Executive Director at Heritage Ohio
Matt joined Heritage Ohio in May 2022 as its executive director. Matt began his career in historic preservation and community development in 2001, with an Urban Main Street Program in Uptown, Toledo, Ohio, as part of a pilot project with LISC and the National Main Street Center. In 2003, he accepted a position on the west side of Cleveland with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, and guided the rehabilitation of numerous historic storefronts, recruited small businesses to fill the storefronts, and eventually became the project manager for the initial development of the Gordon Square Arts District, including the renovation of the Capitol Theatre. In 2008, Matt became the first executive director of Main Street Medina, and have spent most of the past 15 years working in that community, guiding the development of their historic district, and working to make Medina a notable, historic destination. Matt is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a degree in art history, having focused on American art and architecture, 1860-1940.
Showing the value of your downtown redevelopment program, whether it’s through the lens of job creation, vacancies, or investment, can be cumbersome and time consuming. At the same time, Main Street Managers are tasked with maintaining their programs while being the go-to resource in their community for many different interests. In an effort to ease the burden on Main Street Managers, Heritage Ohio has partnered with Urality and its Unified product offering; a first of its kind district management tool focused on understanding your place data through the lens of economic development. Unified supports data collection, communication, and AI powered insights to turn numbers in a spreadsheet into a powerful narrative to quantify the work of your downtown revitalization programs. Join us to learn more about the pilot program that is underway in Lorain County.