Adrianne Patrick will be stepping down as interim director of Main Street Wadsworth. Tom Stugmyer will be taking over as interim Executive Director until the position is permanently filled.
Patrick was appointed as Executive Director of the organization on May 15, 2017. She has also been a volunteer board member and the Chair of the Design Team. Patrick started to become involved in the community in 2014 when she moved to Wadsworth in order to be closer to her family.
“I interviewed for a board position with the Mayor and Superintendent, and the rest is history!” Patrick said in an e-mailed response.
The Main Street Program is active across the country with over 20 Main Street Communities in Ohio and over 800 across the USA. The organization utilizes what is known as the Main Street America Four-Point Approach of Design, Economic Vitality, Promotion, and Organization.
“I do whatever needs done to make our downtown come alive again, to make it a vibrant gathering place where people of all ages love to shop, dine, gather, work, play, and have fun being together!” Patrick said.
She has worked with people such as the Mayor, the Salvation Army, her staff, board members, and many more to work toward her goal.
“It takes a team of passionate people to make all of these things happen,” Patrick said. “It is never just one person.”
Patrick’s role in Main Street Wadsworth has included coordinating over $500,000 in grants, getting Wadsworth added to the National Register of Historic Places, adding a music speaker system to downtown Wadsworth, organizing community events, and more.
“We promote our downtown as a destination,” Patrick said. “We help connect our small businesses to the resources they need to succeed.”
She has decided to step down in order to spend more time with her five-month-old son, Henry.
“Running a non-profit is a 24/7 lifestyle with no break, and trying to be everything to everyone all the time is quite simply exhausting and unsustainable, so we made the decision that putting family first was the right thing to do,” Patrick said.
She plans on continuing to volunteer for Main Street Wadsworth. The search for a replacement Executive Director will begin in 2024.
“Serving as the Executive Director of a non-profit means you are doing everything from picking up trash on the sidewalks to providing the vision for a strategic plan to transform the downtown district,” Patrick said. “Every day is different.”
She is proud of the projects she has done to transform the community, such as the #WadsworthWings murals and First Fridays.
“Creating and launching First Friday in January 2018 was one of my favorite parts when a merchant told me the money they made on a First Friday event covered their rent for the month,” Patrick said.
Since then, the community has gone on to host 70 First Friday events.
Patrick wants to thank her project coordinator Teri Peters and Stugmyer for helping her pursue her mission over the years.
“These two have truly changed our downtown for the better and have gone above and beyond in their roles every day to create a better Wadsworth,” Patrick said.
Stugmyer originally became involved in Main Street Wadsworth as a photographer, back when the organization was still known as Downtown Wadsworth Incorporated. His role grew then grew into becoming involved with more committees.
When Heritage Ohio designated Wadsworth as having an official Main Street, he became a member of the Board of Directors. Stugmyer served as president of the Board of Directors for two years.
He has acted as interim Executive Director multiple times before for the organization. Stugmeyer plans on serving for as long as he is needed.
“I’ll be here until we hire somebody,” Stugmyer said. “I made that commitment, I’m not going anywhere.”
He also plans on being involved in the process of hiring a permanent replacement for the position.
“You want to be sure that the person you’re hiring is the person you need,” Stugmyer said.
He is proud of the programs he has been a part of that have brought more business and notoriety to Wadsworth’s Main Street, such as the murals that have been created downtown. As Stugmyer begins his interim role, Patrick reflects on the support of the community.
“I also want to thank our wonderful and dedicated volunteers, Friends of MSW, MSW Sponsors, donors, stakeholders, small businesses, and everyone who has been a part of this awesome effort to make our downtown the best it can be,” Patrick said. “Wadsworth should feel very proud of what they have accomplished–a beautiful, charming, vibrant downtown where our community loves to be together!”
