Phillips new director of Main Street Arkansas program

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) 100 views 

Greg Phillips, a 15-year veteran of the Main Street Arkansas downtown development program, has been named the new director of Main Street Arkansas, according to Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Director Frances McSwain.

Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

Phillips has been assistant director of the Main Street Arkansas program since 1997 and has been a key player in working with the 17 Main Street Arkansas communities and the 12 cities in the Arkansas Downtown Network. Prior to joining the Main Street Arkansas team, Phillips worked with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Peoria, Illinois, Symphony Orchestra, and the Peoria Ballet Company.

A 1987 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, Phillips also graduated from the University of Central Arkansas's Community Development Institute and has completed the Arkansas Governmental Manager Program, the Arkansas Certified Public Manager Program and the Arkansas Certified Volunteer Manager Program.

Phillips succeeds Cary Tyson, who was promoted to deputy director of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, as director of Main Street Arkansas.

Main Street Arkansas provides technical assistance and design services to help create economic development in the state's downtown areas. The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization focuses on four areas: design, economic restructuring, organization and promotion.

Cities involved in Main Street Arkansas are Batesville, Blytheville, Dumas, El Dorado, Eureka Springs, Hardy, Helena, Little Rock's South Main Street (SoMa), Osceola, Ozark, Paragould, Rogers, Russellville, Searcy, Siloam Springs, Texarkana and West Memphis.

Members of Main Street's Arkansas Downtown Network are Pine Bluff, Heber Springs, Fort Smith, DeWitt, Morrilton, Rector, Jonesboro, Monticello, Arkadelphia, Clarksville, Warren and Wynne.