Downtown business owners try to keep smiling amid pandemic - 1736 Magazine, Summer 2020

AUGUSTA TOMORROW continued from 45
Downs said following in the footsteps of
Augusta Tomorrow’s previous leaders – some of
whom have more than three decades of experience
in downtown revitalization efforts – will
be challenging. The group’s previous president,
Robert Osborne, a senior vice president for
South State Bank, has served multiple years as
president during two different terms.
Downs said the new leadership trio has the
benefit of having a board of directors that he
calls a true “working board,” which will help
him and Rhodes lead the organization during
a time when interest in downtown revitalization
is peaking because of the city’s growing
cybersecurity industry and the expansion of
Augusta University’s downtown Health Sciences
Campus.
“I think one of the nice things is the way that
the established leadership has gracefully transitioned
over to give the younger generation a
chance to start taking on some more responsibility
with the safety net of their experience and
guidance,” he said. “We just happen to have
these titles. We’re not ‘taking over’ or making
big changes.”
But there are a few minor changes the new
president and vice president have in mind.
Rhodes said he wants to see the organization
narrow its focus on downtown cleanliness
and safety, governmental relations and the
13th Street bridge project – a two-state effort
to rebuild the bridge with enhanced pedestrian
features to give downtown visitors and
residents easier access to Augusta and North
Augusta’s urban trail systems.
“One of the things that I have thought about
since joining the board was that we almost had
too many initiatives, too many goals that we
were trying to attain,” Rhodes said. “We don’t
want to add anything else to our initiatives. We
want to look back and say, ‘Hey, were we successful
this year?’ It’s very important for our
board to see the progress that we’re making. I
think you are scattered all over the place, that
makes it a little more difficult.”
Downtown’s appearance and public safety
perceptions are important because they have a
direct impact on people’s willingness to “live,
work and play” in the urban core, which in turn
affects private-sector investment in new housing
and businesses.
Dallas said the organization’s overarching goal
of making downtown better starts with the “live”
part of the “live, work and play” mantra.
AUGUSTA TOMORROW continues on 48
AUGUSTA TOMORROW
AT A GLANCE
History: Founded in 1982 by downtown business leaders to address
the rapid decline of the central business district, which lost businesses,
employees and visitors because of increased commercial development
in suburban areas during the 1960s and 1970s,
culminating with the near simultaneous opening of Regency
Mall and Augusta Mall in 1978.
With help from a Maryland-based developer, the group released its
first revitalization master plan in December 1982, a $116 million
initiative that included Riverwalk Augusta, a riverfront hotel and
convention center, and Lafayette Center on Broad Street’s 900 block.
The plan was last updated in 2009 and uses elements of The Westobou
Vision Urban Area Master Plan, which includes parts of North Augusta
and the urban neighborhoods of Harrisburg,
Laney-Walker/Bethlehem and Olde Town.
Funding: Member contributions and private-sector donations
Headquarters: Enterprise Mill, 1450 Greene St., Suite 85
Officers: President Brian Rhodes, CEO of TaxSlayer
Vice President Ryan Downs, senior vice president of WDM Family
Enterprises
Secretary/Treasurer H.M. “Monty” Osteen, president of
Financial Holdings of Augusta Inc.
Past President Robert Osborne, senior vice president for South State Bank
Executive Director: Lauren Dallas
Board of directors:
• Rafi Bassali, principal, RB Capital Investments LLC
• Derek May, president, Azalea Investments LLC
• Tony Bernados, president, The Augusta Chronicle
• Jay L. Murray, president, Truist Bank
• Tom Blanchard III, president, Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate Co.
• W. Cameron Nixon, east Georgia regional president, Cadence Bank
• Doug Cates IV, partner, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland LLP
• Hardie Davis, mayor, city of Augusta
• John Engler, vice president, McKnight Properties
• Patrick Rice, CEO, Hull Barrett PC
• Randall Hatcher, president, MAU Workforce Solutions
• Tom Robertson Jr., vice president, Cranston Engineering Group PC
• Andy Jones, CEO, Sprint Food Stores Inc.
• Michael Schaffer, executive vice president, Augusta University
• Steven Kendrick, chairman, Augusta Economic Development Authority
• Barry Storey, principal, BLS Holdings Group LLC
• Stephen King Jr., regional external affairs manger, Georgia Power
• Dennis Trotter, partner, Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate
• Bob Kuhar, vice president, Morris Communications
• Alex Wier, chief operating officer, Wier/Stewart
• Robert Wynn, president, Wynn Capital LLC
Source: Augusta Tomorrow
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