Downtown Franklin Association Holds Inaugural Awards Meeting
Local DFA Member Businesses Win “Best Of” Awards and Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries
FRANKLIN, TN (February 9, 2022) – The Downtown Franklin Association (DFA) hosted its very first Annual Awards Meeting for its membership on Thursday evening, February 3, 2022, at The Harpeth Hotel.
In addition to supporting downtown Franklin businesses through its Main Street America® accreditation and programming, The Downtown Franklin Association serves its members in special ways throughout the year.
The ballot of nominees for the DFA Annual Awards consisted of current DFA business members. It was voted on by the public during the month of January 2022 for the previous calendar year of 2021. The public was encouraged to vote for each award category with the following criteria in mind:
- That the business or organization demonstrate outstanding customer service,
- Show fulfillment of a clear mission and vision,
- Offer unique and high-quality recipes, products, or services,
- Create memorable customer or client / guest experiences,
- Demonstrate excellent care for health and safety,
- And invest in the community by giving back.
At the DFA Annual Awards private member meeting, the top-voted businesses were announced along with the official award winner in each category. In addition, the DFA took time to acknowledge some special anniversaries that were celebrated by DFA members last year.
This year’s Downtown Franklin Annual Awards, presented by Renasant Bank, provided an opportunity for Downtown Franklin Association members to celebrate with each other in this uplifting and light-hearted member meeting.
“It has been an incredibly challenging time for entrepreneurs and businesses,” says Managing Director of the DFA, Heidi Hood. “We were thrilled to create something special like this for our members, to celebrate what they’ve accomplished, and to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to making downtown Franklin what it is today.”
Mayor Ken Moore began the evening by addressing the merchants represented, and Tony Sharpe represented the presenting sponsor, Renasant Bank, in a heart-warming address to the members before the award winners were announced by the current DFA Advisory Board Chair, John Bond, Co-Owner of Twine Graphics & Retail.
The evening concluded with a celebration of important anniversaries for businesses and nonprofit members in 2021, followed by an invitation to get involved in new opportunities of DFA’s mission work and to connect with each other.
The full list of award winners and the top-voted businesses for each category is available at www.DowntownFranklinTN.com/
##
ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN FRANKLIN ASSOCIATION
Established in 1984, the Downtown Franklin Association is the merchants’ association division of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN. It was created to aid in historic preservation and community vibrancy and helped spearhead the revitalization of Franklin’s historic downtown core. Using the Four-Pillar approach set forth by the National Main Street Center, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and in partnership with property owners, city and county government, local businesses and merchants in the Franklin, TN historic retail district, the DFA has helped create one of the nation’s Main Street success stories. For more information, visit www.downtownfranklintn.
ABOUT THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Since 1967, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County has been dedicated to preserving Williamson County’s architectural, geographic and cultural heritage as well as promoting the ongoing revitalization of downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation. Notable projects include The Franklin Theatre, Roper’s Knob, parts of the Franklin battlefield and the Old, Old Jail. Events and festivals produced by the Heritage Foundation such as Main Street Festival, the Heritage Ball, Pumpkinfest and Dickens of a Christmas bring hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors to downtown Franklin each year. The Heritage Foundation owns and operates The Franklin Theatre, the Downtown Franklin Association, and the organization’s newest division and current restoration project, Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens. For more information about the Heritage Foundation, visit www.williamsonheritage.org.
