By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
The City of Woodruff will be recruiting for a new community and economic development manager as Alyson Smith will move on to take a position with the City of Greenville after ten years in Woodruff.
“Alyson has been a valuable part of the staff for the City of Woodruff,” said City Manager Lee Bailey. “She has been with us through the bad times and now when the city is flourishing. I want to wish her the best in her career path and personal life.”
Smith started her journey with Woodruff as an intern while finishing her master’s degree in city planning at Clemson University. She was excited to transition to full-time, working as the Main Street program director and coordinator for festivals and events in town.
As she progressed to community and economic development director, Smith was able to feed her passion for city planning.
“My passion has always been in working with downtown investors. I enjoy walking them along Main Street and connecting them with property owners to find a location for their prospective business,” she said. “It is inspiring to talk with them about their vision and see the process unfold.”
Smith has seen those visions often unfold in the past several years as Woodruff has seen a great deal of development – both downtown businesses and in the surrounding areas with housing developments.
She has also seen success in the event planning portion of her work at the city. Several events have grown and succeeded in the city, from concerts to events and weekly music downtown.
“The summer concert series and Halloween on Main have been a great success for both citizens and businesses in the downtown area,” Bailey said. “Alyson was the leader in planning those events.”
Smith said she is especially proud to have played a part in Woodruff’s growth.
“With the support of our Mayor, Council, and city staff, I’d say that the biggest recent accomplishment has been drawing so much interest from investors and developers to Woodruff,” she said. “Before long, Woodruff residents will have everything we need here in town without having to drive to Spartanburg or Greenville.”
Smith will join the City of Greenville as a senior development planner working with their design review board, focusing primarily on proposed developments in the historic preservation district. Her last day with Woodruff will be at the Dirty Grass Soul concert on July 15.
Smith said she looks forward to continuing to be a part of the Woodruff community.
“My family and I will continue to live here in Woodruff and support all of the local businesses and events,” she said. “We love it here!”
Bailey said the City is recruiting for Smith’s replacement and hopes to have the new person on board as soon as possible.
Author: Tracy Sanders
