rivers Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To quality for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
In 2022 the Two Rivers Main Street District saw several catalytic projects get their start. These projects included exterior façade renovations on two downtown buildings (Cool City Brewing Company & Weichert Cornerstone Realtors), and the Central Park 365 project. These three projects will provide a catalyst for additional development in 2023, and even though it is still early in the year we are seeing several new businesses opening up. These projects were assisted in part by grants or in-kind donations from Two Rivers Main Street.
“We built a strong foundation of communication and collaboration in 2022 which we will be able to build on in 2023. We are starting this year with many new businesses coming to the Two Rivers Main Street District, and these new businesses are creating momentum encouraging existing businesses to expand and new businesses to get their start here,” said Jason Ring Director of Two Rivers Main Street. “We have an exciting place that people want to be, and we have tools to help business thrive.”
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ABOUT TWO RIVERS MAIN STEET
The mission of the Two Rivers Main Street program is to improve the community’s quality of life by strengthening the Downtown as the center of the community.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
