Joe Shipes • Leesburg Partnership

Joe Shipes comes from a fifth generation Florida family full of Floridian pride. Joe’s previous careers included retail management, sales and marketing, and real estate. However, thirteen years ago, Joe found his true calling when he was hired as the one and only employee for the Leesburg Main Street Program. His first two events brought in less than two thousand people and barely broke even. Today, Joe and his full time staff of three, along with six office volunteers, set up over ninety-one free events, including an annual Mardi Gras celebration, Farmers Market, Winter Holiday events, and various concerts attracting an estimated 500,000 people to the Leesburg downtown area. Joe and his staff have successfully created the largest three-day motorcycle event in the country: The 13th Annual Leesburg Bikefest, which attracts over 300,000 attendees. This year, in Joe’s spare time, he served as this year’s FFEA Chairman of the Board.