With a new executive director announced Friday, the Downtown Barrie Business Improvement Area (BIA) may now have the final pieces in place to restart after a tumultuous five months.
A statement on the hiring of Kelly McKenna as the new BIA executive director was made via their website yesterday.
McKenna comes to the downtown business organization with a lot of experience in many aspects of the new job, from political to entrepreneurial.
As the previous executive assistant to former Barrie MPP Rod Jackson, McKenna has experience with government policy, lobbying and stakeholder management. Her current role as economic development officer for the County of Simcoe will also help McKenna lead a growth period for the BIA.
BIA board member Randy Aylwin says he believes they were lucky to hire McKenna.
“Kelly has tons of life experience and professional experience,” he told BarrieToday. “She has lived in different places and worked in all kinds of different avenues. Between helping in a political realm with Rod Jackson and now dealing with economics with the county, she brings so much to the BIA and we couldn’t be happier.”
Since October 2019, there have been six board members resign, former managing director Craig Stevens left to take a position at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) Foundation, and two appointed city councillors (Keenan Aylwin and Clare Riepma) were removed and replaced with current council representative, Sergio Morales.
A recent BIA byelection brought on six new members (including two who had previously resigned their posts) and McKenna is seemingly the final piece of the organization.
Downtown Barrie is also going through big physical change as Dunlop Street continues to have major underground construction done, while their streetscape project happens above ground.
The Downtown BIA was created to get people shopping in the core of the city. Many small businesses rely on the BIA and Aylwin says that's going to be a focus for McKenna, who has small-business experience.
“She had two small businesses and so she knows exactly what local entrepreneurs are needing and wanting to do in the downtown core,” said Aylwin. “All that said, the best part about Kelly is she is so upbeat and positive.
"I think she is going to be great on the street," he added. "She will be able to handle the lobbying up the chain, but consoling down the chain as well. I just hope we don’t put too much pressure on her.
“Personally, I feel like she is going to be the turning point for the downtown.”
McKenna’s first day on the job with the BIA is March 2 and she will continue to fulfill her county obligations until then.
