By Katherine Reasons-Pyles
HQ 72 | WINTER 2010
The holiday season is a time of hope and anticipation. Among adults and children alike, Christmas time invokes a feeling of childlike wonder, a spirit of generosity and high-reaching aspirations for the New Year. And throughout the streets of downtown Huntington, that hopeful holiday spirit is evidenced, spilling from the storefronts to the sidewalks.
Look into the eyes of the new businesses owners within Heritage Station, and you’ll see the ingenuous joy of a young child on Christmas morning. Step into Simply Whisk, and you will immediately recognize the thoughtful and careful selection of kitchen items chosen specifically to bring families together. Talk to the Marshall University art students anticipating their move into the former Stone & Thomas building, and you’ll hear the contagious exhilaration in their voices. Meet with the attorneys of Campbell Woods at their new office in the heart of downtown, and see how optimistic they are that the new location will not only help beautify our city but also help bring new business to Huntington. You can see why the vibrant spirit of downtown is not unlike the joy of the holiday season.
However, one sad truth about the holidays is that once the Christmas decorations are put away and those New Year’s resolutions are broken, holiday joy tends to fade to memory. And that is why the Huntington community must continue to support its downtown businesses even after our holiday shopping is finished: the spirit rushing through downtown can be far more than mere holiday cheer, if we will commit to encourage it. Watch as downtown Huntington thrives, and hear the sounds of joy for many holiday seasons yet to come!
Turning the Tables
Kim Lake, owner of MUG and PIA, recently opened a new kitchen store on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street called Simply Whisk
By Laurie Reasons
For generations past and those yet to come, the kitchen table serves as familial super glue. What happens there cements indestructible, eternal bonds. Families pour their foundations here. Neighborhood friendships begin here. Homework assignments are completed here. Even commerce prospers here.
Kim Sarka Lake, proprietress extraordinaire, recognizes the importance of all these elements and now daily honors the irreplaceable role of the kitchen in her unique store Simply Whisk. This inviting storefront joins Lake’s already-popular sister store named MUG and PIA, whose name is an acronym for the “most unique gifts and paper items anywhere.”
Simply Whisk offers – beyond the obvious assortment of culinary products and entertaining accessories – gourmet foods and trendy tableware.
“We offer items that make the kitchen better and cooking and entertaining more fun,” Lake says. “We offer high-quality, functional items.”
Her obsession with offering excellence in home accessories comes from her own personal love of life that best expresses itself through get-togethers that create community.
“I want to facilitate the coming together of friends and families,” she says. “Whether celebrating a family event or hosting a cocktail party, we want to offer a little bit of everything: napkins, table settings, cookbooks, tableware.”
When a downtown culinary store recently closed its doors, followed by the departure of a much-loved hardware store, Lake says she couldn’t help but respond. She decided to turn the tables.
“I thought to myself, ‘We can’t not have this type of store,’” Lake says. “I had no room to expand, but for MUG and PIA to continue to succeed, I knew we needed more stores downtown.”
This retail odyssey began early.
“My dad has owned Sarka/Kauffmann Jewelers for 40 years,” Lake says. “I started stringing jewelry at age 10, but by age 16, I swore off retail – even though my parents thought it was a good fit for me.”
The tables turned, however, when empty-nester Lake reassessed her career path. As a law firm administrator for more than a decade, she understood managing business. Yet, she found herself longing for more.
“I knew I didn’t want to go into the family business,” she chuckles. “I told my dad that I didn’t want to have to worry about firing him! It’s funny how things come back around, though; and yes, my parents are still laughing – and proud.”
She smiles sardonically at the obvious irony. What began as her family’s retail history continues today as her own legacy.
“After I married and had two children, we were lucky enough to travel,” she says. “We liked to visit quaint little downtown stores. I would always say, ‘Why don’t we have one of these stores in Huntington?’ I guess I said it one too many times, because one day my husband looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you just open one?’ That is literally how it started.”
She says what happened after that was a blur.
“I ask myself, ‘How did this happen?’ It just did. I just knew it was right,” she says. “I credit my faith, because that was a major factor. I believe things happen for a reason. I am convinced faith led me here.”
Why downtown, though?
“It is different and unique, and we have the best buildings here. I never considered any place but downtown,” Lake nods enthusiastically. “Malls are commercially efficient, but I want my store to have a warm, intimate, personal feel.”
The enterprising businesswoman doesn’t stop there.
The dynamo details her dreams for a distinctive downtown: “I want it to be like years ago when people would meet to socialize and do business and see friends and family. I love it when there are events and festivals downtown. These are priceless events, priceless times and priceless opportunities for community. My prayer is that one day every storefront is filled with retail and the upper floors of every building are full of offices, condos and apartment living.”
Lake has been in business downtown for nearly three years; her inventory at MUG and PIA has quadrupled since her early days. She credits her success to the “wonderful people” who come in each week.
“I am so thankful,” she says. “I hope I always show my customers appreciation.”
Moreover, she rallies around the idea of reciprocal appreciation through endorsing the 3/50 Project (http://www.the350project.net). In a nutshell, the 3/50 Project promotes strengthening local businesses and subsequently shoring up our local economy in two simple ways: 1) selecting three favorite downtown stores and 2) spending $50 a month in them. The project’s website touts that $68 of every $100 spent at local, independent businesses comes back to its community – contrasted with only $43 that comes home from a national chain.
“I respect everyone who shops downtown because they are helping to build Huntington,” she says. “And even if they don’t have a need to purchase something here because they don’t write letters or cook, they can still help our city by letting friends and family know about stores downtown. Word of mouth works!”
Interestingly, Lake’s belief in word of mouth is a main reason why you are reading this story. Although preferring to stay in the background – she admits she was reluctant to be interviewed – Lake’s desire to promote her two stores supercedes initial objections, but not for what might be an assumed reason.
“It’s not about the money; that is not why I do this. My payday comes from the people, the customers. I love watching a group of women around the cards laughing together ’til they cry,” she grins broadly, reminiscing. “On a cold day last winter, a lady came in and explained she just needed a nice place to make her feel good that day. That is why I’m here.”
As tears well up in her eyes, Lake says quietly that owning a small business has always been a highly personal decision for her.
“I love people. I love meeting new friends. This is very personal for me, very much a passion of mine,” she says. “I want to make people happy because so many times in life they are not. I don’t know how to fix everything, but I’m trying to offer a bit of happiness.”
Now that is truly turning the tables.
Heritage Station: Where Culture and Commerce Meet
By Carrie Stambaugh
The former B&O Railroad station on the corner of 11th Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard was once a bustling center of commerce for Huntington and the Tri-State.
Today, newly renamed Heritage Station pays homage to its past mostly in architecture, but an aggressive plan to breathe new life into the historic landmark is gaining momentum. The plan is simple: create a destination by combining the area’s rich artisanal culture with one-of-a- kind shops, a seasonal outdoor market and a hearty helping of festivals and special events.
“We want it to be unique so it’s not something visitors would find somewhere else,” said Tyson Compton, president of the Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is spearheading the revival and recently moved its headquarters inside the 1880s-era depot. “We are looking for the little people, the entrepreneurs, someone who is just starting out who can use this space sort of like an incubator.”
“We want something that demonstrates the artisanal history of our area,” added Thomas McChesney, director of marketing and business development for the consulting firm Firefly, which was hired to help. “That is part of what the research said would draw people in, but we are encouraging people to use their creativity and their inspiration to suggest things that they would like to do. Part of the plan is to locate businesses here that will not only complement the ones already here but also be unique and interesting in themselves.”
The Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District (GHPRD) manages many of the offices at Heritage Station; to attract new businesses, the GHPRD has agreed to maintain low rent prices. Unlimited Futures Inc. has also partnered to offer its services to prospective businesses.
The Heritage Station merchants have also formed their own association and meet weekly to discuss progress and organize events.
“It’s called synergy,” said Karen Shook, co-owner of Crumpets and Tea, which shares space with frame shop Custom Framing by Jenks. Shook helped form the association and is an outspoken advocate for it.
“We think Heritage Station is a great place,” she said. “It’s got lots of personality, lots of ambiance and we think we are probably a piece of what can bring this back to what it used to be.”
Crumpets and Tea offers a lunch menu of homemade seasonal foods Thursday through Saturday but is also available for private parties. Along with decorative teapots, framed keepsakes created by Robert “Jenks” Jenkins adorn every wall, adding to the cozy atmosphere.
The partnership between Crumpets and Tea and Custom Framing by Jenks is working so well, it has become a model to replicate. Bodyworks Day Spa and Art Gallery, a Heritage Station business since 2006, is also mixing arts with its services. The full-service day spa offers massages, manicures, pedicures, facials and body waxing, but the commissioned work of local artists is also on display and for sale. Owner Kim Donnally, an avid art collector and organizer of the Women Folk Art Festival, said she is thrilled with downtown’s revitalization efforts.
“I have waited for four years for something to be done to revitalize Heritage Station,” she said. “I think it’s going to increase awareness and traffic down here.”
There are 16 spaces at Heritage Station for shops, studios and businesses, all of which are expected to be filled soon. Present Blessings, a gift shop offering purses, kids’ items and home accents available for order and personalization, will open in early December. Morrison Photography Studio, a studio and gallery specializing in local and statewide photography and videography, and River and Rail Bakery, which will share space with the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), are also set to open this winter.
The Red Caboose, which sells work by 52 artists from across West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, also shares space with the CVB. Commissioned photographs and postcards, books on local topics and written by local authors, Blenko glass, hand-carved coal and wooden figurines, wire sculptures, paintings and pottery are among the items for sale. Visitors to Heritage Station can also peruse Adell’s Antiques for high-end antique furniture, glassware, lamps and artwork. There are two traditional beauty parlors in Heritage Station: All About You Hair and Nail Studio and Sweet Hair Salon. Both specialize in offering a full range of hair and nail services.
A number of technology-based businesses also call Heritage Station home. They include Netranom Communications, which provides a range of technology services to local businesses; Document Solutions, an authorized Xerox dealer; and Eve Inc., which offers website design, hosting and maintenance, domain registration and database programming.
As the atmosphere transforms at Heritage Station, Compton said he believes some businesses may choose to leave; it may take some time for the shops and the atmosphere to evolve into a perfect fit.
“I think some of them will realize this is not for them and will move out at some point, but we’re not rushing this,” he said. “We expect this to be an 18-month project.”
Still in the works is an extensive roster of seasonal festivals and smaller monthly events, which will play a major role in the Heritage Station transformation.
“The whole purpose is to have something for tourists to come in and do, give local people a reason to come down here and give the shop owners an opportunity to work together,” Compton said.
The First Annual Diamond Teeth Mary Blues and Art Festival, which took place in August, was a success, and plans for next year’s festival are already underway. Merchants are also organizing small monthly events such as the political candidates’ forum and mystery theatre nights that took place in October and the Victorian Stroll event that was held in November. Various Christmas events are in the works, and new vendors will be added to the fledgling farmer’s market come spring.
It’s the hope that all these things will create a Heritage Station that complements and balances Pullman Square, located just a block away. The Downtown Corridor Project, now underway, connects the two via an alleyway between Fourth Avenue and Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
“What is really critical about this pedestrian walkway,” McChesney said, “is that it doesn’t change the distance between the two spots, but it will tie them together so that they feel much closer than they feel right now. The design of it is to specifically draw one’s attention down the corridor and help you take those first few steps.”
The first phase of the overhaul includes the addition of a wide sidewalk stamped with a railroad track pattern, vintage lampposts and new landscaping, said Charles Holley, director of development and planning for the City of Huntington. A new 9-foot fence is also being erected around the American Electric Power substation and will include large art panels depicting the history of coal and electricity in the region.
A second phase will add more art to the walkway, which will be perched atop pedestals that imitate railway water towers. Each will illustrate one aspect of Huntington’s history or culture, Holley said. Those could be in place by spring and will be paid for by private funding. Additional improvements could include adding sculptures along the sidewalk of 11th Street and a mural to back of Mack and Dave’s.
The downtown corridor project and the complete redesign of Heritage Station is part of an even larger vision – to create a free-flowing, pedestrian-friendly downtown that shuffles visitors through the central business district.
“Everyone is working together and looking at the bigger vision,” said Compton, “and that is so important.”
Huntington Law Firm Has Lots To Celebrate
The law firm of Campbell Woods celebrates its 75th anniversary by relocating to impressive new offices in the heart of downtown Huntington
By James E. Casto
A venerable Huntington law firm is celebrating these days, and with good reason. The firm is observing its 75th anniversary and has moved into impressive new offices on the corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue.
What would evolve into today’s firm of Campbell, Woods, Bagley, Emerson, McNeer & Herndon PLLC was established in October 1935 when Rolla D. Campbell and Selden S. McNeer formed a partnership.
“Actually we go back a great deal longer than that,” says member attorney J. Grant McGuire, who explains that Rolla Campbell’s father, Judge Charles W. Campbell, had been a partner in the law firm that is now Huddleston Bolen – and was then known as the Fitzpatrick firm – before leaving in the early 1900s to establish his own practice.
“Lore has it,” says McGuire, “that because the Fitzpatrick firm represented the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and Judge Campbell represented the landholders whose coal the C&O Railway was hauling, that presented a conflict. The Fitzpatrick firm kept the railroad business, which Huddleston Bolen still has. They represent CSX, today’s successor to the C&O. And you might say we’ve kept the coal business, although in slightly different form. We have a number of coal clients, and we started Ashland Coal in our office in the early 1970s. Of course as it grew, it hired its own attorneys.”
McGuire notes that the late Rolla Campbell “actually spent very little time in our offices because he was general counsel to Island Creek Coal and was there all the time. Also, he had his own mineral interests.”
Selden S. McNeer, known as “Mr. Mac,” ran the firm until his death in 1963, and then the late Charles F. Bagley Jr. ran it for another 20 or so years until the firm adopted its current committee system.
Another key figure in the firm’s history is Luther Woods, now retired and 97 years old.
“He was a wonderful trial attorney and remained part of the firm even after he began spending most of this time managing his own coal interests,” says McGuire. “He just has a wonderful way about him. If you’ve ever heard Luther tell a story, then you know why he was so skilled with juries.”
Robert K. Emerson, who died in 1991, joined the firm in the late 1940s and later left to join the late Jimmy Edwards, moving to Virginia to help Edwards with his mattress manufacturing business and his racetrack and horse farm operations. Emerson returned to Huntington and the firm in the late 1960s.
“Bob seemed to have a knack for getting along with Huntington businesses, both large and small,” recalls McGuire.
Member attorney Howard Ross Crews Jr. – better known as “Buck” – recalls that the firm had seven or eight attorneys when he joined it in 1971.
“Today,” Crews says, “we have 27 attorneys and offices in Charleston and Ashland, as well as the main office here in Huntington.”
“When Milton Herndon went to Charleston for us, we were the first non-Charleston firm to open an office there,” says McGuire. “I understand that sort of shook things up there for a while.”
Before moving to Charleston, Milton Herndon was a member of Huntington City Council and served as mayor in 1971 under the city’s old council-manager government. At that time, the council picked one of its members to serve as mayor each year.
Public service is a long-standing tradition at Campbell Woods, says McGuire.
“When I was a young attorney in the 1980s, Mr. Bagley told me that the firm expected its attorneys to give back to the community by being involved in the churches, United Way and other worthy organizations,” he says.
“That’s still something we tell law school students when we interview them during the recruiting process,” says Crews. “We make it clear that we expect them to volunteer some of their free time to charitable endeavors. There are a number of opportunities out there. And that’s the way we view it – as an opportunity to give something back.”
The law firm of Campbell, Woods, Bagley, Emerson, McNeer & Herndon – generally referred to as Campbell Woods for short – originally had its offices in the old First Huntington National Bank Building (today’s Fifth Third Center). Later the firm moved to the Coal Exchange Building, and then in 2000 it relocated to the Guaranty Bank Building (the former Chafin Building).
Now the firm has moved into an extensively remodeled building that formerly was home to the C.M. Love & Co. hardware store. The three-story, brick and stone building on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and 10th Street was built as a bank in 1894 and later housed the Huntington office of Appalachian Power Co. The Love hardware store moved there in the 1970s when the city’s downtown urban renewal project leveled its former location.
“Love’s mostly used the second and third floors as warehouse space, so it was wide open with no partitions,” says McGuire. “That meant there was little demolition work to do and we were able to easily lay out our offices the way we wanted them. The work was done quickly and we were able to move right in. The first floor took a lot longer, but we couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out.”
McGuire says he is happy that the law firm’s new location puts it right in the heart of Huntington, where the business of Pullman Square continues to grow.
“Good things are happening in downtown Huntington,” he says, “and we’re pleased to be part of it.”
Marshall Moves Downtown
Marshall University is a major contributor to the revitalization efforts of downtown Huntington
By Dawn Nolan
As downtown undergoes its renaissance with the creation of new businesses and the relocation of established ones, Marshall University continues to be a major contributor to the revitalization efforts. With the progression of the Old Main Corridor Project, the establishment of TTA’s complimentary shuttle from Marshall to Pullman Square, the opening of Gallery 842, the university’s purchase of the Stone & Thomas building and the projects of both the Marshall University Research Corporation and the Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences, Marshall is a driving force in downtown’s renewal.
The Old Main Corridor Project, which began in full force in 2008, is a plan to connect Marshall with downtown by the way of new sidewalks, improved lighting and other safety and enhancement efforts. A survey taken by Marshall students initiated the proposal for the project.
“The survey showed that once the students left campus, they felt as though they were in a gritty area because it was dark and uninviting,” said Charles Holley, Huntington’s director of development and planning. “They believed the downtown area lacked the sense of safety that they felt on campus.”
In an attempt to change these perceptions about downtown, the Old Main Corridor Project was born.
“We wanted to increase lighting and make the area more attractive, which would increase the perception of safety,” explained Holley. “We hope to have the core of downtown completed within the next two years.”
The project covers the segment of Fourth Avenue between Hal Greer Boulevard and 10th Street. This high-traffic area is where many students park, dine and go out on weekends. Byron Clercx, chairman of the Department of Art and Design in Marshall’s College of Fine Arts, said the university is working in collaboration with the City of Huntington and local businesses to line Fourth Avenue with Marshall-themed banners “to further the creative class branding between campus and downtown.”
“Huntington is undergoing what Malcolm Gladwell describes in his book The Tipping Point, where seemingly insurmountable obstacles begin to give way to the power of positive thinking and persistent actions,” Clercx said.
Holley added that a strong connection between Marshall and downtown is vitally important and contributes to the enhancement of both the university and the Huntington community.
“We’re joined at the hip, so we should do what we can to encourage each other,” he said. “The goal of this project is to erase the line between campus and downtown.”
The Tri-State Transit Authority (TTA) has served as the transportation connector for Huntington since 1972. In 2004, in conjunction with the opening of Pullman Square, TTA initiated a complimentary shuttle service to travel from Marshall to Pullman Square every 20 minutes. The shuttle runs from noon until 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and is one of the most popular routes in the TTA system.
“The shuttle provides a vital link between Marshall and Pullman Square,” said Paul Davis, general manager of TTA. “Many employees in Pullman Square are Marshall students as well, so we provide them with a very helpful way to get to work from classes and vice versa.”
Marshall’s College of Fine Arts also has several new projects underway in the downtown area that are encouraging a mutual appreciation between students and their surrounding community. Huntington art lovers can visit the aptly named Gallery 842, located at 842 Fourth Ave., to admire and purchase the work of local artists. The gallery is free to the public and is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Students and part-time faculty from the College of Fine Arts display their work and staff the gallery under the supervision of John Farley, who is also the director of Marshall’s Birke Art Gallery.
Jaye Ike, special projects coordinator for the College of Fine Arts, said Gallery 842 is beneficial to both students and the general public. Local art aficionados now have access to an art gallery close to home, and the artists themselves have a venue to display their work in a nonacademic setting.
“It’s a great opportunity for art students at Marshall to display their work for the public to view,” she says. “Here you have a place where you can support the creative scene in your hometown. It’s an avenue for the public to meet artists.”
The idea for Gallery 842 was spawned from a Create Huntington Chat ’n Chew session. Lynn Clercx, local realtor and wife of Byron Clercx, guided the idea. The couple worked with community artists to integrate Marshall students into the project and expand its role and reach. Gallery 842 is a collaboration between Liza Caldwell of Dingess Rum Properties, Marshall University and the Huntington community. According to Ike, the opening of Gallery 842 is another sign of the revitalization of the downtown area and is a positive contribution to the community’s renewal efforts.
“Gallery 842 has an opportunity to bring art to the community,” she said. “It’s the kind of venue that encourages creative thinking – the kind of energy that could help fuel revitalization.”
Another downtown project of the College of Fine Arts is the recent purchase of the Stone & Thomas building located on Third Avenue. This building will eventually house the College of Fine Arts visual arts program, with the exception of sculpture and ceramics. According to College of Fine Arts Dean Donald Van Horn, moving the visual arts program to the new building will allow the program to recruit more students.
“Previously, we have had to cut back on recruiting due to lack of space,” he said. “Now that we will not be space-bound, we will have the opportunity to grow to our full potential.”
As for the building itself, it has several advantages.
“It was already an existing building, it was very affordable per square foot provided and it was in a central location that would allow the university to reach out to the downtown area and partner with the community to further the renaissance that downtown is experiencing,” said Van Horn. “The space will be an arts incubator, and the arts enrich any community.”
Byron Clercx said he agrees with Van Horn that the relocation of the visual arts program gives Marshall an opportunity to become an even more positive influence in the community.
“This progressive move affirms Marshall’s commitment to the visual arts and downtown Huntington,” Clercx said, “and it complements the positive steps the city has taken to create vibrant and safe public spaces that promote tourism and stimulate economic and cultural growth.”
The Marshall University Research Corporation (MURC) and the Center for Environmental, Geotechnical & Applied Sciences (CEGAS) are two programs of Marshall that have brought national and international interest to Huntington.
Established in 1987, the main duty of MURC is to administer grants and contracted activities on behalf of the university. MURC helps professors find and apply for grants, and it oversees compliance activities, such as guidelines for human research and conflicts of interest.
“We commercialize research, which then allows us to form spin-off companies, such as Vandalia Research,” said John Maher, Ph.D., executive director of MURC.
“We also obtain early financing for investors, which allows the companies to grow and develop. This attracts employers to the area, bringing more jobs and improving the quality of life.”
MURC has brought in $57 million in grant and contract activity to the Huntington area. These grants bring research activity to the area, which leads to both increased job opportunities and increased spending at local businesses. The Robert C. Byrd Institute, Rahall Transportation Institute, Scientific Enterprise, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and CEGAS are all components of MURC. Maher said a relationship between Marshall and Huntington is a powerful force throughout the region.
“You can’t disconnect the university from the town in which it resides,” he said. “Marshall brings a lot to Huntington and vice versa.”
CEGAS was established in 1993 to assist businesses, higher education institutions and government agencies with technological endeavors. CEGAS provides services in several areas, including geographic information systems, environmental management, environmental engineering and information technology.
A current project for CEGAS garnering attention is the Southern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, which was founded in 2005. Serving 22 counties in central and southern West Virginia, the center converts “brownfields,” which are sites with possible environmental contamination, into land suited for redevelopment and use.
“Brownfields create jobs,” said George Carico, coordinator for the Southern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center. “They reuse existing utilities and infrastructure, which reduces site development costs. When we transfer blighted properties into productive use, we revitalize the community and create and preserve greenspace.”
Another component of CEGAS that has received recent accolades is the Virtual Interactive Simulation Environment (VISE). Initially developed as a technological component of the EDA-sponsored project titled “Mine Safety Technology Innovation Capability and Regional Business Development for the U.S. Mining Industry,” VISE now provides services to Marshall students and faculty in the area of 3-D visualization for purposes such as training, simulation, conferencing, social networking and the arts. VISE also welcomes inquiries from regional businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies; in fact, a group of 25 mine safety specialists from China – including engineers, researchers and administrators – visited the VISE laboratory in October to participate in a demonstration involving mine rescue training.
“Our innovative technologies make our area seem more attractive, which will cause an interest from companies and the creation of jobs,” said Teresa Buckland, manager of development and operations for CEGAS.
Marshall provides downtown with numerous economic and community enrichment opportunities. Downtown provides Marshall with a home and room to grow. The connection between the two is strong, as well as crucial; and as downtown experiences its revitalization, Marshall is there not only as a supporter, but also as a partner.
