CLEVELAND, Ohio: Community development expert Rosemary Mudry will now be heading West Side Market as the new executive director.
It is her job to put the new master plan into action. Building a staff is her first task.
Mudry has diverse experience in urban planning and she has a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in urban planning, design and development.
At present, Mudry is the executive director of West Park Kamms Neighborhood Development. Her portfolio boasts her working with the Old Brooklyn Community Corp. as director of neighborhood development.
Mudry, a resident of the Glenville neighborhood, was chosen following a national search for the best applicant. Mudry’s background in community development helped her climb to the top of the list.
Much discussion regarding market funding and the market’s future preceded Mudry’s appointment.
Don Whitaker, president of the West Side Market Tenants Association said, “We went through a list of probably 100 candidates. A lot were applying because they love the market. We cut it down and did six to eight interviews.”
Mudry is very excited about her new role and she will also be foreseeing a brewery she opened with her husband this October. She wishes that the stakeholders in the market show some patience as the transition will take time.
“The first task is to start assembling a staff of eight to 10 depending on whether they’re contracted or full-time,” Mudry said. “A huge piece is thinking about marketing and development. We need someone in operations and someone to handle merchant/vendor relationships. Critical roles need to be filled pretty quickly.”
“At the beginning, there won’t be many visible changes,” she said. “At first, we need to transition operations and management to the nonprofit. Then, to remain stable, we have to address the capital repairs. There are a lot of structural, non-visible things that people who don’t work at the market haven’t seen.”
