WP&B Retreat features speaker Michael M. Edwards
From Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful welcomed Michael M. Edwards, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, as the speaker for their Annual Planning Retreat held Nov. 12 at the Center for Research and Economic Development at Waynesburg University.
During the retreat, Edwards spoke about his work with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and then discussed downtown Waynesburg with attendees. He advocated Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful’s strategy of working together with other groups interested in the future of the downtown, such as the borough, county and university.
“Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful has all the right stakeholders at the table,” Edwards said. “The key will be to identify overlapping interests to advance a more robust and compelling downtown.
“The community has a great stock of buildings, a movie theater and an engaged university. I am confident they will have success in the year to come.”
According to Jeanine Henry, president of Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful, those in attendance benefited from the program and the conversation it prompted.
“Our organization was pleased to welcome Mike Edwards to speak at our annual retreat,” she said. “It was wonderful to have someone with us with a high level of experience in downtown revitalization and to be able to discuss ideas for our community, ask questions and learn from downtown Pittsburgh’s example.”
Edwards administers the Business Improvement District for downtown Pittsburgh, advocating for the business and property owners and marketing the city’s downtown as the region’s business and cultural center and the premier location to live, work, shop, dine, play and visit.
He has extensive experience working with downtown preservation and revitalization; in addition to his current role with the PDP, Edwards has served as president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership in Spokane, WA, principal of The Saratoga Associates in Buffalo, NY, and executive director of the Buffalo Place, Inc. in Buffalo, NY.
Each year, Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful conducts the Annual Retreat for all of its committees and partners to come together to set goals and strategies for the coming year and to plan for the future. This includes updating the organization’s five-year strategic plan, discussing accomplishments of the past year and sharing new ideas for the downtown.
Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful is a nonprofit, Main Street program that operates in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Funded by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful represents a community endeavor to preserve and revitalize historic downtown Waynesburg and raise awareness of the educational, cultural and historical opportunities, as well as the convenience of shopping, associated with the town.