Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. RECEIVES 2018 NATIONAL MAIN STREET ACCREDITATION

Lake Wales Main Street, Inc.

RECEIVES 2018 NATIONAL MAIN STREET ACCREDITATION

Lake Wales, Florida (June 11, 2018) – Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

“We are thrilled to honor this year’s 829 nationally accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to preservation-based economic development and the revitalization of their commercial districts,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “The power of Main Street shines across the country through these vibrant communities, who have all worked to generate impressive economic returns, preserve community character, and celebrate local history.”

In 2017 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.48 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,211 net new businesses, generated 30,294 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,737 historic buildings, and clocked 2.7 million volunteer hours.

The Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. performance is annually evaluated by State of Florida Main Street which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

Part of the Main Street philosophy is that downtown belongs to the entire community. Everyone has a stake and a role to play in the revitalization of their downtown. Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The objective is to improve the image of downtown by facilitating change and growth.