Articles by Ashley Neese
About Ashley Neese
Ashley Neese currently serves as editor of Edmond Business and a freelancer specializing in overall communication strategy. She previously served as the communications and marketing manager at the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce, where she promoted chamber events, helped members gain exposure, and spearheaded the Edmond Young Professionals organization, as well as the Chamber’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
An Edmond native, Ashley graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2017 with a degree in Strategic Communications. In her free time, she enjoys brewing coffee and finding the best local eats.
As Edmond continues to expand east beyond I-35, the neighborhoods are booming, but there has been a lack of commercial real estate interest and development. Ward 2 City Councilman Josh Moore and Randy Entz, director of planning and zoning at the City of Edmond, are working together to educate the community on the challenges and efforts involved in increasing business in east Edmond.
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Spring brought booming business to Edmond with fourteen ribbons cuttings hosted by the Edmond Chamber of Commerce. Local businesses celebrated nine grand openings of new locations, two anniversaries, and three service launches in the Edmond community. Long-time Edmond staple Prime Time Travel celebrated 42 years in business, Big River Footwear (formerly New Balance Edmond) launched its new branding, and Project 66 announced the expansion of its current facilities.
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The City of Edmond’s investment in Arcadia Lake is progressing as officials recently hired LandPlan Consultants and secured funding for the project. More than $2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act has been designated to support the infrastructure investment.
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The Edmond Fine Arts Institute recently announced the addition of Simply Indie Organization as a program facilitated by and housed at FAI in Downtown Edmond.
Led by Edmond residents Lynzi and Marisa Carlson, Simply Indie Film Fest recently hosted a widely successful movie festival connecting movie lovers, filmmakers, screenwriters, and photographers. Events throughout the weekend included showings of feature films and shorts, a screenplay meetup, and a photography contest.
Despite the holidays and the busy new year, the Edmond Chamber hosted seven ribbon cuttings in December and January to recognize their members. The celebrations included four grand openings, two new locations, and a 36-year anniversary.
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At the beginning of the food truck boom in 2014, Citizens Bank of Edmond launched a new local food truck event hoping to bring around 300 residents to the downtown Edmond area. Eight years later, Heard on Hurd has hosted more than one million attendees to celebrate great food and music, becoming a staple event in the Edmond community.
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Forty-six local business professionals were recently selected for Class XXXVI of Leadership Edmond, a leadership development program created by the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce. This class is the largest in Leadership Edmond’s history with representatives spanning from some of the largest employers in Edmond to small family-owned businesses.
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With the rise of online shopping and the realities of a global pandemic, small businesses are relying on community members more than ever to stay afloat. Many business owners had to temporarily close their doors or faced a significant decline in revenue over the last year, but local programs like Edmond Locally Owned seek to provide resources and awareness for the small businesses that make our community unique.
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It’s ribbon cutting season! The Edmond Chamber hosted ten ribbon cuttings during August and September, and all were celebrating grand openings of new companies or new locations in our city. We continue to see impressive growth in our local economy and business community and find our purpose in helping Edmond businesses celebrate exciting moments and new opportunities.
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Since 2015, the number of food halls around the nation has grown from 25 to over 300. In the Oklahoma City metro area, we’ve seen the rise of the trend in the last few years including Parlor, Collective, and Railyard—the first of which opened only two years ago. But, what if instead of a food hall, there was an ecosystem of sustainable food, gathering places, and education?
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