CHAMBER HOSTS “DOWNTOWN LOADING…” LUNCH
The Centralia Chamber of Commerce presented on the growth in Centralia’s Downtown, the importance downtowns have in communities, and some of its current and future projects during the “Downtown Loading…” lunch, held Wednesday in the Chamber’s conference room.
Catered by Melinda’s Coffee + Bistro, the lunch began with a brief informational video about the importance of downtowns to tourism and successfully growing and marketing communities.
In addition to the video, Chamber President Marcus Holland spoke on the substantial growth in Centralia’s Downtown - from the winery block and Centralia House to Colden Brewery and The Commonwealth - and how we as a community need to be prepared to help promote these new attractions once they reach completion.
“We want to continue to talk about the positivity in our community and we want to continue to look at downtown as something that is developing,” Holland said. “It’s coming fast. We need to prepare to help them when they open. We need to make sure we’re ready to market [downtown] when they’re ready. This is what we’ve been waiting on for years.”
“This is on the horizon,” Holland continued. “We see the development, and we see all of the positivity.”
Marketing Coordinator Jamie Allen discussed the Chamber’s partnership with the City of Centralia to oversee See Centralia and tourism efforts, noting that the social media response since taking over the page has been significant.
“My main goal right now is to sell Centralia to Centralia. We’re really trying to spread pride and positivity,” Allen said. “In the previous two months, there has been almost a million views on the See Centralia Facebook page. People are interested in learning what our town has to offer.”
Membership Director Matthew Packman announced “Inspire Progress” as the Chamber’s campaign focus in 2026, saying that a new self-made magazine is currently in the works and expected for release ahead of next year’s Annual Chamber Banquet at Kaskaskia College. The new magazine will recognize those responsible for Centralia’s past, present, and future progresses.
The lunch was RSVP only with limited capacity and was attended by up to 50 chamber members.
