City of North Bend release – Stephanie Wilson has been hired as North Bend’s Main Street Manager. She will be responsible for working with downtown merchants, property owners, and other stakeholders to continue our downtown revitalization and renaissance while collaborating to enhance economic vitality through sustainable tourism and urban renewal. Downtown North Bend is an economic generator for the city and the community. As Main Street Manager, Stephanie will be responsible for collaboratively working with economic development, tourism, and urban renewal partners to further the City Council’s goal of supporting, sustaining, and seeking economic vitality for our local businesses. The Main Street program helps sharpen existing business owners’ competitiveness, helps foster entrepreneurial start-ups and expansions, and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district, create jobs and respond to today’s consumers. Stephanie will work with the City Council to appoint a Main Street Board dedicated to serving the central downtown business district and supporting our local community. The Board of Directors will then be tasked with developing and executing a Main Street Work Plan, fundraising and grant opportunities, and downtown projects and events. Stephanie is a North Bend High School graduate and attended Southwestern Oregon Community College. Stephanie has won the “Best of the South Coast Woman’s Boutique” award for the past ten years running. She was also a national winner in the first annual Microsoft Small Business video contest. In 2009, she opened Painted Zebra in the historic Odd Fellows Building in downtown North Bend during the great recession. North Bend’s participation in the Oregon Main Street Network gave it access to the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant program, which funds building improvement projects that spur economic development. North Bend is among 28 Oregon Main Street Network organizations to receive matching grants for building projects that encourage economic revitalization in central downtown business districts across the state. Last week, Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation, awarded funding to install a 24-foot neon blade sign at the Liberty Theatre, home of the Little Theatre on the Bay. Stephanie will operate the North Bend Visitor Information Center on weekdays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. She can be reached at 541-756-4613 or swilson@northbendcity.org.
