Steve Broman RECEIVES EXCELLENCE on Main Award 

At the Washington State Main Street Program’s annual Excellence on Main awards ceremony, our very own Steve Broman was honored with the Leadership on Main Award for his many contributions to the Mount Vernon community.

Operated by the nonprofit Washington Trust for Historic Preservation in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the Washington State Main Street Program helps communities across the state revitalize the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown districts. Today, the Washington State Main Street Program encompasses a network of more than 70 towns and cities across Washington, including Mount Vernon.

Every year, as a cornerstone event of the annual PLACES Conference, the Washington State Main Street Program hosts the Excellence on Main awards ceremony, honoring projects and individuals whose hard work and innovative efforts are making a difference in their communities and beyond. This year’s 2024 Excellence on Main award winners were announced on Thursday, October 17 at the Gesa Power House Theatre, during the PLACES Conference held in Walla Walla.

The Leadership on Main Award is an award that recognizes an individual who has shown extraordinary dedication to his or her local Main Street (or in our case, First Street) over a significant period of time. Steve Broman has been named the 2024 Leadership on Main Award recipient for his contributions as a community leader, property owner, mentor, and Main Street supporter.

After moving to Mount Vernon in 1976, Steve purchased a gift store downtown. His focus quickly shifted to real estate, and he began a decades-long practice of buying empty buildings, finding a good mix of tenants, and remodeling to suit—a practice that has resulted in the restoration of seven historic buildings in Mount Vernon and benefited dozens of entrepreneurs, many of whom are now property owners themselves. 

Steve’s responsiveness to his tenants’ goals, not to mention to the ideas and connections pitched by Mount Vernon Downtown Association’s over the years, has been a hallmark of his impact in Mount Vernon. There are many examples of tenants whom Steve has supported and gently coached from upper-story single-room start-ups, to street-level employers of multiple people, to on their own way to building ownership.

“Steve is someone who prioritizes relationships in every aspect of his life, to the benefit of his business endeavors as well as his community,” noted Washington State Main Street Program Director Breanne Durham at the Excellence on Main ceremony. “Tonight, we celebrate Steve Broman as an economic engine, a cultivator of future property owners, a steward of historic buildings—and, most of all, as a leader on his Main Street.” Durham personally presented the Leadership on Main Award to Steve Broman, who was in attendance at the awards ceremony.

The Washington State Main Street Program applauds this year’s award winners and the impacts they have made in their communities. For more photos of the award winners and of the PLACES Conference overall, visit preservewa.org/places2024-album.