Webinar: Using Statistics to Show Your Economic Impact
Wednesday, April 24th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Monthly reporting and gathering statistics are two of the least exciting parts of any downtown managers’ job, but what if you could use those numbers to show the value of your work, and the economic impact your local program is generating for your community?
Lorna Swisher and Matt Wiederhold, two former Ohio Main Street directors, will walk you through the process of completing monthly reports, and then share a reinvestment template as a tool to support funding requests, illustrate the local and regional impact your program is generating, and help you document in black and white how your downtown development initiatives are a vibrant economic development machine for your community.
About Our Presenters
Lorna Swisher joined Heritage Ohio’s staff in October 2023, having previously served as the Director of Mainstreet Piqua for 26 years. With a background in broadcasting and public relations, she describes herself as a nonprofit ‘wonk’, emphasizing the importance of organizational infrastructure for effective operation. Lorna served on the Hotel/Library Legacy Alliance, which successfully restored the Fort Piqua Plaza in downtown Piqua. This $22 million project revitalized a deteriorating hotel into a vibrant community asset housing the Piqua Public Library, a banquet facility, and restaurants. Under her leadership, the Main Street program in Piqua received national accreditation from Main Street America/National Trust for Historic Preservation each year. In her current role as Assistant Director of Revitalization, Lorna supports Heritage Ohio’s Main Street programs.
Matt Wiederhold joined Heritage Ohio in May 2022 as its executive director. Matt began his career in historic preservation and community development in 2001, with an Urban Main Street Program in Uptown, Toledo, Ohio, as part of a pilot project with LISC and the National Main Street Center. In 2003, he accepted a position on the west side of Cleveland with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, and guided the rehabilitation of numerous historic storefronts, recruited small businesses to fill the storefronts, and eventually became the project manager for the initial development of the Gordon Square Arts District, including the renovation of the Capitol Theatre. In 2008, Matt became the first executive director of Main Street Medina, and have spent most of the past 15 years working in that community, guiding the development of their historic district, and working to make Medina a notable, historic destination. Matt is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a degree in art history, having focused on American art and architecture, 1860-1940.
