MONROE — Main Street Monroe, Monroe’s downtown revitalization organization, has been recognized by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) as a Gold Tier Main Street organization for fiscal year 2025. 

Monroe is one of 34 designated Main Street programs around the state. Of those, 14 have achieved Gold Tier status by demonstrating excellent organizational effectiveness and community engagement in their downtown initiative above and beyond program requirements. In recognition of this success, Main Street Monroe is eligible for additional services to benefit its district, and staff and board members are invited to participate in an advocacy event intended to help develop and inform additional downtown-friendly programs and policies at the state level.  

The Main Street Program, enacted in 1987, provides access to resources and training to help communities pursue revitalization and redevelopment efforts. Programs must apply to join the program. They must have a dedicated board of directors, paid staff, and a minimum operational budget. Once accepted, program staff and board members must participate in a series of annual training events and complete monthly impact reporting. 

Additionally, this is Main Street Monroe’s 10th year as a national accredited Main Street organization. Since joining in 2005, the downtown has welcomed dozens of new businesses, attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, and launched several new initiatives including pop up shop program Project Pop Up, retail focused events like wine walks, an awning grant program, downtown murals, numerous events and the summer theme public art installation. During COVID-19, Main Street, through its “LIVE! Shopping Nights”, brought in over $180,000 in direct sales to businesses.

Main Street Monroe is currently working on creating Main Street Park on the northeast corner of the square that will bring public restrooms and a programmable area downtown. The project was announced at the beginning of the summer and is in partnership with the city of Monroe.  

“Strong, thriving communities are what makes Wisconsin a great place for people to live, work, grow, and do business,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “WEDC congratulates Main Street Monroe for their commitment to successful community development.”

Current board president, Steve Moon, credits the gold tier recognition to the ingenuity and resilience of dozens of dedicated volunteers who handle everything from watering flowerpots, pouring beer at concerts, and fundraising for the 501(c)3 nonprofit. 

“When you look at the number of people involved on a weekly basis, covering so many different facets of the organization, it is really incredible,” Moon said. “Nothing just happens and a lot of the work Main Street does takes time.” 

Moon also noted the consistency of several volunteers chairing different volunteer committees, and executive director Jordan Nordby, who has been serving in his role as the sole paid staff member since January 2015. 

“There is genuine camaraderie and it’s all at the grassroots level. We are in Monroe and have an on the ground approach that’s tireless,” Moon said.

Main Street program participants benefit from many types of assistance and resources as part of a broad-based network of communities with similar objectives. The average Main Street participant receives $15,000 in program services on behalf of their districts. Services include:

●  Participation in Main Street workshops focused on popular downtown revitalization topics.

●  Direct services from staff including property renderings, design assistance, event impact analysis, marketing assistance, strategic planning, and board development.

●  Regular on-site visits from consultants to assist in developing district goals, including development planning, wayfinding, public space design, and parking.

●  Training for the downtown director or program lead, board president, or municipal staff.

●  Roundtable discussion groups, quarterly webinars, and regional training sessions on pertinent topics.

●  Access to WEDC’s online downtown development library of resources and toolkits.

●  Invitation to the annual Main Street Awards program and the ability to nominate local projects and initiatives for recognition.

●  An online networking and discussion group to get new ideas from staff and other participating communities.

●  Businesses and property owners in designated districts also receive assistance in relevant topics including merchandising, e-commerce and façade improvement. They also are eligible to access matching loan dollars through the Kiva crowdlending platform, have access to a statewide historic façade design library, and can apply for annual makeover and place-makeover contests.