At an Annual Meeting held at the Wonder Building on February 13, the Downtown Spokane Partnership (DSP) and Business Improvement District (BID) will celebrate the 2020 recipients of the Downtown Legacy Award and Impact Award.
Presented by STCU, this fast-paced event will feature a thought-provoking presentation by Mick Cornett, former Mayor of Oklahoma City.
Legacy Award | David Condon and Gavin Cooley
The Legacy Award is awarded to a company, organization, or individual who has left a mark on our city by creating positive and sustainable transformation in downtown over a long period of time. Recipients represent visionary and creative problem-solving solutions accomplished through grassroots efforts, strong partnerships and innovation. Recipients exemplify exceptional contribution to the business, civic, or human vitality of downtown Spokane, often becoming the catalyst for other development in the community.
With a drive to make catalytic change, Condon’s two terms will be remembered for unprecedented growth, tackling large priority initiatives, including infrastructure investment in streets and utility improvements to protect the Spokane River. Condon was an advocate for economic development and force behind the historic redevelopment of Riverfront Park that will leave a lasting legacy on downtown for generations.
Serving five Mayoral administrations, Gavin Cooley was a driving force behind the policy and financing that underwrote Spokane’s most ambitious initiatives. A respected leader and innovator with a great depth of knowledge and extreme organizational skills, Cooley’s success is forged in an ability inform and collaborate, building trust and setting long-term goals. Cooley leaves the City of Spokane on a solid financial footing with a challenge to carry forward a legacy of creative and pragmatic planning.
Impact Award | Pete and Anne Mounsey
The Impact Award is awarded to a company, organization, or individual who has made an impact on the downtown core in recent years. Recipients are renegades and risk takers, often finding potential in an underutilized property, or lending credibility to outrageous ideas. Recipients look at the community as a whole, bringing together partners to revolutionize the way business is done and serve as a role model for others in the business community.
In less than three years the Mounsey’s turned the dilapidated Wonder Bread Bakery building into a sleek and modern mixed-use industrial office space with secure parking structure, lighting a spark of development on the North Bank of the Spokane River in downtown. The undertaking was an incredible financial risk for the Mounsey’s that is already paying dividends for the surrounding neighborhood. Where there was a rundown, graffiti tagged, rodent infested structure, there is now a nearly fully occupied vibrant building that mixes the best of the past and present and offers the community a place to gather.