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Main Street Manning Mission Statement

The mission of Main Street Manning (MSM) is to preserve and revitalize our historic downtown and to stimulate business, residential and recreational growth through the coordinated efforts of volunteers, private business, and local government for the benefit of present and future generations.
MAIN STREET MANNING  | 307 Main Street, Manning, IA 51455 |  712-655-6246 (MAIN)  |  Cindy Ranniger, Executive Director  |  mainstmanning@mmctsu.com
The Main Street Manning office is "officially" open every Thursday from 9-Noon and 1-4, 
but Cindy is in the office frequently throughout the week. Just give her a call.

Since 2009, Manning has been one of Iowa's 52 active Main Street nationally-certified communities in Iowa. This program is under the state guidance of the Downtown Resource Center / Iowa Department of Economic Development (IEDA) and under the national guidance of Main Street America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The four main components of the Main Street philosophy are:  
  • Business Improvement
  • Design 
  • Organization 
  • Promotion

State, regional and national training is offered for committee volunteers, board members and program staff. 


Main Street Manning Newsletters

Encourage Involvement

The Main Street program is volunteer driven, and Manning is no exception...we owe our success to the Manning area residents who spent countless hours and dollars for the betterment of their hometown.  No matter what your passion, Main Street Manning has ways you can volunteer to give back to your community.  Whether you can commit 10 hours a month or 2 hours a year, a volunteer opportunity awaits you. For more information on exciting, worthwhile Main Street volunteer opportunities, contact Executive Director Cindy Ranniger. 

Manning is your heritage and community also.  Feel free to offer suggestions for improvement and to assist us in any manner!  Experience Manning - It's Refreshing!
Main Street Manning Vision Statement
​
Manning’s vibrant Main Street with its clean and attractive storefronts will
be a gathering place, inviting the community to shop, work and play.
The welcoming downtown will be a mainstay for the city with convenient
and easy access to a good variety of retail businesses, services, health care, and industry affording a comfortable way of life.
A collaborative cooperative support system between businesses, the school, the city and all economic development partners will promote Manning’s quality of life and attract new businesses and people - bringing jobs, increased business profitability and more opportunity for youth to stay. 

2016 MSM Board of Directors & Staff

Jeff Blum | President
Greg Sextro | Vice President
Anna Irlbeck | Secretary
Andy Rohe | Treasurer
Amber Croghan | Board Member
Anna Irlbeck | Board Member
Jaime England |Board Member 
Luanne Langel | Board Member
Linda Muhlbauer | Board Member
Luke Podey | Board Member
Ray Thielen | Board Member
Jean Voege | Organization Committee Chair  
Megan Reis| Promotion Committee Co-Chair
Jill Arp | Promotion Committee Co-Chair
Marsha Clausen | Design Committee Chair
Ron Reischl | Business Improvement Committee Chair
Jenna Mullen | IKM-Manning Senior - Student Rep.
Trey Boyle | IKM-Manning Senior - Student Rep.
Payton Sporrer | IKM-Manning Junior - Student Rep
Shyanne Sporrer | IKM-Manning Junior - Student Rep

Main Street Executive Director- Cindy Ranniger
Office Phone No. 712-655-MAIN (6246)
Mailing Address: PO Box 261, Manning, IA  51455
email: mainstmanning@mmctsu.com

Main Street Manning (MSM) continues it's role as the leader in all things "downtown".  One of select group of only 52 designated Main Street Iowa communities, Manning continues to benefit from that affiliation - taking advantage of a wide range of services provided by Main Street Iowa staff.
                                           Main Street Manning 2017 Action Plans
 
Our largest barrier to improved economic development in Manning in the coming year is our availability of adequate housing and recruiting a work force to live in our community.
A housing committee is actively working on options to overcome our shortage of housing for young families looking to call Manning home. 
  1. The community has been polled to gauge our need for more adequate housing.
  2. A meeting has been held with local contractors to gauge the interest in building “spec” homes that would be affordable with the young family in mind.
  3. Talks have been initiated with local land owners about the acquisition of property that the city could assist new home builders in attaining.
  4. MSM is actively assisting district building owners that have interest in converting upper story living.
Recruiting an active work force to live in our community:
  1. Perform a market analysis to identify possible niche markets or opportunities of business expansion.
  2. MSM will continue to promote our community as a “refreshing” place to live.
  3. Host a number of events throughout the year that are fun for the community and bring people in to our main street district.
    1. May Day on Main Street
    2. Sunday Funday water fights
    3. Homecoming dance  
  4. Re-design our annual game show styled fund raising event.
Our design committee will continue to actively work on a plan to beautify our main street district streetscape.
  1. Parklets have been discussed by the committee and also at a city level. 
    1. Proposed to be placed in the middle of each block in our main street district to provide people a place to safely cross that street.
    2. Further discussion with district business owners needs to take place to decede what is appropriate to be placed in the parklets
    3. Funding for the project still needs to be secured
  2. Continue to place/plant seasonal decorations/plants in downtown planters.
Utilization of our main street district building space:
  1. Create and maintain and accurate inventory of vacant district building space with information for potential occupants
  2. Perform market analysis for potential business expansion and to help recruit new business

                                     2016 Reflections by Main Street Manning Board President
Carroll County is blessed with many great citizens and communities.
As Main Street Manning Board president, I would like to provide insight into one of those communities — Manning.
At the end of the year, it is common to reflect on the past 12 months. I entered 2016 thinking the pace would slow down ... but it didn’t.
The year started with the Entrepreneur Boot Camp for Women hosted by Drake University in January. Women from Crawford and Carroll counties attended the two-day entrepreneurial workshop, which received great reviews. From the relationships established in the Boot Camp, an informal group called Startup Sisters of West Central Iowa formed and has continued to meet. The group is led by Cindy Lawler from Random Ruby’s of Carroll and meets monthly at BrickHaus Brews in Manning.
Boulders Inn Manning, LLC broke ground April 1 and opened the new Boulders Inn & Suites Oct. 4. The Boulders team indicated the Manning community raised the required investment faster than any of its other 11 communities. Many of the local shareholders said they invested not only for profit opportunity but simply to be part of a team that brought a needed economic development to their community. Hats off to the investors!
In April, Gov. Terry Branstad presented Main Street Manning with a Game Changer Award at the annual Main Street Iowa Awards Banquet. The three-year $800,000 downtown revitalization of 17 building facades on Main Street led to the coveted award. The award recognizes “inspirational, catalytic occurrences or influences that have left significant and lasting impacts on the Main Street programs and Main Street districts.”
A capstone project of a Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication class was the development of a public-relations plan for Manning. Over the summer, Main Street Manning hired one of the Drake graduates to help implement portions of the plan. The recommendations are both thorough and expansive, and Manning will use them for years to come.
Char-Mac Assisted Living, with its 36 rooms, opened in June. This project filled medical and housing gaps in the community. We are thankful to have this award-winning company and management team to serve those in need.
In July, Manning hosted dozens of young business leaders from sub-Saharan Africa. Their one-day visit to Manning was designed to share Manning’s use of private-public partnerships in our economic development activities. Upon completion of their weeks-long immersion in Iowa and U.S. culture, they indicated their visit to Manning was one of the highlights. Check out the YouTube video of the visitors dancing on Main Street on the ManningIA.com homepage.
Main Street Manning entered into its ninth and 10th partnerships with Iowa State University’s College of Design. In the first project, eight graduate students developed designs for the Main Street green space area where the old hospital was located. In the second project, 25-plus students developed architectural artwork designs for Trestle Park and the Little League baseball fields along Highway 141 and a new sign for the Carroll County Freedom Rock on the east edge of Manning.
                                                            2014 Market Analysis:                                                                                                                                                             Main Street Manning partnered with Main Street Iowa to perform surveys and an analysis of the Manning community members and businesses to conduct a Market Study. The four page summary can be found here.  The thirty four page full report can be obtained by contacting the MSM office.