The committee looking for a new Downtown Vision Inc. executive director concluded the first phase of interviews Monday after meeting the final three of seven candidates.
Terry Lorince, executive director since 2001, resigned in January. She plans to remain in the position until her successor is hired.
Jason Dennison is president of Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., the Business Improvement District in Sioux Falls, S.D.
At 90 square blocks, the Sioux Falls district is similar to the territory administered by DVI and the organizations’ annual budgets also are comparable at about $1 million. Dennison said about 2,200 people live in Downtown Sioux Falls. It’s also home to 600 businesses and 15,000 employees.
Dennison said he believes Jacksonville is in the early stages of Downtown riverfront revitalization and cited a project in Sioux Falls that connected $9 million of public investment to more than $90 million of private investment.
He said riverfront development is his passion and “my expertise would be collaboration building.”
Asked how he would define “placemaking,” Dennison said it’s an opportunity for people to engage with unique experiences, such as art and culture.
“It’s taking an ordinary public space and making it extraordinary,” he said.
He said in Sioux Falls, 59 percent of the organization’s budget comes from memberships, events and sponsorships; 21 percent from the property value assessment; and 20 percent from a contract for services with the City of Sioux Falls, for a program similar to the Downtown Ambassadors.
Sunny Gettinger, former senior manager of people operations for Google Inc., also was interviewed Monday.
In addition to working for Google beginning in 2006, she also was associate director of press advance and Florida recount media coordinator for the Democratic National Committee immediately following the 2000 presidential election.
She said she sees part of DVI’s purpose as to improve perceptions people may have of the urban core.
“Your brand is about the experience that people have,” said Gettinger. “We want people to think coming Downtown is an awesome experience.”
A resident of Riverside, she is chair of Riverside Avondale Preservation and former chair of the Riverside Arts Market Advisory Committee.
Part of her definition of placemaking is to “bring parts of special events to the everyday experience,” which could bring more people Downtown.
“So many people live outside Downtown. We can create an experience to better engage suburban residents,” she said.
Getting more people and energy Downtown will be key to the neighborhood’s success.
“There has to be more than One Spark and Art Walk,” said Gettinger. “Events are about finding the right sponsor, not about DVI funding the event.”
She said assets she would bring to the job are her ability to work with nonprofit organizations, private business and government agencies and her ability to listen to diverse opinions.
“Separate the noise from the content,” said Gettinger.
The third candidate Monday was Bonnie Barnes, business relationship specialist at The ARC Jacksonville and former executive director of North Florida Land Trust.
She said her experience taught her how to simultaneously seek funding in the form of government grants and private-sector donations.
Barnes said her idea of placemaking is “engagement and involvement with the community to make a place a better place” and “helping people become part of something they want to do.”
Asked what she thinks will be the biggest challenge for the new executive director, Barnes said the person will be expected to make Downtown more exciting and attract more people.
“People want to see results,” she said.
On Friday, the panel interviewed Mike Field, a senior analyst in the Jacksonville office of JPMorgan Chase Co.
Field is a Downtown advocate who founded Jaxson’s Night Market, the open air market scheduled the third Thursday of each month at Hemming Park.
He also was instrumental in building the Jax Truckies food truck movement and helped develop the Riverside Avondale Night Trolley service through the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
He serves on the board of directors of Friends of Hemming Park, the nonprofit contracted by the city to manage and program the public space near City Hall. He also serves on the city Art in Public Places Committee.
Field said his consistent goal is to “under promise and over deliver.”
He defined placemaking as “when you walk down a block and you remember that block.”
It’s all about the “wow factor” when it comes to Downtown vibrancy, he said.
Field’s vision for Downtown three years from now would include more apartments, restaurants and entertainment venues.
“We need entire blocks with businesses open past 5,” Field said.
He said Downtown Vision could serve as a “connector” to bring together city departments, the mayor’s office, City Council and the Downtown Investment Authority. Field said he would “engage them early and often.”
Pat McElhaney, chair of the search committee, said the committee will select probably three candidates to return for a second meeting and presentation.
That round is tentatively scheduled for next week.
“We want to have the new executive director in place by May 1,” he said.
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