The Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables has launched a search for a new executive director to replace Mari Gallet, who has served in the position for nine years.
Gallet is leaving the organization to enter the for-profit sector and start her own consulting firm. She will remain with the Business Improvement District through Jan. 14, 2014.
“Mari Gallet has been extremely successful in leading and growing the District, developing many innovative marketing programs and helping formulate a vision for our future,” said Burton Hersh, president of the board of directors of the Coral Gables BID. “We will miss her leadership, dedication and creativity. We now turn our focus toward finding someone to fill her shoes as we continue to promote and support business in Downtown Coral Gables and Miracle Mile.”
The BID Board of Directors is seeking someone with proven experience as a visionary and leader. Candidates interested in the position may visit www.shopcoralgables.com for a detailed job description and instructions on how to apply for the position. The individual should be familiar with economic development, public relations, experienced in special taxing districts or downtown areas, and fluent in English and Spanish.
The BID was founded in 1997 as a vehicle for marketing and advocacy on behalf of the property owners and merchants in downtown Coral Gables. Having served as executive director since 2004, Gallet has successfully directed the efforts of the organization during some of its most transformative years.
During this time, she led the branding efforts for “Downtown Coral Gables and Miracle Mile” as an upscale, sophisticated dining and shopping destination, attracting the best restaurants and retailers and a larger customer base to support those establishments. She created iconic events and programs that are now part of the Downtown Coral Gables fabric including Coral Gables Restaurant Week, Taste of the Gables, Battle of the Chefs, Giralda under the Stars, and Wine, Walk & Shop on the Mile. Her leadership also was instrumental in establishing the public/private partnership that created the centralized valet parking system in Downtown Coral Gables, now seen as the model and adopted by many other cities.
Gallet led the BID through two re-elections, in 2005 and 2012, re-establishing the special assessment district through a majority of property owners’ support. She helped the Coral Gables BID move the Downtown Coral Gables Streetscape project to the top of the City of Coral Gables’ priorities for the central business district, organizing teams of volunteer professionals from the University of Miami and the broader community for both the Streetscape initiative and the new Downtown Overlay Study.
Created in 1997, the Business Improvement District of Coral Gables’ (BID-CG) mission is to promote commercial vitality for Miracle Mile and Downtown Coral Gables, and to act as a strategic catalyst for the overall improvement of the area. For more information and a directory, visit www.shopcoralgables.com
