ROCKINGHAM – During their regular meeting monthly in January, members of the Rockingham Downtown Corporation chose John Hutchinson to lead the organization for the coming year.
Hutchinson has been a member of the Rockingham Downtown Corporation since its inception 20 years ago. He has served in the capacity of ex-officio member for the City of Rockingham’s City Council, as well as a person operating a business downtown where he works as a financial professional.
The RDC is responsible for events such as Affair on the Square, this year’s first-ever Spooktacular, as well as an annual favorite, Christmas on the Square. The organization was also behind the successful effort to move the Farmers Market back to downtown in the early 1990s.
The outgoing president is Susan Kelly, Richmond County Extension Director. Hutchinson remarked about her time at the helm as having done a tremendous job.
“She (Kelly) did a fantastic job as president,” Hutchinson said. “Susan was a gift that landed in our lap. When she moved to Richmond County, she brought many good ideas with her. That prior experience made her a dynamic and creative leader for our group.”
According to Hutchinson, Kelly, “led the organization through the addition of Affair on the Square events, organized a Downtown banquet for several years where the ‘business of the year’ announcement was made and helped bring businesses together to work on cooperative events.”
Kelly has filled the position of president for the last four years, but in a recent meeting of the group, noted she was ready for someone else to take over.
“In the last couple of years, things have really picked up with the addition of many new businesses downtown,” Hutchinson explained when asked about the growth of downtown Rockingham. “We are excited about the networking between businesses. A good example is Pattan’s Grille downtown using bread from Kool Kakes (just down the street) to make their tomato sandwiches which are a special offering in the summertime.
“The tomatoes in that case came from the Berry Patch, in Ellerbe,” Hutchinson continued. “It’s just a good opportunity for small business folks to network among each other.”
This past year’s Spooktacular event, held on Halloween, was a joint collaboration that began out of brainstorming by several of the downtown members as well.
“This is an event we know we are going to continue and improve on as the years go by,” Hutchinson commented.
Downtown Rockingham following a recent snowstorm.
The current membership is somewhere around 20 businesses, according to Hutchinson. He indicated the RDC is looking to get other businesses involved as well as others from the community who are interested in downtown. According to Hutchinson, it’s a good way to become a part of the events that are hosted in downtown Rockingham.
“Anyone can attend the meetings, but you have to be a member to vote,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson explained that while the meetings have previously been held at noon on the third Tuesday of the month, the RDC is going to change the meeting schedule around some this year to try and accommodate more people by having some meetings after working hours for those who maybe can’t make it at lunch.
“There are many ideas that Kelly and the group have had that are quite good,” Hutchinson said about the future. “Some are still in the works, while others are worth looking at again to see if they’ve ripened yet.”
For those who are interested in learning more about the Rockingham Downtown Corporation, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rockinghamdowntown.
