More On New DID Prez

Downtown group hires president
Link (JG)

"The Downtown Improvement District on Wednesday announced hiring Richard C. Davis as its new president. Davis, 59, begins his position April 28 after completing a few tasks in his current job, executive director of the Pawtucket Foundation in Rhode Island.

Davis said he was excited about the opportunity, as he has watched the progress of downtown Fort Wayne, including the under-construction Harrison Square project."

[...]

"That doesn’t mean his focus will be Harrison Square, though. He said that although the $125 million public-private development is good, the key to a vibrant downtown is a variety of smaller shops, restaurants and amenities.

“It’s ultimately not the big project that makes a downtown, it’s many of the smaller projects that really give it the liveliness and the character,” he said."

[...]

"Dan Carmody, the previous district president, left the post in November to become president of Eastern Market Corp. in Detroit."

DID announces new president
Richard C. Davis was drawn to the job by Fort Wayne's commitment to downtown
Link (NS)

"“Fort Wayne, from my perspective, really seems like a happening place,” said Richard C. Davis, who will become president of the Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District on April 28.

Davis, 59, has served since 2001 as executive director of the Pawtucket (R.I.) Foundation, a privately sponsored nonprofit promoting civic and economic revitalization within Pawtucket and adjacent communities."

[...]

"Harrison Square is the most obvious sign of the city’s commitment to improving its downtown, but the recent expansion of the Allen County Public Library also made a big impression on him."

[...]

"Davis said his key goal at the Fort Wayne DID will be convincing a wider community of developers that Fort Wayne is committed to making its downtown a stronger regional draw."