The new president and CEO of River City Company joins the economic development nonprofit organization at a particularly challenging time for cities grappling with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, she acknowledged.
"Downtowns across the U.S. have taken a dramatic hit since the pandemic, so I do believe that's going to be a challenge over the next year," said Emily Mack, who has been the director of the Department of Metropolitan Development for the City of Indianapolis since 2016. "Cities are struggling with empty restaurants and hotels, dark offices, closed attractions and quiet streets."
But the forced slowdown may eventually deliver some benefits, she said.
"As tragic and as terrible as this crisis is, it's also an opportunity to embrace the change and reset and re-imagine downtown," she said.
Mack will begin her role at River City in September, becoming the first person from outside Chattanooga to lead the organization in its 34-year history. She was one of about 100 applicants for the role, and her experience in economic development across government and private entities made her a natural choice for the job, said Tom Griscom, the chairman of River City's board of directors.
"She's been working most of her career in government, and the things she's done are very similar to what River City does as a not-for-profit," Griscom said.
Kim White, who led River City's downtown development efforts for nearly 11 years, announced in April she would step down this summer as president of the nonprofit agency. Indianapolis has been an example of what cities can accomplish through thoughtful planning and investment, and Mack will bring fresh eyes to the challenges of revitalizing Chattanooga's downtown core and riverfront, White said.
"I know how many cities come to Chattanooga to learn from us, and I think that we're at a point in our history and downtown's history that we can learn a lot from a city that's larger than us and has a lot of the same characteristics as us," White said.
Under White's leadership, River City has helped bring thousands of additional residents to downtown with new condominiums and apartments built from the North Shore to the redeveloping Main Street and Southside of downtown.
River City presidents
Since its creation in 1986, River City Co. has had five presidents. Kim White, who has served since as CEO 2009, has been the longest serving head of River City. Emily Mack will lead the organization beginning in September.* Bill Sudderth* Pem Guerry* Ken Hays* Paul Brock* Kim White
In the past four years, River City Co. said there has been more than $1.1 billion of new or planned investments announced in downtown. An early 2020 focus on revitalizing the riverfront through the One Riverfront project has been stalled by the pandemic - but the pause will give the new leader of River City the chance to shift the nature of the work, White said.
"There is a different focus, and now we need it more than ever to look at the opportunity we have from Fourth Street to the river," White said. "A lot is short-term, what we can do to get people to feel comfortable coming outside and enjoying the riverfront. How do you get people to come outside and experience the city and still feel safe?"
The selection of Mack to help direct River City is the latest in a half dozen recent hires by Chattanooga nonprofit agencies to bring in fresh talent from outside of Chattanooga to fill top jobs previously held by long-time Chattanooga residents.
In 2017, Christy Gillenwater became the first woman and the first person from outside the city to head the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Gillenwater came here after serving as president of the chamber in Evansville, Indiana.
In the same year, CoLab hired Marcus Shaw, formerly senior director of business development and partnerships for Management Leadership for Tomorrow in Washington D.C., to serve as its first executive director from outside of Chattanooga.
In 2018, Barry White came to Chattanooga to head the Convention and Visitors Bureau, now known as the Chattanooga Tourism Company. Previously, he spent 26 years with the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Augusta, Georgia, with 23 of those years as president and CEO.
In 2019, Deb Socia, formerly executive director of Next Century Cities in Washington D.C., was hired to head the Enterprise Center.
Steve Brookes, the head of the new Downtown Chattanooga Alliance is also a recent transplant, coming to Chattanooga in April from Boston and his most recent role heading up a similar organization focused on improving the city's central business district.
Contact Mary Fortune at mfortune@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow her on Twitter at @maryfortune.