Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, has hired Matt Dorner to serve as its economic development director.
Dorner has more than 10 years of urban planning, community and economic development experience, most recently as assistant director/economic development specialist for the Village of Menomonee Falls Community Development Department. There, he was responsible for economic and community development projects including the creation of Tax Incremental District No. 12, and a downtown matching grant program that boosted more than $700,000 in private sector investment.
At Milwaukee Downtown, Dorner will lead the deployment of economic development initiatives laid out in the Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 strategic plan. He will also work to retain, grow and attract both retail and office tenants to the central business district.
“From concept to fruition, Matt brings efficiency and tenacity to all stages of a project,” said Beth Weirick, chief executive officer of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. “His track record for developing incentive packages, implementing creative placemaking and luring new development to underutilized areas, makes him a strong asset to our organization. We’re thrilled to add his talents to our team.”
Milwaukee Downtown’s five-year plan included the creation of the economic development director position in 2012. It was previously held by Steven Looft.
Dorner will be responsible for updating the CEO call program; building a rapport with national site selectors; analyzing and maintaining current market data; identifying existing incentives and opportunities for new incentives at the state, city and county level; and serving as a conduit for information, options and referrals among building owners, real estate representatives and prospective tenants, according to Milwaukee Downtown.
