By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Hallie Williams brings energy, ideas and a can-do attitude to her position as executive director of Downtown BG.
Since the end of May, she has been learning the ins and outs of the executive director role. She is focusing on building relationships with downtown business owners and property owners to better understand their needs and challenges.
She also wants to amplify the messages and activities of the downtown businesses, with the ultimate goal of attracting more visitors and encouraging people to become regulars at the restaurants, coffee shops, stores and businesses downtown.
Wood County roots
Williams comes to the position as a Wood County native—a farm girl who went through the 4-H program, graduated from Eastwood High School, and raised and showed livestock.
She left the state to attend college, first in Kansas and then at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she met her husband, Kyle. With an animal science degree in hand and a master’s in agricultural education and nonprofit management, she managed the largest farmer’s market where she was instrumental in bringing in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits into that market and a federal grant to match funds for SNAP.
She and her husband chose to return to Ohio, because it provided the best opportunity for them to farm and start a family. They moved to Pemberville near her parents, Dan and Vicki Frobose.
In addition to her work in Oklahoma, Williams has served as an Ohio State University Extension nutrition educator and an agricultural educator before taking the job as the community affairs coordinator for the City of Bowling Green. The job provided an ideal foundation that led to the Downtown BG position, she said.
“It ended up being fortuitous,” Williams said, “At the city, we worked so closely with the downtown that now, I hope it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Working for downtown and the community
Williams reports to two boards: the Downtown BG Foundation board, which handles the fundraising and donations components, and the Special Improvement District Board, responsible for more of the day-to-day operations. Together with the boards, they are working on a long-term, clearer strategic plan.
Williams knows the job has plenty of troubleshooting responsibilities, such as trash and dumpster management and “maintaining downtown to make sure it’s beautiful and there’s no puke on the streets and the flowers are watered,” she said.
“Luckily, we have wonderful maintenance staff who are on top of it,” she said. “They take care of downtown and maintain it, helping with everything from weed control to post-event cleanup.”
She also praised the volunteer efforts of Tom Striggow and “the general community for being wonderful supporters and our good eyes” when something needs attention or to be fixed. “It’s the public and not just the store owners who are reaching out,” she said.
In addition to being a problem-solver for the daily issues that crop up, Williams is also adept at being more visionary. “I like to explore larger, long-term projects and initiatives to enhance the downtown experience.”
She admits she is in the fact-finding phase, identifying the needs and challenges of the organization. “How can we do better? How can we expand?”
I really think being a small business owner is not an easy job,” she said. “I think that’s overlooked by people who’ve not done it before.”
There are business and property owners and others in the community who are innovative and want to enhance the town with new and modern ideas, “even though we are an old, historic town,” she said. “There’s a deep culture of maintaining our spaces and making sure they are kept within local ownership and passed down to the next generation.”
She knew the collaborative environment between the businesses, the city, the university and the residents would make for a vibrant community.
“We don’t exist without our businesses. They are a huge asset to Bowling Green,” she said. “We need a good, unique, cool vibe of downtown. My job is to help amplify that.”
She has met with about half of the business owners and property owners. Her goal is to make sure everyone knows her when they see her and feels comfortable coming and talking to her about the positives and the concerns they might have.
“I want to hear people’s thoughts and opinions,” she said. “We want to maintain our historic feel of downtown, but also bring innovation to the area.”
For the business owners, her job is to help solve the bigger, more encompassing issues and let them focus on their day-to-day business.
That might involve planning more activities to bring people into town during the off-season or working with groups that are already hosting events downtown (i.e. Black Swamp Arts Festival and Firefly Nights) to make sure the businesses are included in those downtown events.
Bowling Green creates that sense of place, a sense of belonging, Williams believes. Bowling Green is safe and beautiful. Her job is to ensure there is a good infrastructure and that they make improvements for the betterment of the community.
Bowling Green’s culture is that of a caring community, she pointed out. “This community cares, not just about the downtown but for all of Bowling Green—the residents, the students. Everyone wants to see a bright and vibrant community.”
“I absolutely love, love, love this town,” she said. “I am excited about the collaborative nature of the Bowling Green community and the potential for growth and development in the downtown area.”
