RDI is partnering with Oregon Main Street to deliver the Main Street Economic Vitality Hub workshop series, tailored to helping community Main Street economic vitality committees enhance their capacity to undertake collaborative, impactful economic development initiatives. This regional “hub” approach aims to enhance downtown revitalization efforts in each of the participating communities and strengthen relationships throughout the region through a series of workshops, trainings, ongoing coaching and technical assistance through the centralized “Hub.” RDI is coordinating, facilitating and delivering economic vitality trainings through two pilot Main Street Hubs in 2020, as we work toward developing a statewide model for economic vitality programming.

Participation in the Main Street hub is especially encouraged for Main Street economic vitality committees, board members and staff, along with municipal staff, elected officials and economic vitality champions from the respective region surrounding each hub.

Workshop topics include:

• Economic Vitality 101: Introduces asset and values-based approached to economic vitality, and the importance of network building with your regional economic development “ecosystem” for addressing the complex challenges in our communities.
• From Numbers to Action: Understanding how to find, interpret and use secondary data to inform your initiatives and business support efforts
• Business Engagement: Approaches and strategies for gathering actionable primary data to inform and expand EV initiatives and business support efforts.
• Place-Based Economy Building: Understand how working with your local assets and gaps in mind could inform entrepreneurship and business retention, expansion and attraction strategies to keep wealth closer to home.
• Fostering Innovative Communities: Introduces models of innovation hubs that your community might consider, the importance of fostering innovation, and ecommerce and community marketplace options that would serve small businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Action Planning for Success: Put all the pieces together to craft goals, strategies and activities that will guide Main Street economic revitalization efforts in uncertain and critical times.
• Economic Development Incentives & Technical and Funding Assistance: Learn more about the resources available to support your efforts and the needs of your business community.

There is no fee to participate in these workshops, but we do ask that your Main Street organization commits to participating in all workshops. This doesn’t have to be the same person; however, we request you commit to have a representative at each training to maximize the benefit to your community.

For questions or interest in participating, please contact RDI program manager, Lauren Kolojejchick-Kotch at 208-939-6423 or lkolokotch at rdiinc.org