MANSFIELD — Many recent improvements in downtown Mansfield can be traced to Austin, Texas.
That’s where the origins were born for ideas found in Mansfield Rising, at the annual South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in 2018, attended by 15 local residents.
Six years later, a second group is ready to help the Mansfield Rising plan continue to evolve by attending the SXSW event in March.
Their job is to immerse themselves in the world-renowned festival of ideas and technology and bring back ideas for Mansfield.
Privately funded in the public interest
“We have an opportunity through an anonymous donor to send another cohort to SXSW and join the Mansfield Rising team,” said Richland County Foundation Senior Community Investment Officer Allie Watson, who participated in the event with the initial group.
“The goal is to strengthen and enhance the current Mansfield Rising team and plan,” said Watson, who will be taking over the role as foundation president.
(The video below was produced after the original contingent attended SXSW in 2018).
She said the donor funding the latest trip told her the results gained from the Mansfield Rising plan “are the best thing that’s happened to Mansfield in a very long time.”
The group will research and develop new potential projects that fit within the Mansfield Rising Plan and reflect the city’s current growth, according to Watson.
Just as the group did in 2018, the new contingent will work to take the community with them.
Members will produce blogs about their experiences while at SXSW that will be published by Richland Source. They will also participate in interviews for the Source Daily podcast, and document their experiences on social media.
A fresh group of young leaders to represent Mansfield Rising
The new cohort members, their titles and a quote from their nominator are below.
- Kris Beasley, Assistant Principal at Mansfield Senior High School. “He is working every day at the intersection of our city and its young adults.”
- Jennifer Beavis, the marketing director for the Mansfield Arts Center. “The MAC has shown renewed vigor and dedication to arts education and attracting top talent and shows to Mansfield.”
- Braxton Daniels, owner of 3rd Cup Tea in Mansfield. “He is an established artist in the community and a member of the city’s Public Art Commission.”
- Mario Davison, finance director for the North End Community Improvement Collaborative. “He joined NECIC in 2019 as a community organizer to work in the community he loves and grew up in.”
- Jessica Hiser, marketing and advertising director for Spherion Mid-Ohio. “She volunteers for several organizations, including as a Downtown Mansfield Inc. board member.”
- Nan McCartney, graphic designer for K.E. McCartney & Associates. “She was instrumental in writing and developing a federal grant awarded to the City of Mansfield for the Main Street upgrade project.”
- Sandy Messner, director of marketing and communications for Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development. “She is a leader for the Mansfield Rising branding project and is a Downtown Mansfield Inc. board member.”
- Orie Rush, small business owner/entrepreneur, musician and visual artist. “He is also part of a small group working on the Do-It-Yourself Skatepark at Liberty Park.”
Two members of the 2018 contingent — Source Media Properties CEO Jay Allred and Downtown Mansfield Inc. Executive Director Jennifer Kime — will travel with the new group to provide guidance for the effort.
“The Mansfield Rising plan has been an absolute honor to participate in and represent over the years,” Allred said. “It’s had a visible impact, especially downtown.
“Most importantly, it’s developed and inspired young leaders who are shaping the future of Mansfield and Richland County,” he said.
“We’re so excited to welcome this new group who will join the existing team in moving the plan forward and imagining new projects to tackle,” Allred said.
What is Mansfield Rising?
In 2018, the Richland County Foundation leadership took an unusual method to develop an investment strategy for downtown Mansfield.
Instead of hiring a professional consultant and commissioning a plan written by outsiders, the foundation used a citizen-led group to create the plan.
Along with Watson, Allred and Kime, participants in 2018 included Damien Beauford, Bob Bianchi, Benjamin Davis, Aurelio Diaz, Cameron Haring, Nikki Lewis, Jodie Perry, Jotika Shetty, Leona Smith, Matthew Stanfield, Maura Teynor and Chelsie Thompson.
The group was divided into three teams aimed at developing ways to make Mansfield a better place for business, gathering and living. Teams of local advisors were assigned to each group as they developed plans.
The effort turned local citizens into consultants, which foundation leaders said would “give depth and authenticity” to the plan, according to Watson.
“It provides a road map for projects and opportunities for partnerships to continue the renaissance of Mansfield,” Watson said.
“The Richland County Foundation invested $1.2 million to execute the Mansfield Rising plan,” she said.
(Below is a PDF with the original Mansfield Rising plan.)