David Bobanick, Executive Director of Harvest Against Hunger (HAH), has nearly three decades of experience in non-profit executive management. Since David joined in 2001, the organization has significantly expanded its impact at the local, national and international levels, resulting in the delivery of nearly half a billion healthy servings of produce for those in need.
David has led the creation and development of the national Harvest VISTA program, as well as innovative and award-winning programs focusing on shortening the connections from Farm to Community. In addition, David and the HAH team continue to build and scale nationally-recognized programs with partners like the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps, USDA, WSDA, Washington State University, the University of Washington and other partners to enhance food systems in communities across the United States.
David has a degree in communications from Penn State University and has studied at the Non-Profit Executive Leadership Institute at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, as well as the Non-Profit Management Institute at Stanford University. David was also recently named a “Food Waste Innovator” by ReFED, and currently serves as a board officer for four local, statewide, and regional non-profit organizations.
A Seattle native, Erin Goodman has led the SODO BIA for six years. With a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina, Erin has worked in non-profit administration for over 20 years, with an emphasis on organizational development and good governance. A strong supporter of business, she previously led the U District Partnership and the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce. Erin is committed to being an ardent advocate for SODO businesses and assisting them in developing a vibrant business district in SODO that is Safe, Clean and Moving.
For much of its life, people weren’t even sure what to call the four square miles or so of filled-in tidal flats-turned-industrial heart of Seattle. For years, until a marketing campaign promoted the name SoDo (as in “south of the dome”), the area made do with the generic descriptor of “the industrial area.”
SODO has been a mishmash ever since someone got the idea of filling in those tidal lands: rail yards and sawmills, meat packers and metal shops, a seaport, warehouses, a huge Hooverville during the Depression, the first Costco store, a giant Sears store and distribution center that later became Starbucks’ headquarters, and sports stadiums.
Today. SODO is a vibrant and diverse business district with a strong industrial presence intermixed with retail, office and service businesses. SODO is also home to a burgeoning entertainment and nightlife scene, with bars, restaurants, clubs and event spaces opening up across the district.
A Business Improvement Area (BIA) provides a mechanism for property owners and business to collectively obtain the improvements they want to see in their district. The SODO BIA was created under the auspices of the City of Seattle in 2014. The mission of the SODO BIA is to Advocate for a Safe, Clean and Moving SODO, for the benefit of property owners, businesses, tenants, employees and patrons of the SODO district.
What is a BIA? Authorized by state. Neighborhood can come together and tax themselves for service. Example holiday lights, hanging baskets. However, BIA now goes beyond like it is a small city. Includes street cleaning.
SODO needs more than flower boxes. Bigger issues. Advocate for safe clean and moving SODO. If there was no homelessness, transportation would be biggest issue. Unpaved streets are a problem and SODO BIA paved some. Crumbling infrastructure also a problem. Work with port of Seattle.
Safety and cleaning. SODO started 2014. Business can be back from street. Different operating hours. Needed to build biz community. Lots of debris from construction. BIA does every other week street sweeping. Sidewalk cleaning. SODO a large area. 1200 diverse businesses including manufacturing, cannabis, commercial kitchens, construction supplies, automotive, auto detailing and repair, nightlife. Needs are similar despite this diversity.
Issue significant growth in homeless population. Bizzes have to pick up needles and human waste. Classes on how to safely pick up needles.
Sodo has off duty contract with SPD. Sodo has rising crime. Homelessness is a symptom from domestic violence, PTSD, etc. Need to help people with mental health issues and substance abuse.
Much political bickering about city budget. City charter amendments works around this. Goal that no one had to live outdoors. Not everyone needs permanent housing support. The mats on the floor does not help people and is not always safe. It forces people to be on the street during the day.
False dichotomy between compassion and clean streets.
We need non law enforcement to deal with mental health issues.
City not organized and not supervising service providers City not supporting accelerated housing. Organizations need to work together.
There are 9 BIA in Seattle. They all met in 2018 to talk about issues of garbage, needles. Small group of people were crime perpetrators. Lots of talk but not much action. Problem of black and brown water caused by large RV presence.
We need to figure out land use Issue between Industrial land use and other development such as retail and housing.
Also, we are not jailing people due to COVID. So, the choice of jail vs treatment no longer exists.
Thanks to Club Members Dan Byrne for arranging this program and to Merrill Mayer for providing notes.
