Coomes
By Sheryl Roadcap
TROY — A new, youthful energy has come to Troy Main Street with the addition of Kennedy Coomes, the organization’s new executive director.
“It’s been very exciting and so welcoming,” Coomes said of her time since coming to Troy Main Street. “Board members are so kind and always so welcoming.”
“Troy Main Street is a nonprofit organization that promotes the economic revitalization of downtown Troy,” according to its website. “Through strong economic development, planned historic preservation, continued enhancements and exceptional programming, Troy Main Street creates a charming, prosperous and interactive downtown Troy. Our vision for downtown Troy to be the most desirable downtown destination in the Midwest.”
Coomes joined Troy Main Street in April, replacing former executive director Andrea Keller. She is a native of Delaware, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, and is a graduate of The Ohio State University. Before coming to Troy Main Street, Coomes worked in various roles at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby and Darke Counties.
“I started at Big Brothers Big Sisters at their Greenville office as their program designer, and as time went on it was discovered I really enjoyed the administrative work; I like being behind the scenes. I liked the communications and all that good stuff, so that took me in to marketing and that was at their main campus. When I was at Big Brothers Big sisters, I kind of felt capped out,” Coomes said of realizing what she liked doing best and then realizing when it was time to move on.
Learning and continuing to grow and evolve are important factors in what brought Coomes to Troy Main Street from Big Brothers Big Sisters, she explained.
“I always want to be a better version of myself and to continue to learn in life,” Coomes confessed.
When announcing Coomes had joined Troy Main Street after her first day, the organization’s Facebook page said, “In addition to business experience, Kennedy offers proven success in project development, team collaboration, and fundraising enhancement. Her familiarity with multimedia marketing and management are areas we have gained traction in, and with her addition, we are excited about taking these areas to the next level.
“Kennedy’s ability to successfully secure partnerships with sponsors and volunteers was a key area we were looking to continue to grow in and cannot wait to see what lies ahead,” the post concluded.
Coomes said her vision for Troy Main Street is for “people to feel like they are in Troy without actually having to physically being here whether through the website or social media.” And aside from short term goals with ongoing events or other things such as a mural initiative, a downtown selfie-station and a historical touch on Troy, she aims to up the organization’s communication and be more accessible to the public. Coomes also hopes to drive home Troy Main Street’s mission of what it does and why they do it.
Troy Main Street organizes many events in the downtown. Currently, Statues on the Square is ongoing in the downtown through Oct. 1, where statues are placed on the sidewalks around the downtown area. Recently, on July 22, the Plein Air Artists event was held which welcomed artists to come paint whatever inspired them in the downtown, starting in the morning through the afternoon, and then sold their art later in the day.
Tour De Donut returns to downtown Troy on Saturday, Aug. 26, and the Donut Jam on the Friday evening before, on Aug. 25. Coomes expressed sincere gratitude to the Troy Foundation and the Miami County Foundation for grants sponsoring that big weekend.
Coomes is the mother of two young boys, Brooks 4, and Hudson, 2, and resides in Shelby County. She and her fiance Dustin Goubeaux are planning a winter wedding for January 2024.
For all things Troy Main Street visit the organization’s website at https://troymainstreet.org/home or Facebook page.
