About Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA)


The mission of the TDDA is to preserve and enhance the community of Tryon through a downtown revitalization program that focuses on economic vitality, excellent urban design and historic preservation.

Our Vision Statement

Historic Downtown Tryon, the entertainment hub of Polk County, framed by the first peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a thriving, inclusive and accessible arts community, embracing music, literature, crafts, and offering outdoor recreation opportunities.

Implementation Strategy

Tryon is a designated NC Main Street community. The Town of Tryon has charged TDDA with the administration of the Main Street program at the local level. The agency uses the Main Street America(TM) model of establishing economic development strategies and applying the Main Street Four-Point Approach (R) to downtown revitalization: Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Vitality, to implement a plan that achieves measurable results.

Board of Directors

  • Kevin Parker

    President

  • Denny Crowe

    Vice President

  • Cara Smithwick

    Secretary

  • Katheryn Gordon

    Treasurer

  • Ryan Mesa

  • Carri Bass

  • Matt Rappoli

  • Harriet Hudson

  • Tanisha Twitty Akinloye

  • Lori Geddings

  • Alexander Page

 Executive Director

Lourdes Gutierrez
downtowndirector@tryonnc.gov

Thank you to the Polk County Community Foundation for providing a grant for Board Members to attend the NC Main Street Conference in Mooresville.

The Town of Tryon is a North Carolina Main Street community, designated by the N.C. Department of Commerce Main Street & Rural Planning Center.  Tryon Downtown Development Association is charged with administering the program at the local level and building public-private partnerships to spur economic development that achieves measurable results such as investment, business growth, and job creation. 

Thank you to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Tryon Garden Club & Polk County Appearance Commission for providing a grant for landscape & lighting improvements in Downtown Tryon.

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.