Awards Celebrate Variety of Ideas Brought to Life in Downtowns Across Oakland County
(Main Street Oakland County, May 21, 2023)
Pontiac, MI – Ortonville captured the “Spirit of Main Street” award as several downtowns were honored during the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) gala celebration at the Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts in Pontiac on May 4.
Downtown Ortonville received a $2,000 cash award from Genisys Credit Union as the “Spirit of Main Street” winner for its heartwarming video titled “The Faces and Places of Ortonville—Celebrating 175 Years.” The video features the community’s preservation of its historic buildings and natural beauty, the past and current small businesses, and the many faces of Ortonville through time.
“Our downtowns make Oakland County such a vibrant and attractive place for residents, visitors, and entrepreneurs,” Oakland County Executive David Coulter said. “The Main Street program is an essential partner, providing resources, training, and grants that have helped communities navigate and emerge from the challenges of the pandemic.”
Other winners were:
- Main Street Innovation: Downtown Ortonville, Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Program
- Power in Our Places: Downtown Ferndale, The Dot Mixed Use Parking & Streetscape Project; and Downtown Oxford, Art and Mural Program
- Campaign for Main Street: Downtown Farmington, Dinan Park Patronicity Campaign
- Transforming The Economy: Downtown Farmington, GLP’s Farmington State Bank Transformation
- Doing Business on Main Street: Downtown Oxford, Façade and Signage Grant Program
- Sustainable Main Street: Downtown Lake Orion, Small Changes Create a Legacy for the Future
- Program on the Rise: Downtown South Lyon, South Lyon Rising
The judging panel was comprised of experts in historic preservation and economic development, including Elizabeth Chase, executive director, Nebraska Main Street Network; Theresa Doan, manager of corporate social responsibility, Genisys Credit Union; Laura Krizov, manager, Michigan Main Street; Lisa Mullins-Thompson, senior program officer for revitalization services, Main Street America; Greg Phillips, director, Main Street Arkansas; Amelia Ritter, content producer, Visit Detroit; Ray Scriber, director, Louisiana Main Street; Jackie Swihart, program officer for revitalization services, Main Street America; Dana Walker, director, Michigan Downtown Association; and Matt Wiederhold, executive director, Heritage Ohio.
The event’s sponsors included the Genisys Credit Union, SMART, Dobrusin Strategic Intellectual Property Law, Giffels Webster and Michigan Downtown Association.
About Main Street Oakland County
Main Street is a trademarked program of the National Main Street Center (Chicago). Oakland County is the first and only county in the U.S. to operate a full-service, countywide Main Street coordinating program. Established in 2000, Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is an economic development program for downtowns and commercial corridors, with a historic preservation philosophy and an emphasis on “sense of place.” The program assists local governments, downtown management organizations and nonprofit organizations successfully develop their districts as vibrant assets to their communities. MSOC utilizes the Main Street Four-Point Approach® that emphasizes comprehensive economic development within the context of historic preservation.
Since 2001, the cumulative total for new public and private investment in select level MSOC communities is nearly $1.08 billion. More than 1,300 net new businesses have been established and close to 8,000 new full-time jobs were created. Over 493,000 volunteer hours—from committee members, residents, and business and property owners—have been invested in organization, promotion, design and economic vitality committee projects, tasks, activities and events.