Today we’d like to introduce you to Blair Cohn.
Blair, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I went to college, I had to stop playing in bands but decided to manage the bands my friends were in. I booked the shows out of my dorm room and did that for a few years after graduation until I had the epiphany that I wasn’t the shark type to be an agent or manager. I moved into event management and planned/organized 300 educational seminars and conferences annually across the county. That really got my event skills fine-tuned.
Seven years later I had the opportunity to join a friend and start a company to organize the Long Beach Marathon. International City Racing planned the marathon and other road races. Then I did a brief stint for the City of Long Beach where I learned the ins and outs of bureaucracy. Then at one point, it was suggested that I apply for the role as Executive Director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA). It was at a time that this area needed new energy and fresh ideas.
Has it been a smooth road?
There are always challenges with anything in life. I started working with BKBIA right as the economy tanked (end of 2007). We had vacancies, no connectivity with the local community, and a small budget. We were faced with a familiar conundrum: Doing more with less. There have been some funky personalities along the way, but we have endured those, too. The more we did the more we had to do. The more we did, the more support and engagement we had with city hall, the media, our own business members, and the community we were trying to reach.
One of the big issues was consistency. Businesses were coming and going, and I needed to get a steady base of participation so energy and momentum would stick. We have built all that up over all this time.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association story. Tell us more about the business.
The Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association has 927 members in our district. Our job is to promote the area, provide business resources for our members, keep the area clean and safe, and host events to draw people into the corridors.
We are known for our steady programming of monthly events. We have our Bixby Knolls Strollers (walking club), Literary Society (book club), Supper Club, Good Spirits Club (drinking club), Kidical Mass (monthly kids bike ride), Knights of the Round (Turn)Table, and our marquee event, First Fridays (art walk). We do Flash Events, host a summer concert series called “Concerts in the Park(ing Lot)” and host themed events like Walktoberfest, Almost St. Patrick’s Day, and Santacon.
I am very proud of the longevity of the programs and loyal group of participants for each program. We are most known as a “go to” organization and a model for others. We are a small association doing big things. We have the soul. We don’t just write reports and do as little as possible. We are always trying to reinvent ourselves, better serve our membership, connect the community, and draw attention from the media and city hall.
Tell us about your latest role with Creative Class Collective.
This group has created some really impactful experiences and events here in the Long Beach area including Long Beach Walls, Art Renzei and #MakeNoiseToday. I proudly joined as executive director at a growth point for the group and I’m looking forward to leaning on my past experience, especially with BKBIA, to bring a new perspective to the table. Creative Class Collective is in the midst of a strategy shift with the goal of empowering creators through experience and community. I’ll be ultra focused on cultivating a vibrant creative economy through artist growth and fostering cultural vitality here in Long Beach. I will retain my role at BKBIA so the experiences will be quite complementary, and double the fun.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see more Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) being formed in and around Long Beach and we will work carefully with them as we all pretty much have the same mission (though each neighborhood has its distinctive characteristics). I believe that the BIDs will be an even larger economic development driver for the entire city.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4321 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90807
- Website: www.bixbyknollsinfo.com
- Phone: 562 595-0081
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @bixbyknolls
- Facebook: Facebook.com/bkbia
Image Credit:
Blair Cohn, Alissa Cohn, Tom Underhill
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
