Happy New Year! As we look towards the year ahead, the Talent Business Alliance is reflecting on all the incredible moments and milestones that defined this past year. This past year, we’ve been proud to support Talent’s entrepreneurs, build partnerships, and engage residents through a variety of events and programs.
Highlights from 2024:
A Historic Harvest Festival
One of the highlights of the year was the much-anticipated 2024 Talent Harvest Festival. The event brought together local vendors, musicians, and community members to celebrate the best of Talent! Our heartfelt thanks go to the City of Talent, the incredible vendors, the talented musicians, and the small business community who made the day unforgettable. A special thank you to the volunteers whose hard work ensured the event ran smoothly, and to Ana Byers, the event coordinator, who brought this vision to life with less than three months of planning!
New Faces, New Leadership
2024 saw exciting changes in leadership at the Talent Business Alliance. Darby Ayers-Flood became TBA’s Executive Director, following her incredible work as the volunteer board president for the last two and a half years. Darby brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in supporting local businesses and building community partnerships. Under her leadership, TBA is poised for continued growth and impact.
Kimber Parris, owner of Art Bop Beer Co., was elected as TBA’s new Board President. Kimber’s dedication to local businesses and her experience as a community leader make her a perfect fit for the role. We’re excited to continue working with Kimber as we expand our programs and initiatives to further empower Talent’s small business community in 2025 and beyond.
In the fall, we welcomed Cecelia Bagnoli, the new Destination and Tourism Strategic Planner, a role supported by the RARE AmeriCorps program. With her background in supporting small businesses and fostering vibrant communities, Cecelia is leading efforts to develop strategies that boost local tourism and economic growth for Talent.
And in the new year we are welcoming our newest Board Member, Marilu Medina! Born and raised in Talent, Marilu Medina owns Reyes Property Maintenance with her husband Moises. You might have seen them installing the beautiful holiday lights on the Talent Maker City building for the Lights on Bikes event last month! We are so excited to have Marilu Medina with us - she brings great experience and deep community connection to this work of supporting small businesses!
Supporting the Business Community
In 2024, TBA expanded several initiatives to provide practical support to Talent’s small businesses. We continued offering free Educational Workshops designed to provide hands-on learning for the small business community around grant writing basics, website building, and more. We rolled out One-on-One Technical Assistance Services, offering free support to businesses for website and social media needs. This program, generously funded by Business Oregon and the Oregon Community Foundation, has been a valuable resource for local business owners seeking to enhance their online presence and improve efficiency.
Creative Placemaking with the OSTA Project
TBA also helped launch the OSTA Project, a community-driven initiative focused on sharing local stories and enhancing Talent’s cultural vibrancy. With initial funding from the Ford Family Foundation, this project will bring art, murals, and interactive installations to the town, and will help showcase the beautiful artwork we currently have. It’s a project that not only honors Talent’s past but also fosters a stronger sense of community and connection, contributing to the town’s economic vitality.
Investing in Community Collaborations
Throughout 2024, we’ve worked hard to build partnerships that support our local businesses. From the spring Talent Craft Crawl, which featured 74 vendors and brought hundreds of visitors to the area, to the Talent Business Forum & Brainstorming Workshop, which gathered business owners and community leaders to strategize on strengthening the local economy, collaboration has been at the heart of everything we do.
We’re also excited about the Destination and Tourism Strategic Plan spearheaded by Cecelia Bagnoli, which aims to attract visitors to Talent and support local businesses through creative initiatives such as bike trails in wine country and the development of an Arts & Culture District.
Looking Ahead
As we head into the new year, the Talent Business Alliance is focused on continuing to support small businesses, fostering community collaboration, and attracting new visitors to our town. We will be setting off on new Strategic Planning work centered around long-range planning and organizational sustainability.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of the Talent Business Alliance’s journey in 2024—from business owners and volunteers to sponsors and community leaders. Together, we are working to build a resilient, thriving business community, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Here’s to a bright and prosperous 2025!
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