Independent We Stand is pleased to announce today’s launch of the fifth annual America’s Main Streets contest. The three-month long web-driven contest helps consumers, small business owners and Main Street organizations reward a deserving Main Street with $25,000 in cash and sponsor-related prizes.
Whether your local Main Street is making a comeback or never lost its staying power, Independent We Stand invites the public to help draw attention to the vital role America’s Main Streets play in the long-term success of communities by nominating and voting for their favorite Main Street.
“Independent We Stand wants to help locally owned businesses not just survive, but thrive in their communities,” said Independent We Stand co-founder Bill Brunelle in a statement. “We recognize the pride business owners take in their Main Streets, and we want to help share those stories through our contest.”
All nominations and voting take place on MainStreetContest.com beginning at 10 a.m. EST on Feb. 24.
To help promote the contest, the Independent We Stand team heads out for the “The Great American West Coast Cruisin’” road trip starting March 16. While cruisin’ along the West Coast, the team will make stops on five Main Streets in five days to eat, sleep and shop local, as well as interview and engage with small businesses, their customers, Main Street groups and small business organizations. You can follow their journey through Port Townsend Wash.; Gold Beach, Ore.; Eureka, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif. and Seal Beach, Calif. on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Important dates:
- Feb. 24 to April 19: “America’s Main Streets” nominations and quarterfinalist voting
- Mar. 16-20: The Great American “West Coast Cruisin’” road trip
- April 27 to May 24: “America’s Main Streets” semifinalist voting
- June 2: “America’s Main Streets” winner announced
- July 4: “Main Streets Make Us Better” event; “America’s Main Streets” winner announces plans for $25,000 grand prize
Additional contest prizes include:
- STIHL Equipment Certificate for $1,000 worth of STIHL equipment good at any STIHL Dealer in the U.S.
- Do it Best Corp. $500 shopping spree
- Free One Day Downtown Assessment from Flip This Town
- Nationwide Marketing Group $500 shopping spree
- PPG Paints $500 shopping spree
- Public relations and social media recognition
- A special plaque for the winner to proudly display
Presenting Contest Sponsor:
STIHL Inc., America’s number-one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment*, is the founding sponsor of Independent We Stand and the presenting sponsor of America’s Main Streets contest. The company follows a unique distribution strategy in the handheld outdoor power equipment industry, choosing never to sell products at big box stores, but instead remain loyal to its 9,000+ authorized local STIHL Dealers nationwide.
Supporting Contest Sponsors:
- Do it Best Corp.
- Flip This Town
- Nationwide Marketing Group
- North American Retail Hardware Association
- Paint & Decorating Retailers Association
- PPG Paints
About Independent We Stand
Independent We Stand is a nationwide movement of independent small business owners whose mission is to inspire other small business owners to better understand and celebrate their locally owned status while educating consumers about the importance and strong economic benefits of supporting them. The Independent We Stand movement is sponsored by STIHL Inc. STIHL products are sold through more than 9,000 authorized local STIHL Dealers from coast to coast – not big box stores. Associate sponsors include Nationwide Marketing Group, PPG and Do it Best Corp.
See also: Nationwide: Independent Retailers Are Thriving, It’s Time To Engage
