Venture Lititz Earns National Honor
RECEIVES 2023 MAIN STREET AMERICA ACCREDITATION
Lititz, PA April 27, 2023 – Venture Lititz 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 acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”
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.
Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.
Venture Lititz’s performance is annually evaluated by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, 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 the last year, Venture Lititz has organized over 1,864 hours of community building volunteer work. At Main Street America’s community benefit rate of $28.54 an hour, that equals $53,198.56 in value to downtown Lititz. This volunteer time comes in the form of events that are designed to support small businesses, increase tourism, and strengthen economic vibrancy in Lititz. Volunteer time also includes committee work on marketing materials for the town, downtown cleanups, and working with local businesses and municipalities to strategically plan for a vibrant future.
Projects of Venture Lititz include the award-winning LititzPA.com website, the Downtown Lititz Facebook page, LititzPA on Instagram, the monthly Experience Lititz newsletter, the Experience Lititz visitor’s guide, the winter Edison Bulb project, The Lititz Farmer’s Market, Lititz Fire & Ice, Taste of Lititz, the Apoca-Lititz 5K, Night out with Venture Lititz Gala, and the holiday progressive shopping card program. Upcoming projects include an Experience Lititz app that will serve both locals and visitors alike, featuring events, attractions, and businesses in the 17543 zip code.
“Earning national accreditation is especially sweet this year,” says Rebecca Branle, executive director of Venture Lititz. “I’m so in awe of the dedication the residents of Lititz have for our town and the generosity of our board members who give so freely of their time and talents. When I attend Main Street America and Pennsylvania Downtown Center conferences and events, I often hear Lititz being referred to as an aspirational town – other downtowns strive to be more like us. When I’m asked how we continue to thrive, my answer comes without hesitation – it’s the people. Lititz is rich with borough council members and staff, police officers, firefighters, community-minded business owners, and resident volunteers who come together with one mission in mind, doing what’s best for Lititz. When we sit at a table with that shared common goal, the most productive dialog occurs. Even when we disagree, there’s trust. That’s amazing. That’s Lititz.”
ABOUT VENTURE LITITZ
Venture Lititz is a nonprofit Nationally Accredited Main Street Program created to enhance and sustain the social and economic vibrancy of the Lititz community. To read more about our vision and values, visit our advocacy page.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICAMain 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 leveraged 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.
*Cover Photo by Donald Reese. See more of his work here.*
