The Easton Economic Development Corporation (Easton EDC) has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are very proud to be one of the 862 programs receiving accreditation this year,” remarked Holly DeKarske, Executive Director, Easton EDC. “Every visitor to our town has an economic impact that ripples far beyond their stay, and supporting our local community has significant positive implications for residents, business owners, and visitors.”
Easton EDC’s performance is annually evaluated by Main Street Maryland, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To qualify for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.
The Easton EDC impacts the wider community by creating events in the downtown area that bring visitors in to enjoy its retail establishments, restaurants, and other local attractions. Its signature events, including Chesapeake Fire and Ice, May Day Flower Celebration, and the Fall Festival, bring in thousands of visitors. During the year, Easton EDC, under the brand name Discover Easton, hosts over a dozen events and supports many more with logistics planning, marketing campaigns, and financial support. For more information on events supported by the Easton EDC, please visit: www.discovereaston.com
About Easton EDC: The Easton Economic Development Corporation was launched in 2013 to drive economic vitality, smart redevelopment, and business creation in the historic Town of Easton, Maryland to foster a healthy quality of life for all generations. The EEDC works to catalyze Greater Easton’s continued prosperity as a diverse and healthy “smart town,” leading innovation where the land and water meet. www.DiscoverEaston.com
About Main Street America: Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
Susie Hayward says
This is a great achievement for the Town of Easton. Thank you Holly DeKarske and the rest of Easton EDC for all your hard work!