Over the past 3 years Joplin has grown, developed, and expanded rapidly. It’s an exciting time for our city! New restaurants have come to town, and the city continues to update the streets and landscape. For this, I am truly thankful.
About once a month or so I try to dust off my tennis shoes and hit the pavement. So, of the new updates that Joplin is working on, the sidewalks are my favorite. Sidewalks make a city seem more available and alive, it helps portray our personality. Cities absolutely have personalities, and I think sidewalks are the “up for anything” personality that most people seek in their own. Sidewalks are where mothers keep their babies in motion; they are where muffin tops become mini muffins, and where lovers stroll hand in hand to their favorite cuisine. I love sidewalks.
You may be wondering why I’m ranting about sidewalks; it’s a fair question. I see sidewalks as upward movement for a city. Think of any major city in the world. Sidewalks are everywhere. So when I see them going in and regularly maintained, I get excited for the growth that is taking place.
Ever since a devastating F-5 tornado unexpectedly tore through our town in May of 2011, Joplin has really focused on Joplin. The people in our town have started to care more about where we live– what our town looks like and has to offer. The newest addition to our town is the Heartland Pet Food Manufacturing Plant. The jobs that this plant will provide and the businesses, like itself, that it will attract is a tremendous addition to our community.
Recently we had the honor of installing a mural for the Heartland Pet Food Manufacturing Plant. Images In Tile works with clients and vendors around the world, but we never forget the town that we work and live in. How exciting that we have opportunities as a company to grow and expand with Joplin. We love being a part of honoring the past and innovatively running towards the future with our city.
Next time you take a jog on a sidewalk or drive past one, remember where our town has been, what it is actively doing, and where it is going.
