Ocean Springs Main Street has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center and the Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA).
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.
“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,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center.
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.
Ocean Springs Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by MMSA which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet the 10 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, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
“A proactive community with a focus on its assets, Ocean Springs Main Street works with city and community partners on strategic efforts to sustain, grow and become our authentic-self generating activity, revenue and a wonderful quality of life, says Cynthia Dobbs Sutton, executive director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau.” Ocean Springs Main Street is honored to serve and promote the community.”
Ocean Springs Main Street was chartered in 1990 and is part of a three-tier organization, Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau. With nearly 500,000 visitors last year and numerous staple events and festivals, the community has grown with nearly four dozen new businesses, more than 100 new jobs and more than 2000 volunteer hours recorded by the organization’s team in the community. Ocean Springs Main Street is a recipient of the 2013 Great American Main Street Award,
For more information on Main Street, contact the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau at 228-875-4424.