- May 2, 2024
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Rich Cooper hopes to get more business owners involved with the organization.
BY WAYNE GRANT | STAFF WRITER
Ormond Beach MainStreet is now under new leadership. Ryck Hundredmark resigned after five years as president, at an Oct. 21 meeting. Richard Cooper, president of Mitchell Noel Insurance Agency, assumed the office, stepping up from his position as vice president.
Cooper has been with MainStreet for ten years, having served as treasurer and vice president. He said he originally became involved in MainStreet because he liked what the organization was trying to do.
“It’s a 20-year-old organization and it’s incredible the progress that has been made,” he said. “We want to preserve history and have a vibrant downtown. We want to make it visually and economically appealing.”
Ormond Beach MainStreet is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization. The district includes Granada Boulevard from State Road A1A on the east to Orchard Street on the west, including areas to the north and south of Granada Boulevard. There are 2,000 MainStreet community programs nationwide.
Cooper said one of his goals is to get more people engaged with his organization, especially business owners.
“We have committees that need volunteers, and we want their input,” he said.
MainStreet also manages the Farmer’s Market and created Riverfest and the Celtic Festival.
“Events bring people downtown and hopefully they will stop somewhere and get something to eat or drink,” Cooper said.
The membership usually votes on leadership, but since Hundredmark resigned mid-term, Cooper was elevated automatically from his vice-president position.
Hundredmark, owner of Affordable Home Loan Corp., said he was resigning because he believes the organization needs younger people in charge.
“We need to get the next generation involved,” he said. “It’s my desire to have people in their 30s and 40s, and not 60s and 70s. That younger demographic of people has a stake in the community.”
He still plans to be active in the organization, serving on both the executive and promotion committees.
In way of positive, local impact, Hundredmark cited how the organization helped develop the city’s Form Based Code, a set of regulations developed to implement the Downtown Master Plan. One result of this effort, he said, is the design of the Sunoco gas station being constructed at the corner of Nova Road and Granada Boulevard.
“It’s not going to look like a typical gas station,” he said. “That’s an example of the community and city working together.”
Cooper said MainStreet wants to encourage culture in the downtown, as well, by attracting art-related businesses and events.
On Sept. 17, the city renewed an annual contract with MainStreet “for the promotion of economic, physical and aesthetic redevelopment and maintenance,” for $60,000.
The money covers special events, operating the website (ormondbeachmainstreet.com) and marketing the downtown district.
“We go to business owners and make suggestions and work with them,” Cooper said. “We explain all the possible opportunities and come up with ideas and options. We work with government, business and citizens.”
