It’s been a busy first month, but it’s so far, so good for Casey Woods.
Woods, who took over March 30 as executive director of Emporia Main Street, said it’s been a full month, but his transition has been as easy as one could expect.
“I had a lot of different events and a lot of different issues pop up in my first month on the job, but we’ve worked hard through the different events and they’ve been very successful, and our volunteers have been fantastic,” Woods said.
Woods took over the position after Kayla Oney, who was director since 2007, accepted the position of director of marketing and events for the Colombian Theatre in Wamego.
So far Woods has overseen several Main Street events, including the Taste, the Artist’s Walk and five Main Street cleanups. Woods is currently looking at reports of those events to see how they can be improved for next year.
Woods, who was manager of Madelynn’s for 11 years before accepting the Main Street position, said he is hard at work on upcoming events, including the Great American Market, Live in the Lot series, which will see new additions this summer, and the Brown Bag series the organization coordinates with various entities in the community.
Emporia is in a good position economically, Woods said, with new businesses coming downtown and the reopening of Natasha’s.
“We’re lucky here,” he said. “We’re not as bad off as a lot of other communities as far as the economy goes. We’re poised for a recovery when it happens.”
Woods credits the community’s Midwestern work ethic and conservative traits with sheltering Emporia from some of the worst blows of the economic downturn.
“We’re so much better off than communities on the East and West coasts,” he said.
Woods said he has specific goals for his work with Main Street.
“My primary goal is to improve the health of our businesses and the community as a whole,” he said.
This includes promoting the increased exposure of the business community to information, including webinars. Main Street also has been working with the Start Your Own Business class at Flint Hills Technical College, out of which a number of businesses and jobs may be created.
“We’re making sure we’re being responsive to the needs of our various members throughout the community,” Woods said.
In addition to managing Madelynn’s, Woods served on the Main Street Board for nine years. One of his first leadership roles was for a bridal show in Emporia, where he met Mary Helmer, who was then Main Street’s director.
“She asked me to be on the board of directors of Main Street, and from then on I was a Main Street volunteer and working at Madelynn’s simultaneously,” Woods said.
During his time working with Main Street, Woods said the organization has seen many highlights, including the reinvestment of almost $50 million within the Main Street district. Also, Emporia was the first city in Kansas to win the Great American Main Street award and one of the smallest cities in the country to receive that honor.
“We’re constantly recognized as one of the top Main Streets in the country and definitely in the state, and several directors throughout the state can actually trace their lineage back to Emporia Main Street,” Woods said.
Woods said the years he served in the business community have prepared him well for his new role.
“I think there’s a sense of empathy with different business people, having been a business person for several years,” he said. “So I understand the local climate, and I understand the organization because I’ve been involved with it.”
He also said he’s driven to push forward with projects, and he’s not afraid to try new things.
“I think in an organization like this, with a limited budget and a very limited staff, that’s very important,” he said.
Trying for the position was something Woods thought about for quite some time. When the opportunity came up to apply, he decided the time was right.
“I just felt like it was time for me to do something on my own,” he said. “I love helping new and existing businesses improve and doing things to support the community, so whenever you can do something that you really enjoy and get paid for it, it’s time to jump into the fray.”