At their Oct. 3 annual meeting, DDI’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to transfer the organization’s 501(c)(3) status to the DCIC. The move has been in the works for a while. Over the last six months, DDI and the town have conducted a series of meetings to determine the best way for the organization to move forward to represent the growing business needs of the community.

Drew Crawford, DDI’s president, said the organization’s members (historically comprised of
downtown merchants but open to all business owners in Davidson, including the Circles@30 and South Main) are looking forward to their new partnership with the town.

“This (new organization) is a space to have the conversations needed to continue making
Davidson a great place to live and do business,” he said.

The newly-formed DCIC will be based on the four-point approach of the N.C. Main Street
Program and will have four committees: Advisory, Marketing, Design and Economic
Development. The DDI Board of Directors approved outgoing town commissioner Margo
Williams as chairperson of the Advisory Committee and the following initial members: David
Stewart, Craig Lewis, Vicki Blaney, Ed Kania and Kathleen Rose. The Advisory Committee will
also be comprised of civic leaders in other functional areas such as finance, real estate
development and business, as well as representatives from regional partners such as the Lake Norman Economic Development Corporation and Visit Lake Norman.

DCIC’s newly-acquired 501(c)(3) status will allow the organization more flexibility with
fundraising and will afford it the option of pursuing a broader range of grant opportunities.

Davidson Mayor John Woods said earlier this week that he’s excited about the new partnership between the town and DDI. “The formation of the DCIC shows just how dedicated both DDI and the town are to supporting the town’s entrepreneurs and to fostering a spirit of innovative economic development in Davidson,” he said. “I see great things ahead for this partnership.”

Commissioner Williams said Tuesday that the DCIC is a promising collaboration. “This is a
natural evolution of our exploration of ways to support our downtown and our other commercial areas,” she said. “The most exciting thing about it is the support that’s coming from the people who have long been involved in supporting downtown and from our business owners, new and established. If we work together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”