THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY DAVE HINTON
ABOVE: New Downtown Danville Inc. Executive Director Kim Kuchenbrod talks with DDI Board President Kendred Tillotson at Obsidian Coffee in downtown Danville.
Kim Kuchenbrod always did like a challenge, and she’s relishing the opportunity to meet her next one — helping to turn around downtown Danville.
Kuchenbrod has been named executive director of Downtown Danville Inc. She succeeds Annie Monyok, who led the organization since July 2023 and recently announced her decision to step down after fulfilling her 15-month commitment.
Kuchenbrod already has one fan in Mayor Rickey Williams Jr., who knows her from when he was executive director of the Boys and Girls Club. Kuchenbrod served as a point person for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and helped the club replace some badly outmoded computers.
He also remembers her from when she worked with Vermilion Advantage.
“Kim is a really hard worker,” Williams said. “She knows her stuff, and I’m really excited to see what she is going to accomplish.”
Kuchenbrod said she will work with business owners and property owners to revitalize the downtown designated area — “looking for ways to bring new business downtown.”
She said downtown “is ripe for new change and new industries.”
Kuchenbrod, who lives in rural Armstrong with her husband Jerry, is a 40-year resident of Vermilion County.
In addition to the DDI position, she is a business engagement and talent pipeline contractor for Northern Illinois University, assisting economic development regions and industry partnerships address talent pain points in unfilled positions, upskilling and retention.
“It can be very fulfilling, but at times it’s a challenge,” she said.
She previously worked under contract with Vermilion Advantage’s chamber economic development group as workforce development pipeline management consultant.
Kuchenbrod said of the job ahead: “In the retail industry, a lot of the retail employers took a significant hit during the pandemic and post pandemic. Rebuilding the retail industry in that downtown area is going to be a key priority as well as any industry that is related to leisure, hospitality, culinary arts, things of that nature.”
Kuchenbrod said there are already some industries operating downtown. Hopefully, she said, that number can be increased.
She said her strategic plan includes identifying the strengths of the downtown area, some businesses-industries that can be attracted and “looking for funding streams to use toward building up, whether it be small business development, grants and opportunities.”
Among the strategies under consideration is establishment of downtown as a historical district, which, in some cases, brings tax advantages for building and business owners, in addition to grant opportunities and possible tourism attraction capabilities.
Kendred Tillotson, DDI president, said the organization’s board, comprised of downtown owners and, in some cases, tenants, “is fully behind her.”
“A lot of our board knows her personally,” he said.
“Our board’s very excited. Her experience is very in line in that we want DDI focusing more on economic development and small businesses.
“She has a lot of knowledge in that type of stuff — grant writing and that type of stuff.”
Tillotson said downtown “has seen better days, but there’s a lot of things coming down the pipe — some larger developers assessing some of these buildings. The ship is turning.”
He believes in the next three or four years, downtown “will look totally different.”
He knows some of the developers that have worked to turn around downtown Champaign. DDI will try to use that model to reinvigorate Danville’s downtown.
“There’s a lot of great things coming,” Tillotson said. “Downtown is going to look quite a bit different.”
Tillotson and his partner own Requite Tattoo. They gutted and renovated an old law office for that business. They also own several other downtown properties.
Williams agrees downtown has shown improvement in recent years, including infrastructure upgrades in streets, sidewalks and sanitary and storm sewer work as a result of a $3 million grant.
He said downtown is increasingly being sought out as an event location.
“Now we have requests all the time to do events downtown where that was never happening before,” Williams said. “We have a lot of synergy from our First Friday program,” which features cheap or free fare.
In a DDI press release, Monyok was praised for “the significant strides in revitalizing the downtown district.”
“Her leadership brought the organization up to date on essential tasks, including eliminating the backlog of grants, reopening the downtown grant program, and reorganizing DDI’s financial structure. Annie also focused on fostering relationships between DDI, local businesses, and the community, spearheading initiatives such as Small Business Saturday’s return and enhancing overall member engagement.”
