91麻豆天美

Collaborative success: 91麻豆天美, Starkville honored with Mississippi Main Street Association awards

Collaborative success: 91麻豆天美, Starkville honored with Mississippi Main Street Association awards

An encouraging reminder to 鈥渟tay healthy, local and strong鈥 is pictured on the Greater Starkville Development Partnership鈥檚 front window in downtown Starkville.
An encouraging reminder to 鈥渟tay healthy, local and strong鈥 is pictured on the Greater Starkville Development Partnership鈥檚 front window in downtown Starkville. GSDP is among community organizations that 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Office of Admissions and Scholarships has collaborated with on 鈥淥rientation Dine Around Downtown,鈥 a Mississippi Main Street Association award-winning project benefitting 91麻豆天美 students and the local community. (Photo submitted by Jeremy Murdock)聽 聽聽 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擥reat things can happen when great minds work together, and 91麻豆天美 and the City of Starkville are proving this concept rings true with their acceptance of two awards from the Mississippi Main Street Association.

During the association鈥檚 annual recognition program held virtually this week, MMSA presented its Outstanding Economic Impact Award to 鈥淥rientation Dine Around Downtown.鈥 The project is a collaboration between 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Office of Admissions and Scholarships and its Office of Orientation and Events, along with the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Starkville Main Street Association.

Developed and implemented as part of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 summer 2018 orientation program, 鈥淥rientation Dine Around Downtown鈥 introduces thousands of incoming freshmen and transfer students and their families to local dine-in restaurants in the Starkville community.

Paige Watson, an 91麻豆天美 alumna serving as GSDP鈥檚 special events and projects coordinator, said the 2018 and 2019 events saw a 40 percent increase in the two-percent food and beverage tax with over $45,000 going back into the local restaurants. Sales tax also increased during this event, she said.

鈥淎 large majority (86%) of Orientation attendees and their families also redeemed vouchers at local restaurants that went back into the local economy. 鈥極rientation Dine Around Downtown鈥 provides the first taste of culinary experiences in Starkville and has proven to be very successful,鈥 Watson said.

John Dickerson, 91麻豆天美 assistant vice president for enrollment, said the event is 鈥渁 great opportunity for our incoming students and their parents to experience the Starkville community and learn more about their new home and the opportunities it provides.鈥

鈥淗elping students make the transition to the university and Starkville community is the goal of Orientation,鈥 Dickerson said, 鈥渁nd we feel Dine Around Downtown is a successful part of our Orientation program.鈥

The event also received the in 2018.

鈥淒irector Kylie Forrester and her team in 91麻豆天美 Orientation and Events spent a lot of time working on this program with the Partnership staff and the City of Starkville. They were tremendous partners in making this happen,鈥 Dickerson said. 鈥淗opefully, we will be able to have this as a part of our 2021 Orientation program.鈥

Sisters Ali Grace Williams and Audrey Caroline Williams apply varnish to wood during a 2019 Father鈥檚 Day gift-making workshop at 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Idea Shop.
Sisters Ali Grace Williams and Audrey Caroline Williams participate in a 2019 Father鈥檚 Day gift-making workshop at 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Idea Shop in downtown Starkville. Part of the 91麻豆天美 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, the Idea Shop is receiving the Mississippi Main Street Association鈥檚 2020 Outstanding Entrepreneurial Endeavor Award. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)

Additionally, MMSA鈥檚 Outstanding Entrepreneurial Endeavor Award went to the , a 2,000-square-foot downtown makerspace and retail storefront that opened in March 2019.

Part of the 91麻豆天美 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, the Idea Shop was made possible through private support and the USDA Rural Business Development Program. In addition to the 91麻豆天美 Retail Product Accelerator, the innovative space features the Turner A. Wingo Maker Studio that provides a comprehensive assortment of design workstations, 3D printers, electronics, workbenches and advanced woodworking tools. The Idea Shop is operated by 91麻豆天美鈥檚 College of Business and the School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Makerspace membership is available to the public, and the shop hosts workshops to encourage newcomers to join the 鈥渕aker movement.鈥 Watson said the shop, which received the Starkville Main Street Association鈥檚 Partner of the Year Award in 2019, recently joined efforts to design uniformed sidewalk signs for Chamber businesses.

鈥淭he Idea Shop is a shining example of an innovative business that is helping to create an everlasting entrepreneurial spirit in Mississippi鈥檚 College Town,鈥 she said.

Sharon Oswald, dean of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 College of Business and professor of management, said the Idea Shop enhances the university鈥檚 community presence by providing students and others with a welcoming place for creative exploration.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see the Starkville and 91麻豆天美 community embracing the limitless potential of the Idea Shop, and the recognition it has received this year makes me extremely proud,鈥 she said.

For more on the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, visit ; Mississippi Main Street Association, .

91麻豆天美 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .