Life & Work with Emily Lyons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Lyons.  

Hi Emily, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Life has given me a dynamic career having worked in various roles in sales, education, vegetable farm management, banking, and domestic engineering. A desire to find a position that could support and be involved with the farmers market drew me in to my current role. The farmers market was important to me as I could see many opportunities to grow relationships between the market and the community. Once I started in the role, my eyes were truly opened to the many economic development opportunities that the market creates. Selling produce at the market is a living for some of our vendors, and the community as a whole benefits from the fresh farm-to-table produce that the vendors offer. 

In addition to running the farmers market, I also coordinate the small business and innovation events through the Midland Business Alliance. While these events do not directly impact the market, the market is very much about supporting small business owners who are innovators in their own way. I also serve on the Board for the Midland Downtown Business Association, 2023 Chair of the Health and Human Services Council for Midland County, Planner of Midland Lunar New Year, Member of the Hunger Connection group through United Way, Volunteer at my church and I am an alumni of the Great Lakes Bay Institute for Leaders, Citizens Academy, and Leadership Midland. 

While all of these roles and responsibilities have my plate as full as it can be, it is incredibly fulfilling to see projects and programs that I work on directly benefiting the people of Midland and making a difference in the community. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Heading up the Market has been a wonderful and sometimes bumpy road. Over the last nearly 7 years, I have had to cancel Market twice for record-breaking floods, turn Market into a drive-thru engagement during the height of COVID lockdown and move the Market from its home for over 40 years to the current location. The Market is a living, dynamic event which economically supports local families while providing local produce and goods to residents as well as visitors. Cancelling, changing locations, and updating Rules & Regulations have all been done while keeping in mind all those who interact with the Market on a daily/weekly/monthly/annual engagement. There is no way to make everyone happy, but my goal is to carry the torch of the Market, which has been around for 70 years while considering the future to ensure it continues to thrive. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have a passion for locally grown and produced foods/products, so being the Director of the Midland Area Farmers Market directly fits into my lifestyle. As a part of my role, I go on farm visits to learn more about our vendors and local farmers and have our interns put together vendor spotlights on our visit. These visits allow us an inside view on how they raise the food being sold at the market and also allows us to build a relationship so; hopefully, they continue to be a vendor for years to come. 

Something that I am very passionate about is diversity, equity and inclusion, not just at the market but in Midland as a whole. I strive to ensure all individuals feel welcome at the market, even if, historically, they might not have felt welcome. You will find multilingual signage posted around the market, and we work every year to add diversity to our vendors. 

One of the things I am most proud of accomplishing is engaging others in our community to support the Market and our Market Goers. The relationships that I worked to build have enabled the Market to accept WIC and Senior Project FRESH, as well as kick-started the Midland County Prescription For Health Program. Midland County Prescription for Health is a program we work with the MSU Extension and My Michigan Health to host and allows our community to come and attend different classes/sessions on nutrition education and how they can take action to improve their health with foods they can purchase at the farmers market. In return for attending these courses, attendees receive a voucher to spend on produce at the market. This has opened the market up to a whole new group of marketgoers that may otherwise not be able to experience the benefits of fresh produce at the market. Adding these programs is in addition to the other food assistance programs that are accepted at the market. SNAP and Double Up Foods Bucks have been accepted at the Market for many years. 

Something that sets me apart is not accepting the status quo. I ask a lot of questions, and I have high expectations for myself and those around me. Just because something has always been done one way does not mean that we cannot make changes and open doors for more people in our community. 

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
If we all learned anything from the pandemic, it is how to overcome adversities and be flexible. It is no longer acceptable to just say, “No, we can’t do that,” and move on; with hard work and determination, anything is possible! We were able to move a whole farmers market with a few days’ notice and have it be drive-through at a location that had never hosted such an event. Having tenacity as a strength is something that can benefit a person in their career and life. This being said, it’s also good to keep your work/life balance in check! This is something that I personally need to spend more time on. 

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-lyons-0450a66/