Members of the NJMDA’s Board of Trustees held the Annual Meeting of the corporation recently in Collingswood.

Members in attaendance included: Robin Reenstra Bryant, Manager of the Rutherford Downtown Partnership, Meryl Layton of the Caldwell Downtown Alliance, Chris Bernardo, a Principal in Commercial District Services, Seth A. Grossman, President of Cooperative Professional Services and Executive Director of the Ironbound Business Improvement District, Collingswood Mayor Jim Maley, Donald Smartt, President of The Community Advocates and Jean A. Holtz, Vice President, Communications & Operations, New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco). (not pictured, Don Guardian, Director, Atlantic City Special Improvement District.)

NEW JERSEY MANAGED DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES
CONFIRM OFFICERS FOR 2010

Verona, N.J., March 30, 2010 – Trustees of the New Jersey Managed Districts Association (NJMDA) approved the continuation of the organization’s current slate of officers for 2010 at its recent board meeting in Collingswood. The NJMDA officers include:

Seth A. Grossman, Ph.D., President
Don Guardian, Vice President
Donald Smartt, Treasurer
Beth Anne Macdonald, Secretary

The NJMDA represents New Jersey’s special or business improvement districts, urban enterprise zones, and districts participating in N.J.'s 'Main Street' program, the administrators of those districts, trustees and directors that govern those districts and the municipalities that have such districts. There are currently more than 130 managed districts in urban, suburban and rural communities statewide.

Grossman is the Executive Director of the Ironbound Business Improvement District (IBID) in Newark, and President of Cooperative Professional Services since 1985, a consultancy which provides research, planning and management services to Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). He was a senior planner with the City of Trenton, NJ, and was designer and administrator of the Business Improvement District Services Program for the State of New Jersey. He is also the director of The Institute of Business District Management (IBDM) at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ.

Guardian has managed the day-to-day operations of the Atlantic City Special Improvement District (ACSID) for 16 years. During his tenure, Guardian has helped bridge public/private resources for improvements in the City of Atlantic City, including benches, trash receptacles, lighting, bus shelters, facade improvements, weekly e-mail communications, special events, ongoing landscaping, environmental services, ambassador services and a dozen new parks and pocket parks.

Smartt is the President of The Community Advocates in Verona, promoting commercial district revitalization to New Jersey communities since 1983. Smartt managed one of New Jersey's original “Main Street” programs in Madison, as well as the state’s first special improvement district in Cranford. He has subsequently organized and managed many of New Jersey’s managed commercial districts.

Macdonald assists in the administration of the Springfield Avenue Partnership in Maplewood, NJ. Macdonald, in her eight year tenure with the Partnership, has been instrumental in welcoming many new businesses to the Avenue and in working with local officials, bringing both new commercial activity to the district and over 2 million dollars in streetscape improvements along the 2 mile commercial corridor.

“As municipalities and their business communities struggle to stay relevant and competitive with shopping malls, big box stores, warehouse outlets, even online retailers in today’s global economy, many are turning to the formation of special improvement districts (SIDs) to create public/private partnerships that address the specific needs of business and commercial property owners as well as the larger community-wide goals of residents, visitors and workers,” Grossman noted.

““When business and commercial property owners work collaboratively with municipal officials and civic leaders, they can identify potential improvements guided by local interests and based on local needs, and work towards outcomes that attract broad-based support.”

For more information about the New Jersey Managed Districts Association, visit www.newjerseymda.ning.com.
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