2020 | A Note from the President:

New beginnings are always a great time to take stock of where you are. As the new President of the Downtown Improvement District, I look back at the two months of 2019 that I’ve been at the D.I.D. and the ten months before I came on board with some pride. Not at what I’ve done, there hasn’t been enough time for big changes from me, but on the accomplishments of the Board, staff, stakeholders and my predecessor Bill Brown. Bill and the Board built a high-functioning organization here at the D.I.D., as you can see reflected in the statistics of this report. We’ve been successful in partnering to facilitate the striking change of Downtown Fort Wayne into a truly regional attraction for tourism and economic development, both residential and commercial. Our services plan emphasizes improving both the reality and perception of Downtown Fort Wayne. We recently had an internationally known planning firm from Denmark come to Fort Wayne and their comment was that “Fort Wayne has the cleanest alleys we’ve seen in any city in the world!” That may seem like an offhand comment, but it really exemplifies the commitment that we in Northeast Indiana have made to making Fort Wayne a shining example of how to do things right. From our Clean & Green services making our alleys the “cleanest in the world”, to our Events and jointly sponsored program attracting more than 150,000 people Downtown, to our robust social and traditional marketing reaching over 3.5 million people each year, our services help to accelerate the undeniable momentum of Downtown Fort Wayne. This is truly a great time to be part of Downtown Fort Wayne and I’m excited to be part of the Downtown Improvement District team!

President & CEO, Michael Galbraith – 2020