GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Two downtown Green Bay leaders have the same mission. Learn more about their stories and passion for the city that's building a new downtown.
- Video shows downtown Green Bay history, present, and future projects on the short-term horizon.
- Jeff Mirkes and Brian Johnson have two different backgrounds but on the same mission to build Green Bay's downtown.
- Mirkes is the Executive Director of Downtown Green Bay Inc. and Olde Main Street Inc.
- Johnson is the Executive Director of On Broadway Inc. and serves as the city council president.
- Both credit their respect team members of the area's growth and future with a number of upcoming projects.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Downtown Green Bay is an area some could say lives in the shadows of Lambeau Field and the stadium district, but two leaders and the teams they lead are finding ways to rewrite that narrative.
"If we want a great city, we need to have a great downtown," Jeff Mirkes of Downtown Green Bay Inc. and Olde Main St. Inc., said.
Jeff Mirkes and Brian Johnson's (On Broadway Inc.) stories begin outside Titletown.
"I was born and raised in Door County, so growing up Green Bay was a big city to me," Mirkes said.
After attending Carrol University in Waukesha, Mirkes moved back up north, this time to Green Bay.
"I worked as a banker for about 15 years and I was looking for something different," Mirkes said.
Brian Johnson was born and raised in Manitowoc. After going to school in Madison, he, too, returned to Northeast Wisconsin.
"I owned a small business for seven years, and then landed a job at the Greater Green Bay Chamber," Johnson said.
Mirkes is currently the Executive Director of Downtown Green Bay Inc. and Olde Main Street Inc. and Johnson is the executive director of On Broadway Inc.
"I always like to find things that have opportunity in my career and what are the things that you can come in and make a big difference," Johnson said.
On Broadway, Downtown Green Bay, and Olde Main Street Inc. make up the downtown district.
Video shows Mirkes showing me a before-and-after picture of downtown Green Bay from the top of the Bellin building. The picture illustrates a sea of parking lots.
Mirkes says the City Deck's construction was a huge catalyst for downtown development and business.
"There has been about $250 million worth of development because the city built the City Deck and opened it in 2009," Mirkes said.
Video shows Mirkes sharing old photos of the Meyer Theatre and backstage at the Meyer Theatre.
"I was just so impressed that the designers and the contractors were able to take this very unappealing picture and turn it into a gem attached to the Meyer Theatre," Mirkes said.
In addition to leading On Broadway, Johnson serves as the president of City Council, a role he says that allows him to have even more community impact.
"It's really important to us that we hear from our business owners, from the folks that live in our community, from elected leaders, to community leaders that serve in different capacities," Johnson said.
Mirkes and Johnson, of course, are not doing it alone. Both lead what they call "small, but mighty" teams.
Right now, On Broadway Inc. is working on projects like The Shipyard and the Green Bay Public Market and by 2025, Mirkes and his team anticipate an eight story luxury apartment building at the corner of Adams St. and Cherry St.
"We needed to motivate change," Mirkes said. "People expect change, people expect progress."
"We want to make sure we put our best foot forward in our downtown community," Johnson said. "To make sure that when people leave Green Bay they can say 'Hey, that was a really special place."'
With the 2025 NFL Draft coming to Green Bay, events are being planned out to be held here in downtown.
A lot of development projects are draft-urgent, but both Mirkes and Johnson say they plan to continue to elevate the area beyond 2025 for years to come.
