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Collaborative success: MSU, Starkville honored with Mississippi Main Street Association awards

Collaborative success: MSU, Starkville honored with Mississippi Main Street Association awards

An encouraging reminder to ā€œstay healthy, local and strongā€ is pictured on the Greater Starkville Development Partnershipā€™s front window in downtown Starkville.
An encouraging reminder to ā€œstay healthy, local and strongā€ is pictured on the Greater Starkville Development Partnershipā€™s front window in downtown Starkville. GSDP is among community organizations that MSUā€™s Office of Admissions and Scholarships has collaborated with on ā€œOrientation Dine Around Downtown,ā€ a Mississippi Main Street Association award-winning project benefitting Ļć½¶Ö±²„students and the local community. (Photo submitted by Jeremy Murdock)Ā  Ā Ā  Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Great things can happen when great minds work together, and Mississippi State 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 associationā€™s annual recognition program held virtually this week, MMSA presented its Outstanding Economic Impact Award to ā€œOrientation Dine Around Downtown.ā€ The project is a collaboration between MSUā€™s 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 MSUā€™s summer 2018 orientation program, ā€œOrientation Dine Around Downtownā€ introduces thousands of incoming freshmen and transfer students and their families to local dine-in restaurants in the Starkville community.

Paige Watson, an Ļć½¶Ö±²„alumna serving as GSDPā€™s 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.

ā€œA large majority (86%) of Orientation attendees and their families also redeemed vouchers at local restaurants that went back into the local economy. ā€˜Orientation Dine Around Downtownā€™ provides the first taste of culinary experiences in Starkville and has proven to be very successful,ā€ Watson said.

John Dickerson, Ļć½¶Ö±²„assistant vice president for enrollment, said the event is ā€œa 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.ā€

ā€œHelping students make the transition to the university and Starkville community is the goal of Orientation,ā€ Dickerson said, ā€œand we feel Dine Around Downtown is a successful part of our Orientation program.ā€

The event also received the in 2018.

ā€œDirector Kylie Forrester and her team in Ļć½¶Ö±²„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,ā€ Dickerson said. ā€œHopefully, we will be able to have this as a part of our 2021 Orientation program.ā€

Sisters Ali Grace Williams and Audrey Caroline Williams apply varnish to wood during a 2019 Fatherā€™s Day gift-making workshop at MSUā€™s Idea Shop.
Sisters Ali Grace Williams and Audrey Caroline Williams participate in a 2019 Fatherā€™s Day gift-making workshop at MSUā€™s Idea Shop in downtown Starkville. Part of the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, the Idea Shop is receiving the Mississippi Main Street Associationā€™s 2020 Outstanding Entrepreneurial Endeavor Award. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)

Additionally, MMSAā€™s 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 Ļć½¶Ö±²„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 Ļć½¶Ö±²„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 MSUā€™s 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 ā€œmaker movement.ā€ Watson said the shop, which received the Starkville Main Street Associationā€™s Partner of the Year Award in 2019, recently joined efforts to design uniformed sidewalk signs for Chamber businesses.

ā€œThe Idea Shop is a shining example of an innovative business that is helping to create an everlasting entrepreneurial spirit in Mississippiā€™s College Town,ā€ she said.

Sharon Oswald, dean of MSUā€™s College of Business and professor of management, said the Idea Shop enhances the universityā€™s community presence by providing students and others with a welcoming place for creative exploration.

ā€œItā€™s exciting to see the Starkville and Ļć½¶Ö±²„community embracing the limitless potential of the Idea Shop, and the recognition it has received this year makes me extremely proud,ā€ she said.

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

Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiā€™s leading university, available online at .