Ben White has resigned as the Executive Director of Main Street Chillicothe and will be taking a position with the state Main Street program, Missouri Main Street Connection. His official last day is November 1st. In his new position, Ben will travel across Missouri and provide training and workshops to new Main Street communities looking to revitalize their downtown.
Ben worked for Main Street Chillicothe and the Chillicothe Development Corporation for 5 years as first the intern, then Assistant Director, and finally as the Executive Director. Under his leadership, the vacancy rate of downtown has dropped to 2%; a Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic Preservation Commission were set in place to preserve Chillicothe’s historic and cultural resources; a new Business Investment Guide was created to help potential and existing business owners; the Kelly Poling Arts District was created; Chillicothe was named a 3-time semi-finalist for the Great America Main Street Award and much more.
“My time with Main Street Chillicothe has been extremely rewarding,” White said “We have created so many positive things for the downtown, the heart of Chillicothe. The partnerships forged in my tenure have been incredible; the people in this community that have given their time and resources towards the betterment of downtown and the organization have really made all of this positive change possible.”
“I am confident that the board of directors will find someone that will be able to take the program and downtown to even greater heights,” White continued. “In the meantime, Events and Communications Coordinator Pam Jarding and incredible volunteers will be driving the program forward. I have all the confidence in the world that the organization will continue to thrive and make a positive impact on the vitality of downtown Chillicothe.”
The board of directors will soon be soliciting applications for the Executive Director position.
