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

Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement reception. April 26 at iHotel.

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 rural 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 and innovative perspective to propel the CCP forward.

Xander has called Champaign home since 2014 with his too-many-to-count houseplants and exotic pets. He enjoys the night life and entertainment that the city has to offer. For instance, you may encounter him in a beer garden downtown or collecting insects in the natural areas throughout east central Illinois.

Emma&Cap

EMMA HENSS, MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR 
coordinator@champaigncenter.com
217-352-2400

Emma Henss joined the Champaign Center Partnership in June, 2020, as the Marketing and Event Coordinator. While she’s new to the nonprofit world, she has years of work experience that have prepared her perfectly to plan events and marketing campaigns for Downtown, Campustown, and Midtown businesses. Emma completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL, where she studied graphic design and fine arts.

Growing up in Champaign, Emma is considered a “townie” and is well connected with the community. She is thrilled to be working with the businesses she has frequented over the years and excited to get to know new business owners. 

Emma lives in town with her large-breed, yellow Labrador Retriever, Captain, who loves to play in the water and lie in the sun. She enjoys hiking and exploring the National Parks as well as spending time with her family and friends. In her down time, Emma continues to develop as an artist, further exploring the mediums of paint and print.

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

Kelly White - VICE CHAIR

40 NORTH
AT-LARGE
Kelly joined the Champaign Center Partnership Board in July 2015 and is currently serving her second term. Kelly is the Executive Director of 40 North, the Champaign County arts council which coordinates the popular Friday Night Live free street-side performance series in Downtown during the summer and Boneyard Arts Festival, a four-day event that brings together local artists, businesses, and organizations showcasing the art of Champaign County each spring. Kelly previously managed the Verde Gallery in Downtown Champaign and was the Assistant Museum Curator and Collections Manager for the SCAD Museum of Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she received her MFA and MA in Painting and Art History. Kelly is also an Art History instructor at Parkland College.

Kelly White01
Kelly White- 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

Lauren Gramly

LaurenGramly
Lauren Gramly

ERIC CAIN

FLATLAND TATTOO STUDIO
MIDTOWN

EricCain
ERIC CAIN

MITCH MARLOW

CHAMPAIGN PARK DISTRICT
APPOINTED
Mitch is the Sales & Public Relations Manager for the Champaign Park District’s Virginia Theatre and has served on the Champaign Center Partnership Board since 2015. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a B.S. in Psychology, Mitch relocated to Chicago where he worked for 22 years in music industry-related fields: concert promotion, talent purchasing, recording studio management, and music management. During that time, he served as a voting board member on the Chicago chapter of the Recording Academy, advocating for rights and services of musicians and songwriters. Mitch was delighted to return to his hometown of Champaign to find it more vibrant and vital than he left it many years ago. Mitch is active in CCP’s Marketing & Engagement Task Force and collaborates with CCP staff on Visits with Santa at the Virginia, attracting over 1,200 children and their families to Downtown in December. He is honored to serve on the CCP Board to help make the town that he loves even better and stronger.

Mitch Marlow
MITCH MARLOW

MARK DIRKSEN

THE NATE EVANS GROUP – KELLER WILLIAMS
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

VANNA PIANFETTI

CITY OF CHAMPAIGN

APPOINTED

Vanna-Pianfetti-5-21-19-Council
VANNA PIANFETTI

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

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 150 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