National Leader in Sustainable Communities and Preservation Named First President of National Main Street Center, Inc.

Patrice Frey, a national leader in community development at the intersection of preservation and sustainability, has been named the first president and CEO of the National Main Street Center, Inc. Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and National Main Street Center, Inc., board chair Barbara Sidway made the announcement today. Frey, who currently heads the National Trust’s Sustainable Communities priority, will lead the newly formed subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Main Street Center, Inc., is an extension of the 33-year old Main Street program of the National Trust, which uses historic preservation as a tool for economic development in downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. More than 2,000 communities have participated in the Main Street program since its inception, leading to more than 235,000 building rehabilitation projects and the creation of nearly 475,000 jobs in those cities and towns. As the National Trust’s director of sustainability, Frey has conceived and grown the National Trust’s work around Sustainable Communities, which includes the Seattle-based Preservation Green Lab as well as offices in Chicago and Phoenix. “Her entrepreneurial skills in building an effective program with national impact led the National Main Street Center board of trustees after a long national search to unanimously and enthusiastically choose Patrice to lead Main Street in a similar way to the next level,” said Barbara Sidway, chair of the National Main Street Center. “As a private business owner, I am impressed by Patrice’s ability to build an organization.” “With her outstanding track record in preservation, sustainability, community revitalization, research, and nonprofit leadership, Patrice brings the skills we need to launch this new subsidiary and expand the Main Street program,” added National Trust president Stephanie Meeks. “Through the development of cutting-edge research, innovative policy solutions and technical tools that make it easier for people to reuse and green older buildings in our Sustainable Communities priority, Patrice has demonstrated that she has the vision and leadership skills to take Main Street to new heights.” Frey, a graduate of Scripps College and the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Masters degree in historic preservation with a concentration in Real Estate Design and Development at the Wharton Business School — has been active in the field of preservation, community development, and sustainability for almost 15 years. In her most recent position, she provides thought leadership in the sustainable communities field and has served as lead author on a number of papers and studies, including The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse. “Patrice has shown a strong leadership sense and an ability to connect historic preservation with new and non-traditional partners that we believe will help us shape the future of the Main Street movement,” said Ms. Sidway, in making the announcement. “We were looking for someone who understood the new directions in community revitalization and sustainability, where Main Street has been an important player over the past three decades. In addition, we were seeking a strong leader who possessed the communication, fundraising, finance, and networking skills required to launch a new venture, and we believe we have found those in Patrice.” Frey will meet with the Main Street community at the annual National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans in April, and will join the National Main Street Center staff on May 1. She will lead the National Main Street Center organization from Chicago, where the program began more than three decades ago. Click here to read press release.

Discover Downtown Middlesboro Appoints Isaac D. Kremer as Executive Director

Isaac D. Kremer downtown.
Credit: Danielle Finkelstein/Newsday

Middlesboro, Kentucky, October 31, 2012 - The Discover Downtown Middlesboro Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has appointed Isaac D. Kremer as DDM’s new Executive Director.

“We are happy to welcome Isaac to Middlesboro and to our organization,” said Keith Nagle, DDM President. “Isaac brings both unique skills and experience in economic development and historic preservation that will enhance DDM’s efforts in our community.”

Kremer is a nationally recognized expert in the Main Street Approach® to commercial district revitalization. This approach is comprehensive and incremental, emphasizing grassroots action in four areas – Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.

His education and training includes a M.A. in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Economics and Management from Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Kremer has had additional training in historic preservation tax credits and received the ‘How to Turn a Place Around’ training from the Project for Public Spaces.

While Executive Director of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association on Long Island between 2008 and 2012, Kremer helped to generate over $10 million of new investment in Theodore Roosevelt’s home town. This resulted in over a dozen building renovation projects. Most notable was the $2.5 million restoration of the ca. 1854 Octagon Hotel where Roosevelt campaigned for Governor.

Over 30 businesses were opened during his tenure. These businesses had an impressive 90% retention rate. “Key to our success was following the Main Street Approach® rooted in historic preservation,” Kremer said. He continued, “There is no town of any size that has experienced meaningful revitalization without including historic preservation as part of a comprehensive strategy.”

Promotional events were another area where Oyster Bay excelled. During his tenure Kremer worked with dozens of volunteers to establish the Oyster Bay Farmer’s Market, the Sundown Concert Series, the Oyster Flix Film series, a popular Dancing in the Streets event, and numerous other activities that helped attract visitors to the downtown area.

Kremer said of these activities, “Once people saw something was happening downtown, they were more inclined to visit and tell their friends to visit too. In turn, this encouraged a number of businesses that decided to open downtown.”

Kremer oversaw an innovative planning exercise in 2010 called Build a Better Block. Over a two-day weekend one of the most neglected blocks in Oyster Bay was transformed with pop-up stores in previously vacant buildings, a pop-up park, and a pilot Farmer’s Market. Billy Joel participated in the two-day event and afterwards decided to open his 20^th Century Cycles in one of the pop-up stores. This motorcycle showroom has since become a regional attraction.

Most recently Kremer worked with the Heritage Society of Austin. In that capacity he updated their over forty year old Preservation Awards program. He supported the Preservation, Advocacy, and Education committees in their efforts. Kremer also publicly advocated for preservation of numerous historic places in Austin.

Speaking of his priorities and objectives as Executive Director, Kremer stated “I am excited to build on the firm foundation that has already been established here in Middlesboro.” He continued, “In the coming years I look forward to overseeing an exciting period of new growth in what is one of the most unique and history-laden small towns in America.”

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Isaac Kremer.

Contact:

Isaac D. Kremer, Executive Director

Discover Downtown Middlesboro

(606) 248-6155

downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com

www.discoverdowntownmiddlesboro.org

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