Heart of Cary Association Meeting
David Diaz | CEO Downtown Raleigh Alliance

Thursday, October 6th, 2016
7:30a - 9:00a
317 W Chatham Street, Cary NC

Guest speaker: David Diaz
You are cordially invited to our next meeting hosted by the Matthews House (317 W Chatham St) featuring guest speaker: David Diaz, President and CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.

David has over 15 years of executive experience in leading municipal service districts in Virginia and North Carolina. Since 2007, David has led the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) as its President and CEO. DRA is an award winning nonprofit organization with a mission to revitalize Raleigh’s downtown. Under his leadership, David has helped DRA achieve the following in downtown Raleigh:
  • Over $1 billion in construction of new projects
  • Additional $1billion under construction or underway
  • Developed a retail strategy for downtown Raleigh
  • Received the Pinnacle Award for the You-R-Here tagline and branding strategy from the International Downtown Association
  • Attracted 153 new storefront openings; downtown now has more restaurants and bars than the four Raleigh malls combined
  • Launched a new farmers market at the city plaza, a new outdoor event (Raleigh Winterfest) four new merchant promotions (Downtown Raleigh Gift Card, Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, Raleigh Mix, Shop Downtown) and two signature events (Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony (1,000 attendees and 60 corporate sponsors) & State of Downtown (500 attendees)
  • Raised $250,000 for the 10 year Downtown Vision Plan that was developed in 2014
 
In 2009, David completed over 20 years of military service. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2012, David completed the Nonprofit Excellence course at Harvard University’s Business School. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech and did his graduate work in city and regional planning at Cornell University. And he lives in the Village of Pilot Mill neighborhood in downtown Raleigh.

We are also gearing up for our Fall Festival that will be held on October 22. If you are interested in becoming a vendor for this event please apply here. Vendor spaces are limited so you must act quickly. This year we will partner with Bond Brothers Beer Company and anticipate a much larger event than in previous years.
Bring a friend and prepare to network!

Upcoming Events

Downtown Cary Fall Festival

Saturday, October 22, 2016
Noon to 10:00pm
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The Heart of Cary Association is excited to be partnering with Bond Brothers Beer Company and the Town of Cary to bring you the Downtown Cary Fall Festival! Please join us from noon to 6pm and support local artists and craftsmen as they bring to life their works right before your eyes! Bring the family and enjoy outdoor games and kid-friendly activities like our life-size foosball. 

Gorge yourself on a variety of delicious food trucks including, The Humble Pig, Al's Burger Truck, Chirba Chirba, The Tot Spot, Fuzzy's Empanadas, and Tacolandia.More information about the festival including vendors, parking, and special beer releases will be announced soon.
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"Southern Culture On the Skids" members Rick Miller, Mary Huff and Dave Hartman

Live entertainment by Southern Culture On the Skids

The Chapel Hill, NC trio Southern Culture On The Skids has been spreading the rock and roll gospel since 1983. Rick Miller – guitar/vox, Mary Huff – bass/vox and Dave Hartman – drums, play a greasy mix of surf, rockabilly, R&B and country fried garage with a side of psych. It's a musical gumbo Miller calls, "Americana from the wrong side of the tracks." For over 30 years, the band have toured everywhere from the NC Prison System to Mt. Fuji, Japan, delivering what Rolling Stone calls "a hell raising rock and roll party."

Interested in becoming a vendor for this event? Apply Now.
For more updates on the Downtown Cary Fall Festival please see the facebook page