By: Chloe Cory
A few weeks after his Auburn University graduation, Ken Ward got the call to be the executive director of Opelika Main Street. Ward jumped at the opportunity and moved to an apartment just down the road from Auburn in Opelika, Alabama.
Soon after Ward looked for a house close to the downtown area and moved in December 2019. "I felt it was important for me to buy a home here and build that reputation that people knew I was committed to this community. I didn't want them to think I was only taking this job for six months or a year," Ward said.
Day-to-day Ward ensures that Opelika is growing and thriving in all aspects. Since he stepped in this role, he has taken over projects from awarding grants, to fundraising to going out and working with local small business owners.
Opelika has been with the Main Street program since 1987, bringing both renovation grants and creative projects to help the area. The downtown has won various awards and honors because of these efforts.
Alabama Main Street is a program across the state that awards 29 cities with funds ad professional development classes. It uses the four-point approach, which is organization, economic vitality, design and promotion to achieve revitalization, Ward said.
Ward grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, with a loving family focused on community engagement. He said that because of this, he set the goal of building trust as an outsider stepping into such a significant role.
"In different aspects of my life, I had different role models. For my civic mindedness I would say my grandma as she was active in the community," said Ward. She inspired his professional path.
"I like that I am a driven person. I like to be the best at whatever I am doing. It allows me to bring new ideas to the table so we can move forward," he said. This trait reverberated throughout his life through education and his profession.
Ward attended The Montgomery Academy for his primary education. During his school days, he ran cross country and was a part of the Philanthropy 101 and Interpersonal Relations Programs.
He drove the 45 minutes to become an Auburn Tiger at Auburn University. In three years, Ward graduated with a double major in journalism and political science. He took his "senior year" to get a master's in public administration and graduated in 2019. He also was a part of the Honors College and graduated Cum Laude.
While at Auburn University, Ward was a part of the student-run television station Eagle Eye and the Student Government Association. Auburn awarded Eagle Eye Auburn University's Student Organization of the Year while he was the station manager. Personally, Ward won Student
Government Association senator of the year as well.
Once he started his job as executive director of Opelika Main Street, he hit the ground running.
According to Main Street Alabama’s website https://www.opelikamainstreet.org, the mission statement states: "Main Street Alabama is focused on bringing jobs, dollars and people back to Alabama's historic communities. Economic development is at the heart of this statewide organization's efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods across the state."
Russel Jones, the City Clerk, participated with Ward in Opelika’s 20 Under 40 program run through the Chamber of Commerce. This program recognizes individuals under the age of 40 making a difference in the community. “Ken is a go getter and easy to work with. He and the board he works with have been instrumental not only to the revitalization of Opelika but also the retention of business owners in the area,” said Jones.
After two and a half years, Ward has no set day-to-day schedule. One day he may be doing marketing while the next could be filling out grants for community development.
"It allows me to dive into different interests of mine professionally," said Ward.
“He does a great job putting on our most popular downtown events including Wine on the Tracks. He has also worked hard to secure funding for the downtown area,” said Ali Rauch, the President and CEO of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce.
The impact of his work goes beyond the downtown. Currently, he is working to move his office into a space that was closed ten years ago. This space will house a community room, public rest rooms and a retail incubator where small businesses can get their footing. This may mean that they are looking for a space or are just testing the waters to see if they want to dive into the local business life, Ward explained.
The building is located at 108 S. 8th St. and was constructed in 1920. Over the upcoming months, the space will be going through reconstruction with hopes of being ready in the fall of 2022.
"If a city has a strong town, that reverberates through every neighborhood and business throughout the whole community," he said.
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