The Downtown Dayton Partnership supports the economic growth of the City’s center by bringing businesses, and visitors, downtown. The organization has a new executive director. WYSO’s Mike Frazier talks with Katie Meyer about her background and why businesses should locate to downtown Dayton.
Katie Meyer: I started working in the Dayton community several years ago and just had a really natural, authentic sort of connection to the place and to the people. It's from residents to organizational leaders to elected officials. It's just a really special, welcoming place. I sort of fell in love with Dayton through that work. And when the position came available for the Downtown Dayton Partnership, it almost felt like fate how natural and amazing an opportunity it was for me to continue that urban economic development work but in a new capacity with the Downtown Dayton Partnership.
Mike Frazier: Now if I'm correct, you worked previously in Covington, Kentucky. Are there differences between Covington, Kentucky and downtown Dayton?
Katie: Yeah, I did. I ran an organization in promoting downtown Covington for nine years. And, you know, there are differences, but there are also a lot of similarities. The spirit of creativity, inclusion and just community that people really want the best for the community and also sort of that down to earth, sense of belonging and sense of place that, you know, I think is part of Dayton's charm. But there are also some differences. The downtown has larger buildings, more high rises, you know, some unique challenges that many other larger cities are facing that probably Covington hasn't had the same exact challenges. So while I see those differences, I think there's actually more in common than people would expect in terms of the amount of passion people have for the community and that creativity, innovation and enthusiasm about the community.
Mike: You mentioned some of the challenges facing downtown Dayton. Do you want to talk about those?
Katie: All major cities are going through an economic restructuring post-pandemic and, some are going to have bigger challenges and some may have smaller challenges related to the change of how people work and where people work, office space vacancies. But we're kind of all rowing in the same direction alongside other American cities who are also facing that issue and trying to think about, okay, what does it mean to be an economically productive downtown in 2024 versus in 2019? And how do we adapt? How do we lead? How do we innovate and what does success look like?
Mike: I was born and raised in Dayton. And I remember a time when Dayton in general was written off. NCR left. Mead left. GM closed. But then a revitalization started maybe back in the 90s, perhaps with minor league baseball coming to downtown. And now it's just really growing. The arcade is coming back. What do you think is the source of revitalization that is happening in Dayton? And do you see this in other downtowns or is Dayton unique in some respects?
Katie: I do really think that being that the idea of minor league baseball, maybe it wasn't the most obvious answer at the time, but starting to piece together, how are we going to change the narrative of downtown and then how are we going to change the economy of downtown as a result of that? And I think that's been a major driver. Also, you know, over the course of the past 30 years, a lot of folks are coming back to the idea of wanting to live in walkable communities. Dayton has a fantastic arts and cultural scene. People want to be able to connect to humans through arts and culture. They want places where other creatives are to build their own kind of emotional, spiritual experience. And so that is part of the momentum that we have in our corner.
Mike: What would you tell a company or business looking to relocate to somewhere in the Midwest and they're perhaps looking at downtown Dayton? What would be a motivation for them to come and locate to downtown Dayton?
Katie: You get so many of the big city amenities right in the heart of downtown without the big city problems or cost or commute time. And so if you're looking for a walkable, healthy lifestyle in an urban center where you can access the arts, where you can access parks and nature, where you can be part of a community, where you can have a craft beer, or go see an independent movie or go see a theater production. Dayton has all of that to offer.
