Amy Cummins has always had a big passion for community involvement. When her kids were young, she was “that mom” who was always at the school serving in the PTO or chairing school events – she loved it. She later became involved in the Junior Auxiliary of Madison where her enthusiasm grew even stronger for her community.
“Meeting people and building relationships is important to me,” Cummins said. “I love to see people succeed.”
This made her the perfect fit to head up Community Partners as the Director of Economic Development. Community Partners became a department within the City of Madison in July of 2021 and focuses on community engagement through partnerships, programs, and events while supporting the city’s businesses and residents.
“Community Partners was started as a ‘rebranding’ of the Madison the City Chamber to better serve businesses in the city and plan for the future of our community,” Cummins said.
Community Partners focuses on two main things: partnerships with businesses and community events. They support Madison’s businesses through ribbon cuttings, newsletters, and social media.
“We want to help them grow and succeed,” Cummins said.
Some of the community events they put on include Swing Into Summer; the Farmers Market; Family 4th Fireworks; the Scarecrow Festival; Tractors, Trucks & Big Stuff; and the Christmas Parade.
“Madison is very family oriented and offers these events to bring families together, as well as showcasing businesses,” Cummins said. “Madison is strong economically, and we want to keep it strong. We want to continue to grow our businesses and to encourage more businesses and families to move to our city and make Madison their home.”
Cummins said the response to Community Partnerships has been very positive from the community.
“Businesses love the relationships we are building and the support they receive from us,” Cummins said. “When our businesses are thriving, our city is thriving. Community partnerships set the foundation for our city to grow and prosper.”
Cummins said they will continue to grow Community Partners by always looking to expand current events as well as adding new events for families to enjoy.
“We want to collaborate with citizens and businesses to keep Madison a place they are proud to call home,” Cummins said.
Cummins said her favorite part of the job is simple – she loves the smiles the events bring to children and families’ faces.
“I get to plan events from start to finish and watch the community enjoy them,” Cummins said. “When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, as they say.”
