Wheeler brings business experience to LaFayette Main Street board
BY MALLORIE MCCOY
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Entering his third year on the LaFayette Main Street board, Steve Wheeler is eager to continue assisting in LaFayette’s economic growth.
Wheeler has served the Chambers County community as an Alfa Insurance agent for the last 11 years. With his office located in downtown LaFayette, he was able to see firsthand the positive progress LaFayette Main Street was bringing to the area.
“I saw the traction Main Street was getting and some of the good things they were doing in town,” Wheeler said. “I originally thought that was not something for me. However, I realized they were working toward the betterment of all of the community and not just the downtown.”
Wheeler started his journey with LaFayette Main Street by volunteering at different events.
“After hosting a trivia night and a bingo night here and there, they asked if I wanted to become a board member, and I was more than happy to join,” Wheeler said.
With a background in business, Wheeler said he strives to use those learned skills in his position as a board member for the betterment of LaFayette Main Street.
“Being able to understand some of the expenses, needs and hurdles that business owners deal with is important,” Wheeler said. “It’s easy to tell someone how to spend their money, but sometimes it takes the insurance man or the banker to point out and say, ‘But, we’re also dealing with these expenses as well.’”
In addition, Wheeler’s expertise in insurance helps the board navigate particular avenues of event planning and the proper use of marketing.
“Maybe we can’t host a certain type of event because their insurance might not allow it,” Wheeler said. “This knowledge allows us to be more strategic in how we build events and how we build marketing toward our different parts of town.”
Prior to becoming an insurance agent, Wheeler was the radio station manager of WCJM The Bull in West Point, Georgia, for 20 years. His knowledge and love of music have proved to be helpful in arranging certain events LaFayette Main Street hosts, such as the Music Crawl.
In previous years, Wheeler has sought artists from across the state to perform in downtown LaFayette for the popular event.
“We were glad to have all the artists that were involved and have seen their talents grow over the past few years,” Wheeler said. “Being able to witness it in person was a lot of fun.”
Originally from Abanda, Alabama, Wheeler said he has witnessed the fluctuation of growth LaFayette has seen over the last several decades. Being a board member of LaFayette Main Street and playing a role in helping restore the downtown area has allowed Wheeler to reflect on LaFayette’s prosperous village during his childhood.
“It gives me that fond memory growing up in a town that was flourishing and has multiple opportunities for shoppers or people to just be in town,” Wheeler said. “We look forward to hopefully continuing that growth and bringing back those opportunities of some type.”
