Partners for Better Communities (Virginia's DHCD Podcast)

In this episode of the podcast, Buena Vista, Virginia, business owners join Main Street Buena Vista's Jen Carpenter for a discussion of the power of partnership when small businesses, community volunteers, and town government work together for a stronger business district and a vibrant community. Guests include the BeeVe's Madeleine Mercer, Asunder Coffee Roaster's Stephanie McCoy and...

Join Harrisonburg's Andrea Dono and Hilton Village's JB Crowley for a conversation on how to foster  "Main Streets for All" with a focus on visitor accessibility, continual improvement, and learning together across the Virginia Main Street Network.

Friends of Old Town Executive Director Brady Cloven joins the podcast for a conversation about Winchester,  the longest standing Virginia Main Street community. Catch up on community progress and the leadership that's making it happen.

Luray Downtown Initiative Program Director Jackie Wood joins the podcast for a discussion of the business support and resiliency muscles that strengthened as a result of community work during the pandemic. 

Hopewell Downtown Partnership Executive Director Drew Dayberry joins the podcast to share how natural assets and entrepreneurial energy are shaping the future of this industrial riverside city.

Downtown Wytheville's Charlie Jones shares his Main Street journey on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Virginia Main Street program. The Wytheville native was the nonprofit's first youth intern and one of the first youth board members. After graduating from James Madison University, Charlie returned to Wytheville and has now spent nearly four years as the assistant director of D...

Tune in for a special conversation with Antonio Miller of Downtown Ashland Association

Tune in for a special conversation with Kyle Meyer of Virginia Main Street.

A special episode with Rebecca Rowe and Courtney Mailey diving into Virginia Main Street.

Cindy Davis spent her 30-year career in the coding industry as a trailblazer and pioneer, making invaluable contributions throughout the commonwealth and beyond. Hear about her journey as a woman in the male-dominated coding industry, her 12 years with DHCD, the mentors that inspired her along the way, and the important things she learned across her illustrious career.

Holly Lesko, Business Continuity Team Program Manager for the New River Valley Regional Commission has spent three decades in the region, building relationships and exploring community engagement through storytelling, civic participation, and public health.  Learn more about Holly in this episode and at the links below: New River Valley Regional Commission Healthy by Design Youth Digital Stor...

Kathleen Frazier, FAIA, of Staunton, Virginia's Frazier Associates drew upon a career in preservation based downtown revitalization to create one of Virginia Main Street resource-rich technical sheets . Hear Kathy in conversation with staff member Zachary Whitlow on the nuts, bolts, and benefits of upper story housing as part of your revitalization strategy.

DHCD staff member Melissa Mason sits down with Mathews County Broadband Advisory Board Chair Judy Rowe on attaining "reliable, high speed affordable access to universal broadband for all of Mathews County by 2025." In this rural area, the volunteer commitment to audacious and important goals is making this quickly working to make this a reality. Listen in on this inspiring conversation on the powe...

This year we're profiling some of Virginia's local administrators, public servants who are often behind the scenes making things happen with creativity, passion, and care for the place and people surrounding them. "I like being able to do all kinds of things in one day," says Scottsville Town Administrator Matt Lawless who talked to us about the variety of challenges, joys, and rewards of serving...

Crowdfunding can attract capital to new and growing businesses, and the "return on crowd" is measured in much more than dollars. In the final Creating Community Vitality podcast, crowdfunding expert Bill Huston provides tips and strategies for effectively attracting dedicated customers and investors. Learn more abou t Pittsburgh's Honeycomb Credit. Learn more about the American Dream Marketplace....

Kirsten Moore opened Magpie –a breakfast and lunch diner-inspired restaurant and bakery, and The Perch at Magpie –a coworking space for small businesses, freelancers, and remote workers—in July 2020 in the middle of the pandemic lockdown. Having started an extensive historic renovation of an old auto service building in September of 2019 to house the businesses, it was a train that couldn’t be sto...

By layering weatherization and energy efficiency resources, DHCD's new Weatherization Deferral Repair Program will help more people in need and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode marking Energy Awareness Month and the 45th Annual Weatherization Day, DHCD staff member Jennifer Wares shares her path in energy efficiency and how DHCD and its partners are improving homes and lives t...

Public spaces – ones that are truly equitable and inclusive – are essential for creating community vitality. Our continued health and racial pandemics prove the urgency of more in-depth analysis and thinking for what these spaces need to and must be. Get to know the National Main Street Center's Lindsey Wallace as she tours us through national examples as communities make the most of their public...

More people and places can benefit from interconnected place-focused policies and programs. That's a key idea of transformative placemaking, says Brookings Institution's Jennifer S. Vey in this episode of Partners for Better Communities .   And those strategies have to be rooted in the assets of local residents and businesses. "If the leadership is dominated by a small group of people, even i...

We're talking support for food-based businesses and small scale manufacturing in the August installment of the Creating Community Vitality series.  Bok Vocational High School was built in 1936 and accommodated 3,000 students from across Philadelphia studying subjects like wallpapering, cosmetology, auto mechanics, bricklaying, and more. In 2013, the school closed due to decreased enrollment a...

Becca Richardson's work investing in neighborhoods and communities is deeply personal. So is this conversation with DHCD's Rebecca Rowe, in which the Richmond based economic development and community finance professional digs into how we can better engage in the world around us. Becca Richmond currently serves Virginia residents through her work at LISC Virginia . "The people in a community have t...

How does a community make it easy for newcomers to try it on for size?  Check out the innovative strategy of Chatanooga, Tennessee's The Tomorrow Building , a model that's quickly being explored by other cities eager to attract and retain a talented workforce and create community vitality. Tiffanie Robinson, a leader behind the effort by Lamp Post Properties , says, "We work hard to integrate...

To wrap up Building Safety Month, DHCD Code and Regulation Specialist Paul Messplay talks disaster preparedness with Virginia Building and Code Officials Association (VCBOA) President Jimmy Moss.  "If a resident can walk into a building and not wonder if they are safe or not, we've done our job," says Moss.  Hear the full episode and go deeper below. Learn more about Building Safety Mont...

Dive into water safety codes in this seasonal reminder with Martinsville Building Code Official Kris Bridges. "First," says Bridges, "there's no replacement for proper adult supervision."  How else can you keep your family and community safe? Listen in for an engaging conversation with DHCD's Amanda Love, and get more information below. International Code Council Building Safety Month Water S...

The Creating Community Vitality series continues with NextHERE 's Aaron Bolzle. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based consultant is sharing strategies learned from the success of Tulsa Remote , an intentional effort to attract and support remote workers to the Oil Capital of the World. This 21st Century strategy is about more than attracting disposable income.  "It's about every single person feeling lik...