About

Downtown 7

ABOUT US

The Champaign Center Partnership is a membership-based business organization providing marketing and promotion opportunities for our members as well as opportunities for collaboration, education, and networking. We now offer a residential membership component, where residents can become members to receive priority access to events, exclusive deals from member businesses, and information about our districts. See our members here. Our organization includes the districts of Downtown, Campustown, and the central commercial area along University Avenue and First Street known as Midtown. These districts are collectively known as Champaign Center.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Champaign Center Partnership is to foster a vibrant, inviting, and active core Downtown, Midtown, and Campustown by strengthening business and building community.

Our vision is to create healthy and vibrant micro-urban areas for our residents and visitors through marketing, advocacy, and special events.

We encourage and educate the public to shop locally throughout the year. When you spend $100 at a locally-owned business, $68 stays in your community.

CP Wine Walk

Membership

Downtown 9

OUR HISTORY

We are a 501(c)6 organization founded in 2010 through a merger of the Champaign Downtown Association and the Campustown Business Group. The partnership between the two historic commercial centers of the community opened a new chapter in joint marketing and cooperation between the areas.

How to Join

Our Memberships

To learn more about membership benefits and how to become a member, click here. To see what our members are saying about us, click here. Read the highlights report from our FY2019 Annual Meeting Celebration here.

MEET OUR STAFF

Champaign Farmers Market Xander CCP

XANDER HAZEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
director@champaigncenter.com
217-352-2400

Alexander “Xander” Hazel joined the Champaign Center Partnership in March 2020 as Executive Director. Originally from a very rural town in Indiana, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Earlham College in Richmond, IN, and earned a master’s degree in entomology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Xander has several years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector where he has held positions as the events & engagement coordinator and eventually acting executive director at the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in Champaign, IL, secretary of the board for the Champaign Center Partnership, co-chair for the Champaign-Urbana chapter of the Emerging Museum Professionals, and stewards council co-chair for the Graduate Employees’ Organization AFT/IFT 6300. He is excited to bring a fresh, data-driven perspective to propel the CCP forward.

Xander has called Champaign home since 2014. He lives in downtown with his too-many-to-count houseplants and pets. He enjoys the diverse cultures and entertainment that the Champaign community has to offer. For instance, you may encounter him enjoying drinks downtown or exploring the natural areas throughout the Midwest.

POSITION OPEN: MARKETING & DESIGN COORDINATOR 

Can you create and deploy a human-centered approach to marketing and design that tells compelling stories, promotes the community, and elevates CCP brand identity? First and foremost, we are looking for a creative graphic designer who can extend design and systems thinking to event planning and marketing.

Join our small, strategic team! Please submit a resume, graphic design or illustration sample, and writing sample to search@champaigncenter.com

Review job description by clicking here!

MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Erik Riha- Chair

ILLINI UNION
CAMPUSTOWN
Erik has been with the University of Illinois since 2006. He started at Campus Recreation as the Lead Assistant Director of Marketing, and has been at the Illini Union for the past four years serving as Marketing Director. He leads the eight-person Union marketing team to manage marketing and communications for the unit’s 16 program and retail operations. Prior to coming to Champaign, he was the Publications Coordinator for Recreational Sports at The Ohio State University, where he received his M.A. in Sport and Exercise Management. Erik joined the CCP Board in 2017 and chaired the 13 Thursdays committee to promote Campustown businesses. He also served as a panelist at CCP’s Speed Marketing session and as a team lead volunteer at the Parade of Lights.

ErikPhoto
Erik Riha - President

MARK DIRKSEN

THE NATE EVANS GROUP – EXP REALTY
AT-LARGE
Mark’s four careers run from Organist/Choirmaster to Real Estate broker, with stops along the way as Business Manager for John Paul Buzard Organbuilders in Champaign and a non-profit executive/board member for academic, ecclesiastic, and Realtor institutions on the East Coast. He loves all things urban and has been energized to see the resurgence and growth of Downtown, Midtown, and Campustown. Mark was elected to the Board of Directors in July 2019. A member of CCP’s Marketing & Engagement Task Force, he is honored to bring his financial and marketing skills to the Board’s work and to support the widening mission of the Partnership in the Champaign community.

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Mark Dirksen - VICE CHAIR

Tammy Brewer- SECRETARY

TOWNEPLACE SUITES BY MARRIOTT
CAMPUSTOWN
Tammy was elected to the Champaign Center Partnership Board in 2019, representing Campustown. Tammy has been the General Manager of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott at 603 S. Sixth Street since 2016. Over the past 17 years, Tammy has had the pleasure of meeting incredible people through her work at various Marriott hotels including Residence Inn, Field Inn, TownePlace Suites, and more throughout the Central Illinois area.

Tammy is passionate about her work in the hospitality industry and enjoys thinking outside the box and going above and beyond whenever she has the chance. She looks forward to bringing her plethora of skills to CCP’s board to support the community and business members throughout the Champaign area while forging new connections in the Campustown district.

TammyBrewer
Tammy Brewer - SECRETARY

Nathan Lilly - TREASURER

JSM
CAMPUSTOWN
Nathan Lilly serves as JSM’s Director of Commercial Real Estate where he leads JSM’s investment and acquisition activities and manages the commercial real estate portfolio. In addition, Nathan serves as the managing partner of Lilly Capital which is a small private equity and real estate investment firm specializing in industrial and alternative assets. Nathan has been a long time contributor to the Champaign community previously serving as the Associate Director of Finance & Administration for the University of Illinois Willard Airport. Nathan is an alumni from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration through the University of Illinois. Nathan was born and raised in central Illinois where he and his wife raise two little girls.

Nathan Lilly
Nathan Lilly - TREASURER

Adrian Astorina

LIVE ACTION GAMES - DOWNTOWN

Adrian Astorina is a guy who likes video games.  Although new to the board, most of his work background been spent in Champaign-Urbana small businesses, as an employee or manager.  In 2012, he founded Live Action Games, a retro and modern video game store.  Adrian is very much invested in the future of Champaign, and is an active mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, in addition to living and working downtown.  

Adrian Astorina
Adrian Astorina

ERIC CAIN

FLATLAND TATTOO STUDIO
CAMPUSTOWN

EricCain
ERIC CAIN

Laurie Coward

Busey Bank

Laurie Coward is Senior Vice President & Small Business Banker for Busey Bank, a subsidiary of First Busey Corporation.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University in Bloomington, Laurie began her career in banking in 2002. A decade later, Laurie joined Busey as a Commercial Lender later transitioning to such roles as Retail Market Lending Development Manager and Small Business Banking Manager before assuming her current role. With an understanding of the unique challenges and circumstances small businesses face, Laurie supports and helps entrepreneurs grow their business forward.

Laurie and her husband are raising two children, a girl and a boy, in Mahomet, IL. They have resided in Mahomet since 2012.

LaurieCoward2
LAURIE COWARD

Lauren Gramly

LaurenGramly
LAUREN GRAMLY

DANNY INIGUEZ

CITY OF CHAMPAIGN

APPOINTED

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DANNY INIGUEZ

MICKIE PHETCHAREUNE

STICKY RICE

DOWNTOWN

Untitled design
MICKIE PHETCHAREUNE

RACHEL VOSS

CHAMPAIGN PARK DISTRICT
APPOINTED

Rachel Voss is a nerd that loves C-U! Originally from Southern Illinois, Rachel moved here in 2009 to attend the University of Illinois as a Wheelchair Basketball athlete. After college, she couldn't think of a better place to be than C-U! 12 years later, she is now focused on helping Champaign grow as the Marketing Coordinator for the Champaign Park District. If you can't catch her in the parks, you will find her creating disability representation in TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons.
Rachel Voss Champaign Park District
RACHEL VOSS

Contact

Champaign Center Partnership
301 N. Neil St. Suite 400
Champaign, IL 61820
217-352-2400
info@champaigncenter.com

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Champaign Center Partnership is a 501(c)6, membership-based, nonprofit organization representing over 130 businesses, organizations, and individuals concentrated in Champaign’s Central Business District Downtown, Midtown, and Campustown.

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Champaign Center Partnership
301 N. Neil Street, Suite 400
Champaign IL, 61820

217-352-2400
info@champaigncenter.com