The Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Outstanding Civic Leadership Event on Wednesday, Sept 28. And as in past events, this year's OCLE will feature a "Roast and Toast" of an honored member of the community.
This year, the person who will bear that honor will be Shelley Simmons. Simmons has lived in Siloam Springs since 1995 and has helped lead nonprofit Main Street Siloam Springs as it made efforts to revitalize the city's ailing downtown area.
"I was flattered," Simmons said. "And a little bit surprised."
Simmons said the award usually goes to citizens who have lived in the community longer and are older.
Meghan Kenney, Director of Economic Development and Membership at the Chamber of Commerce, said Simmons was being honored for her work that has made downtown Siloam Springs the busy place it is today.
"This year it was important for us to pick someone who has made a difference recently," Kenney said.
"It couldn't be a more deserving honor for her," said Meredith Bergstrom, who is the former director of Main Street Siloam Springs. "Her work is certainly the foundation of Main Street's current efforts and success."
"Earlier this year as (Main Street Siloam Springs) prepared to honor Shelley at our Main Event, I wrote about her: 'Shelley is indispensable in the story of Siloam Springs,"' Bergstrom said in an email.
"'She is smart, strong, savvy, visionary and kind. She is discerning and future - focused. She is a joy to work alongside. She empowers others and brings out the best of others' talents and contributions. She is a leader, and she leads by doing.'"
Simmons' impact will be visible from the OCLE dinner itself. The food will be catered by 28 Springs, which Simmons owns, the speakers will be people close to Simmons, like Bergstrom, and Simmons' husband Todd, who will be the Master of Ceremonies.
Even the setting bears the marks of Simmons' time in Siloam Springs. The dinner will be held on University Street, between Broadway and Mt. Olive, in the downtown that Simmons worked to resuscitate.
In 2008, Simmons' work with Main Street Siloam Springs began as she took a position as the part-time executive director.
"I had lived here over 10 years and really loved the community and loved being here," Simmons said. "I hated driving through here and seeing the beautiful bones of downtown, but things were moving out."
"If I have to live here, I want this to be a vibrant place," she said.
In her new role, Simmons helped push downtown revitalization. At first, she worked pro bono for 20 hours a week, spending the rest of her time with her young children.
Simmons' time with Main Street Siloam Springs coincided with a deep recession, which she credits with helping move people into the downtown area.
"You would think the downtown would stagnate, but I think a lot of people in other professions decided it was time to fulfill a dream and open up a business," she said. "We actually had a lot of businesses open up."
One of Simmons' other goals was to move away from the nonprofit's image of just helping the downtown area look nice.
"That's what I remember Main Street doing when I first moved here... putting up the greenery on the light posts downtown," she said. "We talked a lot about shifting to become an economic driven organization."
Eventually, the organization grew to where it could afford a full-time director, and in 2010 Bergstrom was hired and Simmons moved to the board of directors.
Fast forward to today, and Simmons is about to complete her sixth year on the board. Due to term limit rules, she will have to take at least a year off.
But Simmons isn't sure that she will return after that year.
"I feel strongly that it's important for organizations for one person not to be in control for too long," Simmons said. "I think its important to have new ideas."
Simmons' ideas and drive for Main Street Siloam Springs came from her childhood and desire to make Siloam Springs a more vibrant place to live.
Simmons grew up in Cambridge, Mass., where she lived close to the city center. She met Todd Simmons at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and got married in 1995.
"I knew if we stayed together, I was going to end up back in Arkansas to live," she said laughing. "It was definitely an adjustment. But I tell people it is easier to move from the North to the South than from the South to the North because the people are so friendly."
When she moved to Siloam Springs, Simmons was struck by how quiet it was. And when the couple wanted entertainment or a night out, they often headed out to Fayetteville or Tulsa.
"I remember going to Walmart for something fun to do," she said.
Today, Simmons lives within walking distance from the downtown district, where her kids, Caroline, 13, and Charlie, 10, love going.
"When they talk about living in Siloam Springs, being able to walk downtown is one of their favorite things."
Even if Simmons will no longer be with Main Street Siloam Springs, she will be busy with 28 Springs and taking care of her kids, who are both in school in Fayetteville. She is also on the school board.
Simmons owns two properties downtown; 28 Springs and 116 Broadway, which houses Heart of the Home and other businesses.
"I just wanted to own some downtown property and put my money where my mouth is, in telling people to invest in downtown," she said.
"I appreciate being honored in this way, I want to make sure people know that in my mind, it's always been a team effort," she said. "I think I was able to shine a spotlight on an issue at a time when the community was ready to do something about it."
General News on 09/28/2016