Souderton and Telford consists of a community of dedicated business owners, government officials, property owners and residents who recognize the importance of working together. Consequently, they have come together to form the Souderton-Telford Main Streets program to give a structure to their cooperative revitalization efforts.

As employment and shopping trends have changed, so has the need for a new approach to doing business on Main Street.

New housing developments in the townships surrounding the boroughs offer new opportunities. The commuting time necessary for most workers in the area affects the time available for doing business in downtown. Aging baby boomers and empty nesters are looking for new and different shopping and entertainment choices. All these challenges also offer an opportunity to expand into new markets and attract new customers.

The Main Street program offers a four-point structure that addresses the different aspects that impact the business climate in a downtown. Each of those four points is associated with the activities of one of the four committees. The activities of each committee are based on a five-year plan that outlines the goals and objectives of the organization. Each year, the committees develop a work plan to guide their specific efforts.

The Board of Directors is responsible for assuring the work plans will achieve those five-year goals. They are also responsible for developing the budget, setting policy and overseeing the operation of the organization.

The committees each have a regular schedule of monthly meetings, a committee chair and a group of volunteers who are passionate about their committee’s mission. As with every volunteer-driven organization, new volunteers are always welcome on all the committees. In 2007, specific training for each of the committees will be a priority. As the committees accomplish their annual work plans, they gain the experience and skills to tackle more complex and challenging activities.

The mission of each of the four committees is described below with a link to the 2007 work plan. Please take a moment to read through the work plans to get a more detailed idea of their activities. This will help you decide where you would best serve within the organization.

• Organization — Securing funding from diverse sources, attracting volunteers, keeping the program in order

• Design — Helping our downtown streets and businesses look good

• Economic Restructuring — Making it easy to do business downtown

• Promotion — Marketing the downtown’s unique offerings as a destination

We are not alone: Since the national Main Streets program formed 25 years ago, more than 1,600 communities nationwide have implemented Main Street revitalization projects. Together, these programs have generated an investment of $15.2 billion, provided space for a net 52,000 new businesses and created 206,000 net new jobs.

About the Main Streets Program

The Souderton-Telford Community Development Corporation (CDC), commonly known as Souderton-Telford Main Streets, is a tax exempt organization (501 c 6) comprised of business and community leaders that guides the revitalization of our two downtown areas. By design, Souderton and Telford maintain equal representation on the Main Streets Board of Directors, including both borough officials and business owners.

Mission Statement

The Souderton-Telford Community Development Corporation is committed to the revitalization of Souderton's and Telford's downtown commercial districts. The organization will share its resources in order to implement programs that will benefit the boroughs. In addition to pooling resources, the organization will coordinate programs and events and will work to develop a unique identity for each borough's commercial district. Souderton will focus on developing its resources as a regional center for arts, culture, and entertainment. Telford will focus on combining parts of its downtown into Telford Crossing, a commercial center for the borough.