One of my first stops was to see the old men that gathered at the local drug store (a place that hadn't sold medicine or anything really in 20 years or more). They sat in their old chairs that the each brought from home and had fashioned into a discussion pit complete with tweeds, vinyl, and some foreign materials of upholstery circa 1970s. In this circle, the brain trust of the city met daily to discuss politics, gossip (yes, men gossip), and headlines near and far. They each had their own keys, gifts from the deceased store owner's daughter ... a token of gratitude for the friendship they had meant to the former proprietor and as a way to keep an eye on the place during their morning meeting routine. I'm sure they had seen my picture in the paper, the apparent messiah to Main Street came in the form of a husky (I've learned to live with it since childhood), fresh faced just out of college boy with a southern drawl and a necktie. I'm sure they had me pegged as another outsider looking to stir up this suburban pot.The first conversations in a new role are often awkward. You know what your job description says and what the interviewer has expressed is your job ... but what the heck is a "Downtown Manager?" I was flustered enough by the reaction I got anytime I mentioned downtown ... "We have a downtown?" ... "I hear they're going to bulldoze the old buildings for a new project." ... "That's a speed-trap." I'll never forget Mr. Herb Priest. He was the owner of the downtown furniture store ... the dean of businessmen in the county, it seemed, and also one of my interviewers from the board. I remembered him well from the interview ... he dosed off (which he occasionally did several times in board meetings with the discussion of policy, finance, or special event decorations took over the agenda. I asked him the best approach in telling others what I was hired to do. He said Downtown Manager sounds like you should be serving fries to unhappy customers that are tired of dealing with the cashier. He said, "You be honest ... you are a professional. You tell them you're an Economic Developer."
Herb Priest was right. Too many times we don't claim the importance of our work. Downtown Manager doesn't allude to your expertise, your leadership or your vision. It may be the basis of our work, coordinating efforts and guiding the ship, but if you want generic you have other routes to go. Downtown Development Professionals are counselors (personal and financial) to their merchants, they are life-coaches, cheerleaders, sanitation workers, designers, fundraisers, peacemakers, lobbyists, preservationists, marketeers, analysts, landscapers, meeting facilitators, shrinks, journalists, promoters, bookkeepers, cruise-ship directors, real estate agents, liability controllers, personal secretaries, media liaisons, planners, visionaries, placemakers, investment account brokers (you help keep assets in tact!), clergy, transportation and parking consultants, genealogists, librarians, handymen, bellhops, the concierge, the torch-bearer, the teacher, the preacher and change necessary to make downtown work.
Never underestimate your importance to the community. Never paint yourself in the little box. YOU are ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. You help to create, retain, expand and adapt the local workforce. You recruit, educate, retain and expand business. You leverage public dollars for private investment. You may not make the front page, but you make sure the paper has something positive to opine about. You are the Main Street Effect and you make Georgia proud!
