Downtown is bustling! Summer is on the horizon and that brings us new businesses, fresh investment to existing businesses and much needed sunshine. However through fall and winter the Downtown Business Association Board has been behind the scenes diligently working.
As many of your know our longtime President and tireless advocate passed away. It brought our volunteer board to action as we desperately wanted to find a way to continue the mission and carry on Larry’s legacy.
The DBA is the voice for all downtown business concerns. We all know how important a vibrant downtown is. The tourism industry relies on us. And when surveyed it is our downtown that makes Legislative session enjoyable for the visiting staff.
The Juneau Economic Development Council facilitated strategy sessions and helped us develop an impressive course of action. Our new vision is that downtown is Juneau’s hub for work, living, leisure and government.
We met with our Mayor and City Manager and are pleased to now have Assemblyman Loren Jones regularly joining our board meetings. We have also reached out to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, JCVB, JEDC, The Downtown Revitalization working group and the Downtown Neighborhood Association who all share our vision of a successful downtown.
Please see your role as a member of the DBA as central to our efforts. We rely on annual dues to cover administrative costs and support our year-round programming. But that’s not all. We also need your time. The more engaged members working on our various committees the more successful we will be in our mission.
Now to the fun part….Our annual meeting is May 7th at 5 PM at the Merchants Wharf Join us! We want to hear from you. Add your voice to the discussion. Tell us what you think we should be doing.
And now really for the fun part……. We are having a “Swagger” party right after the meeting. Not for us but for our employees. Stay tuned for a lot more information about this great new annual event.
I am deeply committed to Juneau’s future. I am honored to be representing what is going to be the coolest west coast downtown by 2020. I look forward to a booming future for all of us!
DBA President Jill Ramiel