Wallowa County representatives speak at 2025 Mainstreet American Conference
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, April 14th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
WALLOWA COUNTY — (Release from the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce) Jennifer Piper, Executive Director of the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce, was selected to present alongside Sheri Stuart, Oregon Main Street Coordinator, and Saira Siddiqui, owner of SAIRA Creative, at the national Main Street America conference held in Philadelphia in early April. The conference brings together community leaders, economic development professionals, and revitalization experts from across the country.
Jennifer co-presented a session titled “Collaborative Organizational Models for Main Streets,” which focused on a statewide initiative in Oregon designed to help rural communities access Main Street resources through a shared-services model. The presentation spotlighted the Rural Regional Main Street (RRMS) program, a pilot effort developed by Oregon Main Street to address the barriers small communities face – such as limited funding, volunteer burnout, and staffing constraints.
Her portion of the session highlighted a case study from Wallowa County, where the Chamber now serves as the regional “hub” for the Wallowa County Rural Regional Main Street (WCRRMS) program. She shared how the model works in practice, including the Chamber’s role in providing administrative support, training, and strategic guidance to three local towns: Enterprise, Joseph, and Wallowa. She also shared early indicators of success, such as increased collaboration between towns, greater engagement from local property owners, and new businesses opening in the region.
The session was designed to offer practical takeaways for other communities (rural, suburban, and even urban) that might benefit from adopting a more collaborative approach to downtown revitalization. “The session room was packed!” Jennifer said. “It’s clear that the Rural Regional Main Street model we’re building in Oregon is resonating far beyond our state. Communities everywhere are looking for more collaborative, sustainable ways to revitalize their downtowns – and I’m proud that Wallowa County is helping lead that conversation.”
