Iowa downtown leaders hear of Greenfield's resiliency

Greenfield Chamber Main Street’s event coordinator and marketing assistant Camille Blair said she was uplifted by kind words colleagues from around the state gave her when she was able to tell them that Greenfield is building back after the tornado, while at a conference last week in Cedar Rapids.

Blair was this year’s attendee for Greenfield Chamber Main Street at the Iowa Downtown Conference. It is a networking event held each year by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Downtown Resource Center, attended by chamber directors and employees, as well as others, from across the state.

“We all wore nametags, so everytime someone would ask me where I’m coming from you would see their face drop. I almost wanted to tell them to not be sad or feel bad, because we’re coming back. Being able to tell them that was really nice,” Blair said.

The Iowa Downtown Conference focuses a lot on revitalizing downtown districts and preservation. It also emphasizes ideas for new business startups as well as enhancing existing business opportunities. For instance, one session Blair went to focused on 10,000 new business ideas. Others focused on public art, utilizing social media or the emergence of artificial intelligence (A.I.). Another talked about bulking up the value of being a member of your town’s chamber of commerce.

“It’s really nice to see a bunch of individuals who care about their downtowns and revitalizing their communities,” Blair said. “It is really inspiring to see that many people who care.”

After the tornado, Blair has been inspired as she’s seen people who care pouring their resources into helping Greenfield rebuild from the May 21 tornado.

“We’re literally rising out of the ashes,” she said, referencing the town’s RAGBRAI theme. “Almost as soon as RAGBRAI finished, there were walls coming up. It was really great to see after having that outpouring of support from RAGBRAI riders. It’s a continued snowball of progress and hope.”