Searcy is in it to win it.
The city made the cut Tuesday to the top six in the Small Business Revolution-Main Street online contest and is in the running to win $500,000 for six small businesses and be featured on the eight-part online and Hulu series.
A packed watch party was held Tuesday morning at the Rialto Theater to watch the live announcement from Ty Pennington and Amanda Brinkman, co-hosts of the show.
Searcy was the first city Brinkman named, and the crowd went wild.
Amy Burton, executive director of Main Street Searcy, said it was exciting to hear Searcy’s name first.
Now it’s all systems go.
“Vote, vote, vote,” she said.
Burton said residents all over Arkansas and beyond are asked to vote at www.smallbusinessrevolution.org. People can vote once a day per device, per email address, through Feb. 19. Text Searcy to 484848 for a reminder.
She said more than just votes from Searcy residents are needed and implored people to ask friends and relatives throughout the country to vote for Searcy — the only city in Arkansas in the running.
Six cities instead of five were chosen because Brinkman said the producers just couldn’t narrow them down.
“The big stressor is voting goes today through next Tuesday evening at about
8:30 p.m. — through the 19th — so we need everyone to vote every single day, including that eighth day,” Burton said.
Mat Faulkner, owner of Think Idea Studio, said in an earlier interview that Searcy saw the online contest and entered “on a whim.”
“It’s just going to take the entire state of Arkansas and beyond pulling for Searcy,” he said. “It’s a big deal, not just for Searcy but for our entire state.”
He said it’s “a huge opportunity for the six [businesses] who will receive makeovers,” as well as good public relations for having a hit TV show filmed in Arkansas.”
“The other towns, they are very capable and have great connections, so it’s going to be an aggressive contest, so we need as much support as we can get,” Faulkner said.
A social-media campaign launched for the contest in November was successful in getting Searcy in the top 20 before it made the top 10.
Once Searcy made the top 20, residents got organized and promoted Searcy with a video. Community and state leaders and entities got in on the act. The Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront, as well as the White County judge, the Searcy mayor — even Gov. Asa Hutchinson helped by holding a poster of #MySearcy for a promotion.
A team from the show, including Brinkman, visited Searcy for two days in January, and Searcy rolled out the red carpet.
Burton said 200 small businesses in Searcy signed up to be considered for the $500,000. Businesses can use the money for everything from changing their logos to renovating physical locations.
During Tuesday’s live announcement, Brinkman said, “It really is more than a show; it’s a movement.”
And she said cities weren’t chosen by how many people showed up or what residents said to the producers during the visit.
“It was about choosing towns to move on to the voting phase that we feel are just at that right stage of their development and can leverage this kind of process,” Brinkman said.
Burton said Searcy meets that requirement.
“I would say it’s just a testament for how involved our community is, because [Small Business Revolution-Main Street wants] to go to a community that supports the entire movement, that can generate interest and keep the momentum going, regardless of the final vote.”
But Burton said Searcy is poised and ready to be No. 1.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.