Fairy Godmother Visits Downtown
by Mayor John Cook

While many El Pasoans have become excited about the prospect of our Downtown undergoing a revitalization, most have understood the many challenges we would certainly face on what we knew would be a long journey. The initial planning and community input process was sometimes painful and took over a year before we had a “skeletal” plan in hand. More time was spent organizing a TIRZ district and their governing board. We all recognized that progress would not be immediate as the next step in the process would take private sector involvement and the acquisition of enough properties to put a deal together.

As children, many of us wished the fairy godmother would just come along and turn our dreams into reality. As we grew older we came to the realization that was just not going to
happen. Hard work, planning and investment were necessary components to morph from vision to reality.

It seems that in our city’s case, the fairy tale has been to revive the Downtown we know and love and that a fairy godmother … or father, in the shape of a local businessman Paul Foster, has helped to morph that vision into a reality.

And what of this new opportunity we have upon us? The Mills Plaza area aspires to integrate and reintroduce an enhanced pedestrian element in a key area of Downtown. With the combination of thousands of feet of office space, integrated retail and a pedestrian corridor, comes the creation of synergy in the Downtown area. With time, I would hope that we would aspire to expand on the potential success of this area
and create the same pedestrian-friendly, pedestrian-attracting environment in the greater San Jacinto Plaza area.

Downtown El Paso is changing. Was the fairy dust a factor? That may be up for debate. Hard work, planning, philanthropy and investment? I certainly think so.

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Impact 2012
by Bill Coon, CPO, Boys & Girls Club of El Paso

Childhood is different today than it was even a decade ago. The same is true for nonprofits. With America and the world in rapid cultural change, it is important to move forward in a way consistent with time-honored values even as we strive toward a contemporary vision.

Taking stock of our beliefs and planning for the future was a hallmark of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s 2006 Centennial. The Commission for the Second Century, a group of Club leaders and board volunteers, accumulated advice, thoughts, and new ideas from thousands of people connected to the Movement, youth development and nonprofit leadership.

The commission’s deliberations led to a bold new vision and renewed mission that recall
our core promise to the nation – and to American’s young people. That vision, mission and promise are the foundation of the enduring
impact and success.

The Commission for the Second Century also set forth a clear strategic direction for the Movement during the next five years. This plan charges the Movement to boldly move forward to lead with impact, continue to grow, strengthen all organizations, assure greater public trust and expand the influence of the Movement beyond our walls. Together we will assure a positive future for every child and a nation empowered
by great citizens. In so doing, we honor our promise of our founders and prepare the way for those yet to come.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America set Impact Goals for the next five years. This plan serves as a blueprint for increasing the effectiveness
of our Movement and furthering the mission of the Boys and Girls Clubs. Meeting the promise of this plan requires that national and local
organizations work together to achieve these common goals. The goals are defined as Pillars and there are four Pillars.

Pillar 1: Impact with strategic growth. For many years, the growth has been the main focus of the Boys and Girls Clubs. More clubs equal more youth’s needs met. Today, although growth is important, we must make an impact on the lives of the youth that enters our doors.

Pillar 2: Beyond our walls. We must do programming where the kids are. In the schools, housing sites, apartment complexes, etc. can be used to do programming.

Pillar 3: Stronger organizations Boys and Girls Clubs has to hire the highest caliber executive leadership, have diverse revenues streams, and have a reserve for rainy days.

Pillar 4: Public Trust The clubs must be safe, we must be trusted and ethical, and we must withstand the highest level of scrutiny.

Some challenging goals! But when we set the “Pillars” in place, the youth that we serve, today and tomorrow, will be able to meet the challenges of everyday life.

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Downtown’s Tipping Point
by Bob Cook, REDCo President

To many of us who work or play Downtown, the continued sight of construction crews milling away at street corners and buildings can be described as a hassle at best. The ongoing construction causes streets to be closed, traffic to be rerouted, and I suspect, more than one late appearance. Fellow El Pasoans, I propose to you that we take a different perspective on the inconvenience that is caused by this construction.

As I have previously noted in this article, in late April El Paso will host the Texas Economic Development Council’s Spring Conference here in Downtown at the Camino Real Hotel. Members of economic development entities from Texas giants such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio down to our smaller counterparts like San Marcos and Wylie will be here, some for the first time in their lives. If there were one statement that we could positively equate to our economic development brethren about the overall state of our city, it would simply be “We are growing.”

Personally, I think that we are at the tipping point of growth and progress in El Paso that may be unprecedented. The construction that we are seeing right now is the side effect of this growth, and though right now it may be seen as an eyesore and a daily inconvenience, it will ultimately prove to be a lasting improvement to our city that will facilitate the flow of commerce and tourism that we have all been waiting for. El Paso has been prominent in state and national media for the last year, or so, there have been numerous articles touting the strength or our local economy and of the growth of population. What an impression it will be for members of the TEDC who have read those articles to come in to our downtown and to be surrounded by those construction crews!

It is my sincere hope and expectation that our city will shine as we welcome these folks. It is important for all of the people in our city who have an opportunity to help out with the spring conference (or even to attend) to do so. Let’s leave such an impression in their minds that they will be compelled to revisit our city once again in the near future when the construction is complete, the crews are gone and our Downtown has undergone its facelift.

I would like to thank Hunt Companies, ADP, TVO North America, Compass Bank (formerly State National), Development Counselors International (REDCo’s media relation firm in New York), City of El Paso Department of Economic Development, El Paso International Airport and the JD Abrams Company, who have all come forth to sponsor the conference. We’ll see you in April!

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Letter from the Editor
by Cassandra Yardeni

Before joining El Paso Media Group, I was a relative stranger to Downtown El Paso. Although I was born and raised in the city and have lived here for most of my adult life, I admit that I was not very Downtown-savvy.

Growing up, my Downtown excursions were limited to occasional (and obligatory) dates with my dad to the symphony and as I got older, I periodically treated myself to the Chilean Sea Bass at Café Central. But really, I was unaware of any fun or exciting happenings in the area and the thought of navigating through one-way streets, throngs of pedestrians and overcrowded parking lots seemed daunting, to say the least.

That is, until I began working at EPMG. On my first day with the group, I remember being quite impressed with the historic Cortez Building (after three years there, we’ve recently relocated to the Bank of America building at 416 N. Stanton). I was awed by the marble floors in the lobby and surprised by the building’s regal gold elevator doors and charming crown moldings. I would soon discover that the building was not only beautiful, but, like many Downtown edifices, played a vital role in El Paso history and development.

I then began to view Downtown through a different lens. EPMG takes great pride in their hometown and work tirelessly to promote the city, both in its great potential and existing merit. I soon learned that El Paso’s Downtown district has plenty to offer, from exciting monthly museum events and movie nights at the beautifully renovated Plaza Theatre to free concerts and impressive expos and tradeshows. And if you look closely enough, you will find that the area is packed with upscale restaurants and bars (check out Downtown’s Union Plaza!) as well as stunningly crafted buildings.

And now more than ever, it seems that other El Pasoans are taking notice of the diamond in the rough that is our city’s Downtown. With forces like Mills Plaza Properties and the Paso del Norte Group working towards achieving a revitalized Downtown, I am thrilled at the prospect of working with this team of community leaders to re-establish the area as the heart of the city.

I hope you’re as excited as I am about the future of Downtown and encourage you to join in its progress by re-introducing yourself to the area; changes are happening everyday and although it may take some time to see the end result, I am confident that a greater city is on the horizon.

Read on!

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