Main Street Enterprise receives three awards at State Awards of Excellence Banquet

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (Press Release) - Downtown Enterprise business owner Wendy Grimes was dubbed a “hero” at the Eighth Annual Main Street Alabama Awards of Excellence Banquet Aug. 19 in Gadsden, where Main Street Enterprise received two other accolades for successful local projects.

Main Street Enterprise Director Cassidi Kendrick; Tourism Director Tammy Doerer, who ushered the program into existence in early 2019; Krista Hooper, Enterprise Chamber of Commerce Member Services coordinator; and MSE Board Members Tracie Gulledge and Shelia Harris, MSE assistant Katie Sawyer and Grimes attended the banquet and accepted the awards.

Grimes, owner of Hello Beautiful Boutique and a member of the MSE Board of Directors, received the Main Street Hero Award. As chairman of the Promotions Committee, Grimes helped plan and implement more than 20 events and festivals during the past year. MSE also was awarded for Excellence in Public Relations for its promotion “Taco ‘Bout Branding,” The event featured a Cinco de Mayo theme for the community gathering where a new “brand,” or logo, made by Main Street Alabama consultants specifically for MSE, was revealed.

The 10-day “Enterprise Eats Restaurant Week” promotion was also honored for Excellence in Marketing. It was a collaborative effort between MSE, the Enterprise Department of Tourism and the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce.

“We are so excited to have earned three more awards this year to add to the three we brought home from the state conference in 2020,” said Kendrick, who took over the helm of Main Street Enterprise in November 2019. She said MSE hit the ground running the minute it was formed and has worked hard to keep up the pace through almost two years of pandemic conditions.

“Main Street Enterprise is only in its third year, so we couldn’t be happier that the state organization recognizes the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ we’ve poured into developing our program,” Kendrick said.

Mayor William E. Cooper congratulated Main Street Enterprise Director Cassidi Kendrick and her team of board members and volunteers for an award-winning year.

“The Main Street program has added a wonderful new dimension to our City overall, especially our downtown district, with fun, innovative activities that have been helpful to our business community and our City,” the Mayor said. “These awards reflect the successful result of Main Street leaders working together during a challenging year, brainstorming, thinking outside the box and working hard to put their plans into action.”

Main Street Alabama President and State Coordinator Mary Helmer Wirth presented the state awards, honoring projects throughout that made tremendous impacts in their respective communities across the state. The Alabama Municipal Electric Authority sponsored the conference at The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden.

“It’s an honor to recognize these outstanding community projects, leaders and volunteers,” Wirth said. “The award winners represent the resiliency of downtown and commercial neighborhood districts in spite of a challenging year. Main Street programs were instrumental in helping small businesses navigate through closures due to the pandemic and helping them to reopen safely with outdoor eating options, hand sanitizing stations, foot door pulls, masks and more.

The effort and leadership it takes to move these projects quickly is tremendous.”

Main Street Alabama focuses on bringing jobs, dollars and people back to Alabama’s historic communities. Economic development is at the heart of the efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Main Street Alabama has 29 Designated Programs and over 30 Downtown Network Communities. Alexander City, Anniston, Athens, Atmore, Birmingham’s Historic 4th Ave Business District, Calera, Columbiana, Decatur, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Florence, Foley, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Headland, Heflin, Jasper, Marion, Monroeville, Montevallo, Opelika, Oxford, Scottsboro, South Huntsville, West Huntsville and Wetumpka each have Designated Programs and new communities will be added annually.

The Awards of Excellence Banquet is a highlight of LAB, a three-day conference that bolsters the efforts of communities participating in the nationally acclaimed Main Street program or those communities interested in downtown revitalization. The eighth annual event drew over 150 community leaders from Alabama.

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