Main Street takes center stage at Economic Development Summit

Along with the annual State of the County Economy address, guests to the 2024 Pulaski County Economic Development Summit also heard a special presentation about Main Street organizations. This year's guest speaker was John Bry, the coordinator of the only recognized county-level Main Street organization in the country – Main Street Oakland County. Oakland County is in Michigan, a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. According to Bry, Indiana Main Street has a four point approach – design, organization, promotion and economic vitality. During his presentation, Bry went through the many reasons why downtowns matter. One of those reasons is that it is a hub for small business and entrepreneurship. He also mentioned that downtowns tell the story of our community's past, while also looking into the future.