The District dishes out awards at annual meeting

QUINCY — The District held its annual meeting Wednesday night at ONE, 600 Hampshire.

It was the first annual meeting for the organization’s new executive director, Brianna Rivera, who credited the board and her staff for putting together this year’s event.

District Board Vice President Tieraney Craig gave the annual report to the crowd of about 100 people. The District’s 2023 highlights included:

• Gaining 19 new businesses.
• Volunteers donating more than 1,000 hours of service for downtown Quincy each year.
• Organizing 65 programs and events that drew about 68,000 people to Quincy.
• Receiving The Lieutenant Governor Award for Promotion, recognizing the Blues in The District Concert Series.
• A new partnership with volunteers from Craig Industries for the annual Light the Park event, which included raising funds to add new light fixtures.
• Expanding the Farmers Market by adding entertainment and food vendors.
• Adding outdoor music to the downtown Trick or Treat.
• Promoting Drinks in the District and Shop Local Saturdays.
• The District’s no-cost gift certificate program generating nearly $11,000 in downtown revenue.

Along with Craig, The District’s executive board includes President Jason Traeder, Secretary Spencer McKeown and Treasurer Kevin Ballard. The three new board members for 2024 are Carol Shaffer, Bobbette Wand, and Joy Berhorst. The remainder of the board includes Tommy Hendren, Blake Scheer, Ben Reinhardt and several ex-officio members.

The following businesses were recognized for their contributions in 2023:

• Organization – First Mid Bank & Trust
• Design – The Armory
• Economic Vitality – Brewhaus Townhomes
• Promotion – Scott Edlin from On The Rail for the Gem City Concert Series
• New Business of the Year – Platt Daddy BBQ
• Volunteers of the Year – Carol Shaffer, Steffanie Shelton, Bobbette Wand, & Brittany Weise
• Business of the Year – Domestics Etc.
• Special Service Award – Awerkamp Machine Co.