2015 Annual Report Live, Work - · PDF file2015 Annual Report. STAFF . TINA L. WORKMAN President & CEO. JOSH LEWIS Economic Development Specialist. MICHAEL MATTHEWS Events Manager.

Live, Work Play&2015 Annual Report

STAFF

TINA L. WORKMANPresident & CEO

JOSH LEWISEconomic Development Specialist

MICHAEL MATTHEWSEvents Manager

ERIC PENDLETONMarket Manager

JAIME CLARKMarketing & Communications Specialist

MARIA ST. CLAIROffice Manager

ED HARTMANAmbassador

2014 –2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee: Melissa Palmer chocolatepaper ChairBarry Henderson First Citizens Bank Past ChairTony Pearman Access Advertising & PR Chair ElectBethany Sherman Cox Communications Vice Chair, Dir. DevelopmentMike Sutton Blue Eagle Enterprises Vice Chair, Member RelationsGretchen M. Weinnig Fink’s Jewelers Treasurer

Tim Belcher-Rolling Meadows Farm Mike Sutton-Blue Eagle EnterprisesBeth Doughty-Roanoke Regional Partnership

Todd Leeson-Gentry, Locke, Rakes and Moore

Maryellen Goodlatte-Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte

Joyce Waugh-Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

Tammy Finley-Advance Auto Parts Gabe Niccum-ThalhimerMike Hamlar-Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home

Stephen Lemon-Martin, Hopkins, & Lemon, PC

Robert Ledger-City of Roanoke Bill Poe-Hall Associates, Inc.Terry Jamerson-The Roanoke Times John Williams-BB&TAnna Karbassiyoon-Sir Speedy

Directors:

Since 1960, Downtown Roanoke, Inc. (DRI) has been hard at work helping the city continue to progress and grow as a thriving center for industry, education, arts and culture, and recreation. DRI is a private sector, not-for-profit downtown development organization dedicated to making the downtown area a unique and successful place to work, live, invest, and play.

DRI provides leadership and support to create a common desire to preserve the character of the past while pursuing a future filled with innovative opportunities and will help downtown continue to grow as the hotspot of the region.

OUR MISSION

The mission of Downtown Roanoke, Inc. (DRI) is to make Downtown Roanoke the preferred place to live, work, & play. For more information, visit www.downtownroanoke.org

TODAY’S DOWNTOWNThe movement behind

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

DRI works in partnership with property owners, businesses, merchants, other non-profits, and the government to identify needs, develop strategies, shape public policy, and implement programs to strengthen the economic vitality of downtown and its role within the region as the urban center of western Virginia.

DRI is governed by a Board of Directors, comprised of 23 members representing retail, restaurant, professional, industrial businesses, and property owners in downtown Roanoke and the Roanoke region of Virginia.

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HISTORIC ROANOKE CITY MARKETInformation from the

ALL NEW DOWNTOWNROANOKE.ORG

In June of 2015, DRI launched an overhaul of DowntownRoanoke.org. The new website offers a streamlined look and feel, increased functionality, richer content, plus much more! The Content Management System allows us to easily update the website on a daily basis.

DOWNTOWN ROANOKE RESTAURANT WEEK

DRI organized and produced the third annual Downtown Roanoke Restaurant Week in 2015, building on the success of 2014. Restaurant Week featured a prix fixe menu at four price points: a $10 lunch that included a side and drink, a $20 three-course dinner, a $30 three-course dinner, and (new this year) a “Restaurant’s Choice”. More than 20 restaurants participated in the event that ran from January 16 through January 25. The event included partnerships with WSLS 10, Daytime Blue Ridge, Steve FM, Sunny FM, WROV, Jammin’ JJS, 96.7 the Alt Project, and New Country 107.9.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING CAMPAIGN

In an effort to increase holiday spending at downtown retailers, DRI continued the Shop Differently campaign, adding a new focus on online marketing. Last year’s campaign included television advertising through Comcast Spotlight. Traditional print advertising was purchased in The Roanoke Times’ Community Publications, City Magazine, and Bella Magazine. Radio advertising was purchased on Sunny FM. Online advertising in support of the gift card contest was purchased through The Roanoke Times, WSLS10, and WDBJ7. The contest was hosted on DRI’s website and received more than 300 entries. Winners received one of five $100 Downtown Roanoke Gift Cards, resulting in additional monies returning to downtown.

MARKETING INFORMATIONDowntown Roanoke, Inc.

DOWNTOWN ROANOKE GIFT CARDS

Downtown Roanoke, Inc. moved from a paper gift certificate program to a closed network gift card program in late 2012, which allowed for easier transactions between customers and retailers. This improvement has generated more than 900 gift cards purchased and $26,500 in total revenue for the participating merchants since its inception.

CITY OF ROANOKE EVENT PERMITTING AGENT

DRI continued to serve as the City of Roanoke’s Special Events contract holder and helped to facilitate events occurring in the downtown area. As the permitting agent for the City of Roanoke and the first point of contact, DRI assisted event planners with their assembly permits and reservations for downtown’s exciting public venues. DRI processed more than 250 permits during 2014–2015.

DOWNTOWN ROANOKE SIDEWALK SALE

The Downtown Roanoke Sidewalk Sale is an annual event that encourages downtown retailers to step out of their storefront and onto Market Street for a special one-day-only sale. The 2014 Sidewalk Sale, held on Saturday, August 23, featured almost 20 retailers offering end-of-season savings. Shoppers received a raffle ticket with each purchase, offering each person a chance to win a basket comprised of items from downtown retailers. The event included a partnership with The Roanoke Times and Steve FM.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

EVENTSDowntown Roanoke, Inc.

CITY OF ROANOKEWELCOME TO ELMWOOD CONCERT July 31st, 2014

Sheryl Crow played to a sold out crowd of 4,500 people for the Welcome to Elmwood concert, the first in Elmwood Park. The concert was the beginning of the activation of Elmwood Park as a music venue. It served to highlight the City’s investment in Elmwood Park as a concert venue and exceptional park.

City of Roanoke’s Welcome to Elmwood

featuringSheryl Crow

Big & RichBUDWEISER SUMMER SERIES BIG & RICH June 5th, 2015

The first show in the 3 part Budweiser Summer Series, Big & Rich played to an energetic crowd in Elmwood Park. The Budweiser Summer Series was developed to further demonstrate the benefits of Elmwood Park as a concert venue.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

MOVIES IN THE MARKET February through August

The City Market Building goes Hollywood with this family-friendly monthly event. February through April movies are presented and offer those attending the opportunity to purchase food from City Market Building vendors.

From May to August, families are invited to bring a chair or blanket, food and drinks (no alcoholic beverages), sit back, and enjoy a movie under the stars in the newly renovated Market Square. On-site concessionaires serve pizza, popcorn, and other treats.

MCDONALD’S ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE & SHAMROCK FESTIVAL March

DRI and McDonald’s partnered to provide the biggest and best St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the region. The day-long event featured old favorites and exciting new additions, and was a huge hit with families all over the Roanoke Valley.

The festival features music from local and regional talent and is located at Wells Fargo Plaza and along Jefferson Street.

Corned Beef and Co.’s Celtic Celebration brings Irish music and a traditional Irish flair to the celebration.

BB&T’S PARTY IN THE MARKET January, February, and March

Held on the third floor of the City Marketing Building in January, February, and March, BB&T’s Party in the Market is downtown’s beach music winter series. This year’s event featured performances from the bands The Embers, Jim Quick and Coastline. This was the second year the event was held inside the City Market Building, and it proved to be successful.

BB&T’S PARTY IN ELMWOOD Thursdays from May to September

DRI continued to help the community get its shag on with an event that featured top local and regional Beach Music bands. It was a great opportunity for networking, food, and drinks with downtown Roanoke providing a hip cultural background. This event relies on the increased involvement of corporate sponsors, downtown restaurants, and retailers.

EVENT INFORMATIONDowntown Roanoke, Inc.

ELMWOODDowntown’s Beach Music Thursdays

OAK BARREL BLUES FESTIVAL October

The 2014 Oak Barrel Blues Festival featured local and regional blues talent. The Oak Barrel Blues Festival was held in upper Elmwood Park and along Jefferson Avenue, and served as a showcase for great blues music, amazing bourbon, and some of the area’s best beer, BBQ, and more!

DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS First three Fridays in December

During the first three Fridays in December, the holiday spirit swept across downtown Roanoke. Dickens of a Christmas featured the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree Lighting, the Haley Toyota’s City of Roanoke Christmas Parade on the second Friday, the SPCA Pet Costume Contest, and the Coca Cola Snow Zone.

The celebration was a collaboration of the Taubman Museum of Art, Center in the Square, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, and many downtown restaurants and retailers and provided free, family-friendly fun and holiday favorites like roasted chestnuts, carriage rides, street performers, and more.

HALEY TOYOTA’S CITY MARKETSATURDAYS Saturdays through the growing season

Haley Toyota’s City Market Saturdays showcased a variety of entertainment every Saturday through the growing season along the Historic Roanoke City Market. Shoppers enjoyed everything from live music and cooking demonstrations from downtown chefs to how-to workshops, street performers, family days, and even a month long outdoor play by Mill Mountain Theatre, Rootabaga!.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2015

BB&T’s Party in ElmwoodShaggers enjoying BB&T’sParty in Elmwood

Movies in the Market

City Market Saturdays

Downtown Roanoke, Inc.

93,500E V E N T A T T E N D E E S

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City Market Saturdays

Stilt-walker at Dickens of a Christmas

Carolers at Dickens of a Christmas

McDonald’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Families enjoying Kids Zone

at the Shamrock Festival

Kids Zone at the Shamrock Festival

Tree Lighting Ceremony at

Dickens of a Christmas

RECYCLING AND TRASH

Through a partnership between DRI and the City of Roanoke, two Central Business District (CBD) trash compactors were installed with a third one almost completed. 60% of the CBD is now within the service area. The compactors are sealed and prevent the build-up of business waste on Downtown sidewalks, as well as the on-street pickup during peak outdoor dining hours. Thanks to the compactors, the City of Roanoke won a state-wide award for Recycler of the Year!

CITY BEAUTIFICATIONClean and Safe

5.308 tons per week.Recycling has increased 8.883 tons per week.

Trash has decreased

Since installing the compactors:

BIG BELLY SOLAR COMPACTORSTo further assist in the efforts to keep our Downtown clean, DRI has donated 20 of these “Big Belly” units to the City of Roanoke for use on streets around downtown. Our goal is to donate 5-6 units each year.

HANGING BASKET PROGRAM & MARKET SQUARE PLANTERS

DRI was honored to take over the hanging basket program in downtown Roanoke that was established by Valley Beautiful more 30 years ago. DRI continues to expand the program which is designed to enhance urban aesthetics by brightening our spring and summer days with beautiful baskets that hang from our downtown streetlights.

This past year, we added 100 new hanging baskets throughout Downtown Roanoke! It is our goal to continue to increase the number of baskets each year.

Over 10 beautiful planters have been added to Market Square to add beautiful color and vibrancy to the area.

DRI strives to make downtown attractive and vibrant because it is our belief that an economically strong, vibrant, clean, and safe downtown is essential for the health of the entire Roanoke Valley and its surrounding region.

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

Our Ambassador team helps keep Downtown Roanoke’s sidewalks and streets free of litter and debris and complement the presence of the Roanoke City Police Department. They serve as “goodwill ambassadors” and act as a reporting mechanism for various Downtown issues.

INFORMATIONNEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Economic Development

WILLIAMSON RD APARTMENT PROJECT• $7.5 million dollar new construction project currently under construction • Williamson Rd location will help expand activity east of market district • Site includes 70-80 residential units and street level, commercial space for lease

RAILWALK APARTMENTS• $1.2 million dollar investment along the interactive Railwalk project • Unique, historic building combines industrial charm and rail history

THE LOCKER ROOM• $7 million dollar refurbishment of historical YMCA in downtown Roanoke • One & two bedroom apartments, live-work spaces, and 1 commercial site • Building showcases historic elements of YMCA, blended with modern features

THE AURORA• $2.5 million dollar repurposing project in the Downtown Arts District • Historic renovation designed to foster a center for creatives, makers & urban dwellers• Features 28 apartments, 9 artist studios, and 2 street level commercial spaces

A PATTERN OF GROWTH

Downtown Roanoke continues to attract project investment from private developers and public funding. With continuous downtown projects ongoing and several initiatives yet to break ground, our downtown service district continues to reach new heights. With a pattern of growth expanding outward from the core market district, numerous opportunities exist for property re-purposing and new construction projects.

INVESTMENTDowntown Service District Private/Public Development Investment for fiscal year 2014-2015: $35 Million+

NEW BUSINESSES

In 2014–2015, downtown Roanoke welcomed 27 new businesses to the area, including:

• Gypsy Palooza

• Grandin Realty

• Adobe’s

• Starbucks

• Co-Lab

• True Craft Tattoo

• Jewell Engineering

• Rotana Café

• Her Perfect Day

• Big Lick Brewing Company

• Rock Paper Beauty Lounge

• Prana Yoga

• Delish! Sweets & Treats

• Scrambled

OFFICE AND RETAIL DATABASES

In June, DRI launched our new website which enhanced our database of all vacant and occupied Downtown office and retail locations. This allows DRI to be more effective in our mission to recruit businesses into the Downtown district.

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• Insight and Growth Counseling

• Strelka Law Office

• The River Pilots

• Fat Guys Sub Shop

• Broughman Commercial Services, Inc

• Boush Real Estate Services

• Favor Engineering PLLC

• Crawford Environmental Svs, Inc.

• Prodigy Launch

• Property Catalyst Group Inc

• Crawford Environmental Svs, Inc.

• Gilbert, Bird & Weston Law Attorneys

• Emissary Investigative Services

THE LOCKER ROOM• $7 million dollar refurbishment of historical YMCA in downtown Roanoke • One & two bedroom apartments, live-work spaces, and 1 commercial site • Building showcases historic elements of YMCA, blended with modern features

DR PEPPER PARK A new Downtown Roanoke event venue for festivals, concerts and more!

RETAIL RECRUITMENT BROCHUREWorking in cooperation with Access, DRI developed a Retail Recruitment Brochure. This brochure is one piece of our overall strategy to recruit small businesses into Downtown Roanoke.

Storefront graphics on the Speigel Building

INFORMATIONEconomic Development

STOREFRONT ACTIVATION PROGRAMDRI worked with local marketing agencies and property owners to identify vacant storefronts that would benefit from this campaign. DRI then created and installed vinyl decals on eligible buildings to bring vibrancy and excitement at a street level, while furthering the “An Address That Means Business” brand. We continue to increase the number of vacant storefronts utilizing this program and will work to add an additional 3-4 in our new fiscal year.

WHY DOWNTOWN ROANOKE

The Historic Roanoke City Market (popularly known as the Farmers Market) is the oldest continuously operating open-air market in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It began in 1882, when licenses were issued to 25 area “Hucksters” (vendors). The market area has since gained popularity for its amazing selection of locally grown plants, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

The Historic Roanoke City Market is open year-round, seven days a week, and closes only on Christmas and New Year’s Day. There are 42 permanent tables that mark an inviting display of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plants during growing season. There are additional spaces in Market Square where vendors can erect tents to display their wares. In recent years, a number of artisans have joined the farmers and planters, offering handcrafted items, unique jewelry, and other art objects. The market even boasts a variety of fresh meats, cheeses, and baked goods.

EBT/SNAP Sales-2014-2015: $4,500 sales and approximately $2,200 matching The Historic Roanoke City Market has been accepting EBT/SNAP cards and issuing wooden nickels alongside a matching program, enabling recipients to obtain $2 for every $1 put on their card. This program has helped put over $15,000 in fresh produce, meats, and fruit-bearing plants into the local community.

Five New Vendors:

• Chipped Mug: Coffee/Whole Beans

• Primitive Farms: Plants/Produce

• Sweeties Sweets: Baked Goods

• Back to Basics: Prepared Foods

• Little Bit Of Thyme: Packaged Herbs

HISTORIC ROANOKE CITY MARKET

Information from the

ANNUAL REPORT 2015

HISTORIC ROANOKE CITY MARKETInformation from the

Market Square Upgrades: new fans and apple booth numbers

New Historic Roanoke City Market Commercial

MARKET SQUARE UPGRADES / PROGRAMS

• Upgrades were made to vendor booths on the Historic Roanoke City Market. New fans were installed at every booth to help keep vendors and visitors a little cooler during the hot summer days. New booth numbers were added to each space in the form of numbered apples. These apples are visually appealing and much more noticeable than the stickers they replaced!

• Haley Toyota’s City Market Saturdays showcases a variety of entertainment every Saturday from April – September on the Historic Roanoke City Market. This season we featured live entertainment, cooking demonstrations from Downtown chefs, “How-to” Workshops, street performers, and family days. All activities are on the City Market from 11:00am - 2:30pm and free to the public!

• Rootabaga! A MusiCarl - by partnering with Mill Mountain Theatre, DRI was able to host performances in Market Square. This popular show was fun for all ages combining elements of folk music, puppetry, song, and dance. Rootabaga! performances could be seen every Wednesday and Saturday in Market Square during the month of June.

FARMER’S VALIDATION PROGRAM

• Monday through Friday vendors will be able to validate any customer’s parking ticket from a Park Roanoke garage if they purchase items from the market.

NEW HISTORIC ROANOKE CITY MARKET COMMERCIAL

• The new TV commercial was completed advertising the Historic Roanoke City Market. The commercial was produced to draw additional attention and awareness to all the Market has to offer from fresh produce, prepared foods and crafts. The spot is scheduled to air on Fox 21/27 morning news and nine different cable channels. Come, see how we’ve grown!

FRIENDS OF THE FARMERS MARKET

• Friends of the Farmers Market Campaign Mission: The Friends of the Farmers Market Campaign focuses on promoting and expanding the community awareness and utilization of the Historic City Market, as well as increasing funds for the preservation, promotion, and redevelopment of the Historic City Market.

• Donations are tax-deductible and will be accepted through the Roanoke Foundation for Downtown, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donors will be rewarded at levels depending upon donation amount.

• Objectives of the Campaign:

• Design and implement signage for market borders

• Beautification of the market

• Increase marketing capabilities

• Protect the historic value of the market

• Provide opportunities for change and growth

• Build a volunteer base for events

• Establish the market as a creative environment and vibrant community gathering place

• Support management of program

The Historic City Market serves many roles in the Roanoke Valley. It needs the perspectives of customers, downtown businesses, local residents, and city officials in order to survive. The Friends of the Farmers Market will work with all stakeholders to ensure the market continues to meet the needs of the community.

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213 Market Street | Roanoke, Virginia 24011 | P: 540.342.2028 | F: 540.344.1452

downtownroanoke.org