The Washington Trust and the Washington State Main Street Program are proud to announce the 2022 winners of our annual Excellence on Main awards.

The Washington State Main Street Program, operated by the Washington Trust in conjunction with the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), helps communities across the state revitalize the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown districts. Today Washington Main Street encompasses a network of nearly 70 towns and cities.

Every year, as a cornerstone event of the annual statewide RevitalizeWA conference, the Washington State Main Street Program hosts the Excellence on Main awards ceremony, honoring projects and individuals whose hard work and innovative efforts are making a difference in their communities and beyond. By celebrating these outstanding stories on a statewide platform, we aim to not only pay tribute to the exceptional work being done but to amplify the ripple effect, inspiring and driving change in Main Street communities across the state.

This year’s 2022 Excellence on Main award winners were announced on Thursday, October 20 at Pybus Public Market during the RevitalizeWA conference held Oct. 19-21 in Wenatchee. The award winners include:

Outstanding Promotional Campaign

Recognizing creative and effective promotional campaigns that attract people to the downtown or neighborhood commercial district
“Stevenson Strong,” Stevenson Downtown Association

Economic Vitality

Recognizing enhancement efforts that have improved the economic vitality of the district including job creation and retention, sales growth, and more
Pandemic Economic Recovery Effort, Olympia Downtown Alliance

Bricks and Mortar Rehabilitation

Recognizing building owners or projects that positively impact preservation efforts
The Geddis Building, Ellensburg

Community Partnership

Recognizing a Main Street program and partners who have demonstrated the highest and best degree of cooperation to benefit downtown revitalization efforts
Downtown Yakima Rotary Marketplace, Downtown Association of Yakima

Outstanding Special Project #1

Recognizing great one-time projects or activities that affect a downtown or neighborhood commercial district’s revitalization efforts
Main Street Through a Child’s Eyes, Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance

Outstanding Special Project #2

Recognizing great one-time projects or activities that affect a downtown or neighborhood commercial district’s revitalization efforts 
Ridgeline Lighting Transformation, Downtown Camas Association

Organizational Excellence

Recognizing excellence in building a strong downtown revitalization organization while achieving consensus and cooperation among stakeholder groups
Block Parties, Centralia Downtown Association

Entrepreneur of the Year

Recognizing the innovation, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit of our entrepreneurs and small businesses
Chesed Farms, Walla Walla

Leadership on Main

Recognizing an individual who has shown extraordinary dedication to his or her local Main Street over a significant period of time
Mary DesMarais, Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance

Legacy on Main

Recognizing a small business that has stood the test of time and impacted generations of community members
Moonraker Books, Langley

The Excellence on Main

Recognizing outstanding projects and people that reflect an attitude of perseverance and dedication to community revitalization in Washington
Linda Haglund, Wenatchee Downtown Association

We applaud this year’s Excellence on Main award winners and the impacts they have made in their communities.

For more details on our award winners, visit our Excellence on Main archive at preservewa.org/programs/mainstreet/downtown-revitalization-resources/excellence-on-main/archive.

For more photos of the award winners and of the RevitalizeWA conference overall, visit preservewa.org/revitalizewa2022-album.