Local DFA Member Businesses Win “Best Of” Awards and Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries 

FRANKLIN, TN (February 17, 2023) – The Downtown Franklin Association (DFA) hosted its second Annual Awards Meeting for its membership on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at The Franklin Theatre. 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 between January 1-22, 2023. The public was encouraged to vote 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 on February 16th, the top-voted businesses were announced along with the official award winner in thirty-two categories. Each winner was given a chance to share a few words. 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. “This event is quickly becoming a favorite annual tradition for DFA members,” says Managing Director of the DFA, Heidi Hood. “We love honoring our members by celebrating their excellence in a fun-loving, light-hearted setting.” Tony Sharpe represented the presenting sponsor, Renasant Bank, in a heart-warming address to the members before Mayor Ken Moore shared a few words as well.  The awards were distributed by DFA Advisory Board Chair, John Bond, Co-Owner of Twine Graphics & Retail. The meeting concluded with a celebration of DFA’s accomplishments in 2022 and vision casting for 2023.  To view the award winners and top-voted businesses for each category, visit DowntownFranklinTN.com/Awards22.   

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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.com. 
 
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, Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens, and the newest project: The History & Culture Center of Williamson County. For more information about the Heritage Foundation, visit  www.williamsonheritage.org.