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Each member of our professional
team has worked as a staff member for one or more BIDS, giving
us a deeper understanding of our clients’ needs and how to
ensure their success.
steve@urbanplaceconsulting.com
Steve Gibson is president and founder of Urban Place Consulting
Group, Inc., which was formed in July 2001. Urban Place evolved
from the
Main Street Group, Steve’s prior consulting firm, which he
founded in 1989. As a consultant, Steve has provided services to
40 districts
in 33 cities and 19 states.
Steve was a contributing author for Business Improvement Districts
(Urban Land Institute, 2003, Second Edition) and speaks at conferences
around the world on various business improvement district issues.
Some of his speaking engagements have included:
- Workshop speaker, “Business Improvement Districts: The American
Experience,” for conferences in: Mexico City, Mexico; Barcelona,
Spain; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Coventry, England
- Workshop speaker, “Business District Development and Operations,” for
conferences of the California League of Cities, California Redevelopment
Association, International Downtown Association, and the European
Federation of Town Centers
- Workshop speaker, “Principals of Management for Downtown CEOs,” International
Downtown Association conference
- Workshop speaker, “The Effective CEO…Balancing Leadership
and Management,” International Downtown Association conference
- Guest lecturer, “Public Space Use,” School
of Architecture, California Polytechnic University
He is a member of the International
Downtown Association and served on its board of directors from
1996-2002.
He is also
a member of
the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. From
1987 to 1989, he was the president of the Belmont Shore Business
Association in Long Beach, California. He has
a Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration from the University of
Southern California.
aaron@urbanplaceconsulting.com
Since joining Urban Place as a project manager in June 2000, Aaron
Aulenta has overseen a large scope of diverse projects. Through
Urban Place, he is the deputy director of the Figueroa Corridor
Partnership BID in Los Angeles, where he manages the day-to-day
operations and serves as the point-person for board members and
property owners.
When Urban Place works with
a local community to start a BID, Aaron develops the database,
helps
facilitate
the petition
and 218-ballot
process, assists in the development of the petition/ballot
and other key documents, and works with the principal
in developing
the budgets.
Aaron is currently helping to establish three
BIDS in Los Angeles: South Park, North Hollywood and
the Goodyear
Industrial Tract.
Additionally, he works on several
wayfinding signage projects, including those in downtown
Los Angeles,
Hollywood, Long
Beach, Citrus Heights
and Sacramento. He is also the project manager
for our pedestrian count projects, and he managed
the
Urban Place
effort on
the bus stop utilization
and improvement project for the Los Angeles
Metropolitan Transit Authority. Aaron holds a Bachelor of
Arts in Cultural Anthropology from
San Francisco State
University.
rena@urbanplaceconsulting.com
Prior to joining Urban Place,
Rena Masten served as the executive director
of the Portland,
Maine
BID. Prior to that, she was the assistant
director and director of operations for the Stamford, Connecticut BID. She
has more than 12 years
experience in downtown management, operational
management
and marketing for BIDS,
and she has implemented and maintained BID
programs involving traffic
and parking,
cleaning, landscaping, graffiti removal,
banners and security ambassadors patrols.
Her extensive experience
in downtown management includes:
- Establishing and maintaining business, community
and governmental partnerships to facilitate a BID’s mission
- Developing and forecasting budgets, ranging
from $50,000 project budgets to $1 million operating budgets
- Creating organization-wide benchmarking programs
to quantify individual project results
- Creating strategic plans and program guidelines
Rena received her Masters of
Public Administration from New York University, Robert F. Wagner
Graduate School
of Public Service and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut.
She has spoken at
conferences of the International Downtown Association,
Quebec Downtown Center, U.S. Department of Justice’s Office
of Community Oriented Policing Services and various community groups.
jessica@urbanplaceconsulting.com
Prior to joining Urban Place, Jessica Whaley served as director of
Planning and Research/Project Manager for Avenue of the Arts, Inc.
(AAI), a non-profit organization that oversees the planning,
development and marketing of an arts and cultural district in downtown
Philadelphia. In her role at AAI, Jessica managed consultants for a
large scope of diverse projects, with an emphasis on urban planning,
economic development, intergovernmental coordination, event planning
and community advocacy and outreach facilitation. Jessica received her
Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate
School of Fine Arts and holds two B.A. degrees in Environmental
Studies and English Literature from the University of California,
Santa Barbara.
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