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Just Announced: John Bry Named 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award Recipient
Left: John Bry presents County Proclamations to representatives from Madison Heights in recognition of the organization joining the MSOC network. Right: John Bry serving as the master of ceremonies at Main Street Oakland County's annual Main Event in 2019, with Bret Rasegan, Oakland County Planning Division Manager assisting. Courtesy of Main Street Oakland County.
Main Street America is proud to recognize John Bry, Program Coordinator at Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) in Michigan, as the 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient. This prestigious award is the organization’s top honor recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of comprehensive preservation-based economic development and commercial district revitalization. The award highlights the impact of these individuals and amplifies the critical role that leaders play in shaping the Main Street Movement.
Nominated by colleagues, and selected by a national jury, John is being recognized for his ability to develop innovative ideas, build organizational capacity of local programs and leaders, and lead through understanding as program coordinator.
“Main Street coordinators play vital roles as conveners, mentors, and advocates,” said Hannah White, Interim President and CEO at Main Street America. “And John Bry is exemplary in these roles and many more. John’s passion for historic preservation and ability to rally local leaders around the Main Street Approach have made a lasting impact on countless communities.”
John Bry (back row, left) at Curwood Castle for a meeting of Main Street Coordinators in Owosso, Michigan. Courtesy of Main Street Oakland County.
The Oakland County Economic Development staff nominated Bry for the award. The directors and downtown managers of Main Street Oakland County (MSOC), former colleagues, and faculty of Southeast Missouri State University submitted letters of support, all describing Bry’s ability to apply creative solutions to complex problems and bring together diverse stakeholders through shared visions.
At 19, John founded the Champaign County Preservation Alliance, Ohio’s first countywide preservation organization. After receiving degrees in historic preservation and conservation, Bry embarked on a career establishing, managing, and coordinating Main Street programs in Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Notable accomplishments include securing $600,000 of a $1.7 million commercial and public space project in Flora, Illinois; advising Kendallville, Indiana in securing a $2 million PreservINg Main Street grant to transform the community’s historic downtown; and providing guidance on the establishment of the Cape Girardeau Main Street program, which later earned a Great American Main Street Award and continues to be nationally and state Accredited.
Left: Main Street Oakland County at the 2022 Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Right: John Bry serves as tour guide at the 2022 Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Courtesy of Main Street Oakland County.
“John has always been on the forefront of what’s next for historic preservation and Main Street, providing the type of strategic thinking and leadership that helps transform people and communities,” writes Steven J. Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor of History & Anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University.
In his current role as Program Coordinator at Main Steet Oakland County, Bry has played a crucial role in growing the organization’s network of members from 19 to 28. This growth includes recruiting three communities that had previously left the program. Bry’s hands-on approach to providing guidance to communities can be seen in his work with Main Street Pontiac, where he assisted in transforming the board of directors to one that reflects the community, securing sponsorships to fund their business and façade grant program, and helping the organization establish better communication with city government.
“John is the most compassionate and dedicated community development champion that I know, and it is not surprising that he is being recognized with the prestigious Mary Means Leadership Award,” said Kristi Trevarrow, Executive Director at Rochester Downtown Development Authority in Michigan. “He is a staunch supporter of our Main Street Oakland County communities, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him for the betterment of our downtowns!”
Left: John Bry officiates the Main Street America Accreditation Ceremony for the Village of Lake Orion DDA, represented by executive director Molly LaLone and team. Center: Debris from the catastrophic Kentucky floods in 2022. Right: John Bry connected with community directors, board members, commissioners, elected and appointed officials, and supporters at the 2022 MSOC Main Street Summit. Courtesy of Main Street Oakland County.
Perhaps the most poignant example of Bry’s collaborative leadership is evidenced in his efforts to successfully change how MSOC engages with local programs from an, at times, prescriptive approach to one that is tailored to deliver services that are needed and wanted by the community. Bry also nurtures strong relationships among the program’s diverse programs and supports the professional development of local downtown managers through Main Street Now Conference scholarships.
“John’s respect of people, place history has transformed Oakland County’s Main Street program. He has refined all aspects of our county-level Coordinating Program around the unique political, social and economic context of each downtown,” says Bret Rasegan, Manager of Planning and Local Business Development at Oakland County Economic Development. “His ability to lead, find common ground and build consensus on actions provides the environment for success across Oakland County.”
Urban Impact Inc., harnesses strategic investments and collaborative efforts to foster a vibrant and sustainable future, from visionary adaptive reuse ventures to transformative development grants for small businesses and property owners in Birmingham, Alabama's historic 4th Avenue Black Business District.
Online registration and the regular rate are available through Friday, April 26. Download the conference mobile app, sign-up for the attendee webinar, grab some Shop Main Street merch, get recommendations, and more!
With just a little over a month to go until we convene in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference from May 6-8, we are excited to announce that the full schedule is available online and the mobile app is ready for download.
From budgets and staffing to programming priorities and the myriad of backgrounds that bring people to Main Street, the insights and key findings from this year's trends survey provide a snapshot of the state of the Main Street Movement.
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
With a specially priced registration rate of $199, tailored education track, free lunch & learn session, and abundant networking opportunities, Main Street Now 2024 is made for civic leaders passionate about community preservation and economic development in historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial corridors.
Opportunities to experience time-tested Main Street Approach techniques and creative solutions in action abound in Birmingham with these great excursions.
Starting in early 2024, we will engage in an intensive program assessment of MSAI. We look forward to bringing an enhanced Main Street professional development experience to the network later in the year.
Founded in 2003 and currently housed within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Michigan Main Street (MMS) recently celebrated 20 years of impact across 41 communities.
This three-week live, online course will prepare local leaders to more effectively work with small business owners in their districts and create an environment that is supportive of entrepreneurship.
We are excited to share a recent collaboration with Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition curated by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program.
We are excited to welcome Jenice Contreras to the Main Street America Board of Directors. Jenice has a long record of leadership across community and economic development with deep experience with equitable growth, small-scale development, and cultural preservation.
Join Main Street America experts in Vancouver, Wash., to gain first-hand experience in harnessing transformation strategies to successfully revitalize your Main Street!
We are excited to announce that 862 Main Street programs across the country have earned Accredited status, Main Street America’s top level of recognition.
The MSARP credential is the highest level of achievement offered through the Main Street America Institute, requiring dedication to completing a rigorous curriculum of online courses, readings, assignments, workshops, and a challenging final exam.
Over the course of three days, nearly 1900 Main Streeters from near and far gathered for dynamic educational sessions, immersive mobile workshops, and network-building activities.
Check out our new shop featuring clothing and apparel, accessories, home and office goods, and kids’ and baby items inspired by the Main Street Movement.
We’re excited to announce a new suite of resources designed for Main Street! The Main Street Foundations Series provides an overview of each Point through four comprehensive introductory videos, one-page guides, materials from our resource center, and more.
From the ongoing pivots needed to meet changing community needs to the timeless power of place, these are the most popular blog posts we published this year.
At the Opening Plenary at the Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, Virginia, Patrice Frey shared lessons and reflections from her past nine years at Main Street.
Leverage NC, a partnership between North Carolina Main Street and the North Carolina League of Municipalities, hosted a four-part webinar series titled Better Community Planning & Economic Development led by Ed McMahon, Chair Emeritus of Main Street America and a leading national authority on land use policy and economic development.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.