[OMS_MANAGERS] Downtown Updates

[La Grande Main Street Downtown]

Updates and Newsletter November 2022 LA GRANDE MAIN STREET DOWNTOWN About Us Support Our Mission WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWNTOWN!!! Hello OMS, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! What is LGMSD?   In 2009, the City of La Grande joined the Oregon Main Street program and developed La Grande Main Street Downtown (LGMSD). LGMSD is supported by a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, and four Committees: Promotion, Organization, Design, and Economic Vitality. LGMSD works closely with its members, downtown businesses, and local organizations to strengthen existing businesses, expand opportunities for new businesses, and plan events and activities that improve the quality of life in Downtown La Grande. LGMSD’s mission is to engage the community to create a welcoming and economically diverse Downtown rooted in La Grande's history and culture. Meet LGMSD’s New Director   LGMSD has a new Executive Director! Monica McLaughlin comes to us from the Union County Chamber of Commerce where she was the social media, tourism, and events coordinator. She has an extensive background in hospitality, event planning, and sales, as well as team building and organization. Through her involvement with World Lacrosse and as the head women’s lacrosse coach at Eastern Oregon University, Monica has demonstrated a talent for program development, negotiation, and problem solving. Monica has a Master’s Degree in Applied Sport Psychology from Adams State University along with a Bachelor’s Degree in general studies with a concentration in Marketing and Management and a minor in psychology from Georgia Southern University. In their leisure time, Monica and her husband, Will, enjoy camping and hiking and are pet parents to their cats and chickens. Monica is also an avid plant collector. She loves cooking and restoring hopeless furniture into beautiful objects. 2022 Board of Directors   President: Brent Clapp, Brent Clapp Media Vice-President: Josh Annas, Department of Human Services Treasurer: Mary Ann Miesner, Community Member Secretary: Shawna McKinnis, ReMax Real Estate Team Bri Troutman, American Family Insurance Carol Summers, Community Member Tina Smart, US Bank Timothy Bishop, City of La Grande, Economic Director  “La Grande Main Street Board Training with Sheri Stuart, Oregon Main Street State Coordinator.” A Word from the LGMSD Board President   We are excited about the new days ahead for La Grande Main Street Downtown.    Like all organizations, we are rebuilding and, with that, we have adopted a new strategic direction that we will be formulating into a step-by-step plan going forward in 2023. Along with the very successful events and activities that are ongoing, we look forward to this strategic plan guiding our new emphasis that will sustain the beautiful growing and vibrant Downtown of La Grande.    We are excited about our new executive director, Monica McLaughlin, and look forward to her front office leadership as she energizes her gifts to lead us forward. We also have four new Board members coming onto the Board in January who will bring needed energy and ideas into our Board.    The holiday season is right around the corner. Be sure and watch for Plaid Friday/Small Business Saturday, the Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on December 3rd, and the Downtown Ball Drop on New Year's Eve. These events Downtown truly show off the uniqueness of Downtown La Grande.    We appreciate each of our members and each of our volunteers and we look forward to a fantastic New Year.   Brent Clapp Main Street Board President Committee Updates   Economic Vitality (formerly Business Development)   The Economic Vitality Committee has started conducting a series of small customer focus groups to gather perceptions of Downtown.  The committee is also developing a list of potential focus groups based on business clusters identified in the Main Street Refresh Report and will be conducting additional customer and business focus groups through January. Information from these focus groups will help us develop the committee 2023 work plan strategies.    Timothy Bishop Economic Vitality Chair   Design   The Design Committee is excited to welcome several new and returning faces this year. Corri Klebaum with Advantage Mortgage is a recent transplant to Union County from the west side of the state and she is excited to bring fresh ideas and new perspectives to the committee. Bethany Barker, a long time La Grande resident, has also joined and we are thrilled to have her. Amanda May, a Realtor with RE/MAX Real Estate Team, joined this past spring and looks forward to bringing her ideas and creativity to the committee.    The group is very excited to bring locally foraged greenery wreaths downtown for the Christmas season. The wreaths are hand made by Laughing Girl Flower Farm proprietor Marcia May, and will adorn the Downtown lamp posts. Upcoming projects for the committee include continued work to identify a local, reliable source for Downtown summer flower baskets. The committee has several exciting ideas for this project. Ongoing items on our list include developing a seasonal action plan so future committee members can easily step in to work with this group and not miss a step.   We are excited to welcome Monica, and we are glad she will be leading the charge for a wonderful, vibrant Downtown. The Design Committee thanks her for the ways she has already contributed to supporting and streamlining our efforts!   Amanda May Design Committee Chair   Outreach (formerly Organization) This committee has been suffering from a lack of member; however, as the New Year is approaching several new volunteers have been recruited. With the renewed energy and vision of the new members, this committee will be starting to plan the fund-raising activities and membership drive for 2023. One of our first goals will be to put together the packets for new Board members who will be joining forces with many of the current LGMSD Board members.  One of the functions of the Outreach Committee is to recruit volunteers for each of the other standing Main Street Committees: Design, Promotion and Economic Vitality. If you are looking for ways to get involved with the La Grande Main Street program, please contact me or the LGMSD office our next meeting will be on Thursday, Dec 1, at 4:30 in the LGMSD office. We welcome your help!!   Mary Ann Miesner Outreach Committee Chair   Promotions   The Promotions Committee is excited to have a few new members and some great ideas coming into the New Year!   Currently, we are looking forward to some holiday season fun! Friday, November 25th is Plaid Friday and Saturday, November 26th is Small Business Saturday. We strongly encourage everyone to visit our local businesses to get some of the shopping going! I can’t imagine not putting a big dent in that list and maybe even completing it while visiting our beautiful downtown. On December 3rd at 6 PM, you won’t want to miss the Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting. Join us on Adams Avenue for the lighted parade with the tree lighting ending the evening at Max Square. Rumor has it Santa will be in attendance straight from the North Pole! On December 15th through the 17th, La Grande Main Street will be hosting a Holiday Downtown Scavenger Hunt with some great prizes, so be on the lookout for more information regarding this fun new addition to our holiday festivities. We are again sending out the year and welcoming the New Year with our Downtown Ball Drop! You won’t want to miss the fun evening with food, drink, games, and hanging out with your friends featuring the midnight ball drop.   Be sure to join in on all of the great activities going on over the holiday season – and watch for dates for our usual yearly events, as well as some new things on the horizon!   Shawna McKinnis Outreach Committee Chair Eastern Oregon Beer Festival T 2022 Partners ·    Advantage Mortgage ·   Allied Mortgage ·       Associated Design and Engineering ·       BELLA Mercantile ·       Benchwarmers ·       Birddog Glass ·       Blue Summit Realty ·       Cam Credits ·       Clanktronix/The Archives ·       Community Bank ·       Connected Professional Accountants ·       Country Financial/Paul Swigert ·       Dochos ·       Eastern Oregon Title ·       Edward Jones/Shawna Mangum ·       Eleven Fifteen Spa ·       EOAliveTV ·       EONI ·       Fairway Independent Mortgage ·       Fitzgerald’s Flowers ·       Globe Furniture ·       Guyer and Associates ·       Hines Meat Company ·       Josh Annas ·       La Grande Theatres ·       Longbranch ·       Mary Ann and Arlan Miesner ·       MJ Goss Motors ·       Mountain Valley Therapy ·       Mountain Works ·       Nate Conklin State Farm Insurance ·       Nature’s Pantry ·       Northwest Furniture and Mattress ·       OTEC ·       Papa Murphy’s ·       RE/MAX Real Estate Team ·       Rosewood Cottage ·       Scott’s Heating and Air ·       Sorbenots ·       Tap That! Growlers ·       Ten Depot Street ·       The Potter’s House ·       Timothy Bishop ·       Travelodge ·       Ziply Fiber Interested in being a Partner? Click here LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE   My name is Monica McLaughlin and I am the new Executive Director of La Grande Main Street Downtown. I am in my third week of working for LGMSD, and am enjoying every second of the job so far! I love Downtown La Grande and all that it has to offer, and am excited about the opportunity to continue its growth. While working at the Chamber of Commerce, I built great relationships with many of the downtown retail stores through the event “Sip, Shop, Repeat, Local”, and I look forward to getting to know the rest of the businesses that make Downtown so great.   I have a background in Management, Marketing, Event Planning, and Sales. I believe that every job I have had has prepared me for the opportunity to do a great job here at Main Street for you all! What I love most about our Downtown is the feeling of community and seeing businesses work together to make something great for the local community!   Looking ahead, I am excited to get to know each of you all better, put on events to bring more people Downtown, and help with promotions and social media, as well as help with grants to restore buildings so that they are not only beautiful but also useful. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve you all and help in any way I can. I look forward to working with you!    Monica McLaughlin Executive Director La Grande Main Street Downtown     Upcoming Events La Grande Main Street 102 Depot Street La Grande, OR 97850 541-963-1223   Contact Us     Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email About Events Calendar News Contact La Grande Main Street Downtown | 102 Depot St, La Grande, OR 97850 Unsubscribe oms_managers at listsmart.osl.state.or.us Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by director at lagrandemainstreet.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!
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