Judi Elvington -- Imagination, Execution & Service

Judi Elvington officially retired from her position as Executive Director of the Hartsville Downtown Development Association as we began this new year. She served in her job for 19 years and during her time we saw some great things happen to downtown Hartsville. She was in her job as the downtown was totally revisioned. She worked hard to make many of those things happen and was an active member of the team that helped Hartsville win the All America City designation in 1996. Judi provided years of service that were filled with really good ideas and strong execution and to this day we talk about the importance of downtown to the GROWTH of this community. Here is a blurb about the retirement party that was held for Judi on Thursday evening from the "Our Hartsville" (Jana Longfellow) write up:

Our Hartsville
Hartsville Downtown Development Association honored Judi Elvington tonight(Thursday, January 14) at BCAC for her 19 years of service to the downtown businesses, and the community at large.

Several presentations were made, including the South Carolina Downtown Development Association, The City of Hartsville, and the HDDA Board of Directors.

The following article published in November highlights her career and the awards she helped to win in Hartsville.

http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/article/elvington_to_retire_in_december/87985/
Location: Black Creek Arts Center 116 W. College Avenue, Hartsville



Judi is one of many people who the community has called on to lead our community. One of the strengths of this city is the willingness of many people to step out and accept the challenges of change and growth for our small, cosmopolitan city. We need these leaders.

Leasdership is a key to community building

This summer I have run across a few books and articles on leadership that have been enlightening and there have been other phone conferences and blogs that have continued to underline LEADERSHIP as a crucial element to community building.

The first-year anniversary of the GoodLiving Marketplace will be celebrated in Hartsville in the next few weeks. Nancy Myers was looking for a way to make a difference and combined her thoughts with Judi Elvington, who is director of Hartsville Downtown Development, and the Saturday morning, monthly marketplace has been a great success. Nancy's leadership and an individual effort, motivated from her desire to make a difference and her willingness to take on the job. When you talk with her she will mention others who were instrumental but without her vision and willingness to take on the project it would still be, at best, a dream.

As this is written the people who have organized HARTSVILLEIDOL are doing auditions at Black Creek Arts Council. Believe this is the third week and the finalists from this afternoon will compete tonight for the chance to be among the finalists for the HartsvilleIdol designation. The word is the competition is stiff with lots of talent coming out to be part of this event. Again, individuals had an idea, they shared the idea and got the right push and this is another event making Hartsville a special place. Leadership is the crucial ingredient.

One of the authors I have read this summer is Ken Blanchard, who has made a career of leadership study and training. He has a book, written with Mark Miller, that he calls THE SECRET - WHAT GREAT LEADERS KNOW -- AND DO. A major element of that secret is summed up in the acronym - SERVE. If interested you will find it a quick nugget-filled read. SERVE stands for 'See the future;' 'Engage and Develop Others;' 'Reinvent Continuously;'Value Results and Relationships; 'Embody the Values.'

The leadership needed to help build community is most often of the "Servant Leadership" variety.

Some exciting discussions in Hartsville

Generally, mayor and city council positions do not generate a great deal of discussion. Someone might say, "I wonder who is going to run?" but then the discussion usually trails off to sports, food or something else. Since it was announced that Mayor Holt is going to be a Family Court judge and not in the running for Mayor, there has been a noticeable increase in discussion about who might be interested in becoming the next mayor.

From a community building, community thinking point of view that is a great discussion to be hearing. Hartsville is (and maybe has been) in a precarious position as a community. Like all municipalities there is a severe pressure on city finances with a budget that is not keeping up with expectations. Unlike ALL municipalities, Hartsville is and has been declining in population, which is not a healthy trend. Also unlike some municipalities there is a significant number of people within the city who have a vision of making Hartsville one of the best places anywhere in which to live. There is that group, many of whom have worked hard for years helping to make things happen, who believe Hartsville offers "something" as a community they do not see or hear about in lots of other communities. So, it is with more than a little excitement that I view these discussions about who might want to run for Mayor.

One of the most exciting parts of the discussion are the names of younger citizens that are emerging from this discussion. Some have been involved in working on committees and working with organizations like the Chamber and Downtown Development to help make the city better and now want to get more deeply involved. Some are newer to the idea of politics but have the feeling they can be among those who can make a difference. There is also discussion about others who have worked hard inside the city for much of their career who now know they can put that experience to use in moving the city forward. The whole idea of people having a vision for this great community we call Hartsville is exciting. The comprehensive plan that was adopted months ago supplies one of the few visions for Hartsville that has been articulated. It will be great hearing from those considering running for Mayor what they see for our community. It will be interesting hearing the growth philosophies or what we call in the grant making business "theories of change" that the people thinking of running for Mayor will be identifying. One thing I discuss, maybe ad nauseum in my observations of Hartsville, is a quote from a former boss and former Chairman of Sonoco -- "When you stop getting better, you stop being good." We have to find ways to continue moving forward, even in times of tough budgets.

We need to find ways to get people to buy into the vision of a forward-looking community that will be inclusive as we strive to become a 21st century living community that has people waiting in line for the opportunity of living and raising famlies in this community. We identify this community as "Hartsville - The Art of Good Living" and we call on residents and visitors alike to "Expect Pleasant Surprises." We need leaders who will continue to work to bring together all of the community capital with which we are blessed to make Hartsville one of the best places in the world in which to live. For some it is now -- but not for everyone.

Filing for the next city election is not until August but it sure feels good to hear the energizing discussion taking place already.

Hartsville Good Living Marketplace

March 7 could not have been more beautiful in downtown Hartsville and both Judi Elvington, director of Hartsville Downtown Development and Nancy Myers, whose idea turned into the Good Living Marketplace, were delighted with the day. From the looks of the smiles on faces of people saying hello to people, everyone was delighted with the day's events. And the fun displayed by these children with the bubbles sort of encapsulates the idea of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living.

We all need to remember that events like the good living marketplace and the community concert last week that featured the Dorsey Orchestra, and the baseball tourney coming to Hartsville, and Renofest, and Taste of Hartsville, and the Black Creek Arts Council exhibits and so much more don't just happen. They are executed by people who work to build this community in so many ways.

Pretty weekend predicted

Building community takes involvement. And, sometimes that involvement is just plain fun. Like this Saturday morning and early afternoon at the Good Living Marketplace in downtown Hartsville. Lots of vendors, lots of art and lots of big smiles and friendly faces.

And, remember tomorrow night is when the clocks go forward -- SPRING forwarddddddd and there is an extra hour or more of daytime.

That is a good excuse to remind yourself it is nearly real Spring and you could go out to the Tom J. New Coker College baseball field and watch some college baseball. Clarion University is in from Pennsylvania and they will be trying to wrest a game from the Cobras of Coker College, who took two today with a lot of hitting.

When you are at the good living marketplace remember to go over one block to Carolina Ave and check out some of the unique stock in our retail establishments. In this time of slow economics, it is more important than ever to show at home first.

Support your community by being involved. When you are walking around the Good Living Marketplace notice how people find things that are meaningful and make things happen -- like the Humane Society who will be showing pets, and people representing their churches and artists representing some of their work. Visit and see why we say Hartsville, the Art of Good Living.

So, what is a community to do?

The Selling Hartsville initiative is alive and well in Hartsville, SC. Jana Longfellow is the Chamber employee with the single focus of finding ways to push the concept of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living.

So, what does it mean to push the concept?
1 -- A primary audience for Selling Hartsville is those who live within the territory that when asked, they say "I'm from Hartsville." We need people who are "from Hartsville" to think of Hartsville first when buying -- when buying anything. We need the sales tax receipts in this town. We need the hospitality taxes from eating out in this town. Those who have invested in businesses in Hartsville need Hartsvillians to help them succeed by stopping by to see if they have what you need. for example, did you know that Alexanders now is a combined mens' and womens' clothing store? What is a community to do? The first thing is to look in Hartsville first and support fellow community members.

2 -- The companion slogan, logo-mark for Hartsville- The Art of Good Living is to 'Expect Pleasant Surprises.' This is being written on Saturday, February 6, 2009 and there is a Love is in the Air Good Living Marketplace that people are setting up for right this minute. Pushing the concept of Selling Hartsville is to find the trigger points that will help reach more Hartsvillians and get them to choose spending some of their free time with neighbors and friends at events like the Marketplace, like the fantastic Hartsville/Coker Community Concert held last Tuesday, like the Hartsville Community Players dinner theater, like the Black Creek Arts Council events and classes. And, so many, many more pleasant surprises.

What is a pleasant surprise?
A -- People may or may not realize that the South Carolina Governor's School for Math and Science is located in Hartsville. Today the Governor's School seniors are presenting their summer research projects in a GSSM colloquium. As it turns out, there is not another community in South Carolina that has a research colloquium of high school-age students. Surprised?

B -- What is another type of surprise? There is college basketball, both men and women at the Coker College gym this afternoon.

C -- What else? Have you visited the Hartsville YMCA. It is one of the best YMCA's that many people ever visit. It is one of the melding organizations of Hartsville.

D -- If you are Hartsvillian, I am hoping that you are already thinking of your own pleasant surprises and that you might add as a comment to this posting.

While Jana is focusing on the marketing of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living and just spent two days working with others to help enrich web sites, there is still a strong group of people working on parts of the product that need work.

Those in community building always hear that it is the quality of education in a community that draws people. The task force for Selling Hartsville heard a few days ago from Dr. Charlie Burry, principal of Hartsville High. He distributed some of the numbers that show Hartsville High competing favorably with schools around us in the Pee Dee. For some reason, many people want to spend more time telling of the bad stories they hear from the schools instead of the good stories. Teachers everywhere are working hard and making a significant difference in the lives and education of children. But, one of the things our task force is doing is working with the schools to both tell some of the positive stories and join forces to make the school programs even better.

We also know that in Hartsville we have some housing problems. One of those problems is not enough housing for younger professionals. We also have a severe problem in this community of former residences that are literally falling in on themselves. Despite the deplorable condition, the buildings remain in the neighborhoods. We hear the problem is extremely complicated to solve. The problem needs to be solved.

And, like the rest of the world, Hartsville is being affected by the failing economy. We need more jobs. We need more jobs to entice younger people back to Hartsville. We need to work on economic development and one of the ways might be to determine the types of organizations that might flourish in an area that is 15 miles away from an interstate. What types of businesses do you think would be good for our community and what type of businesses could we help with a good work force?

As always there is a lot more that could be written but this is already too long for a blog posting. What are your thoughts about building community?

Expecting pleasant surprises ...

is something that many of us who live in Hartsville tend to take for granted. We do need to remember that the pleasant surprises that we enjoy take creative thinking, energetic execution, and determined persistence. I was reminded of that this afternoon when talking with Nancy Myers about this weekend's "Good Living Marketplace." This is an idea that Nancy surfaced and put some thought into and that the Hartsville Downtown Development Association led by Judi Elvington helped bring to fruition a few months ago.

On Sautrday, February 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the middle of Cargill Way and adjacent to Burry Park in downtown Hartsville all will be able to enjoy the February Community Good Living Marketplace with the theme, "Love is in the air!"

Here's hoping that a lot of people put this on the calendar to share some of the good living friendship that is so imbedded into the character of Hartsville. This is a great time to say hello to old friends and make new friends in the middle of artists, bakers, farmers, crafters, neighbors and visitors. And, when you visit make sure you give a big thank you to Nancy and Judi for continuing to build and expand the Good Living Marketplace. It is people like them who give Hartsville- The Art of Good Living its substance.

What do you mean, Selling Hartsville?

Change Happens!

There are many people in the community development calling that talk about the difficulty of making change happen in a community but if they were more careful with their semantics, you would quickly understand they are talking about the difficulty of getting people to do things differently, move in positive directions and making change work for you, instead of against you. Change happens! The role of community builders is to Make Change Happen – that is often very difficult. Jeanne Robertson, a motivational speaker from North Carolina used to use a line in some of her talks about how many of us feel about change. She said, “Change doesn’t happen until the pain of Change is less than the pain of staying the same.” Think about that…

The Student Business organization at Coker had some shirts printed with a quote from Walt Whitman, “Change favors the prepared mind.” That is an excellent quote for students coming from a dynamic liberal arts college. I think with a little tweaking, it is an excellent quote for the reason behind the Selling Hartsville initiative. The tweaking – ‘Change favors the prepared community.’ If we want Hartsville to be a thriving community in another 10, 20 or 30 years we have to continue laying the foundation now. The best time to change is when you are in a position of strength and you can determine the direction of change. One of the worst times to begin managing change is when the change has control and you are just there for the ride. It would be my assessment that in Hartsville, we are in a good time for change. There are lots of positive things happening on which we can build. (For purposes of length, I will let you think of them. They are many.)

There are also alarms that have been providing some wake up calls. Some of the alarms are clanging, some just sort of nagging noises. A clanging alarm came the summer of 2007 when Harris DeLoach, CEO of Sonoco, told the July All-Chamber Lunch Meeting the number of Sonoco employees who moved their families to places other than Hartsville when they got Sonoco jobs. The income of those more than 100 families is being spent in places other than Hartsville. Recently, because of economic downturns, the Hartsville City Manager has been warning council that less money is available for city projects and that this could significantly affect implementation of the Comprehensive update of the city plan. Not too long ago updated census figures showed Hartsville had lost in-city population. In the past couple of weeks the Darlington County School District’s Human Resource department noted that new teachers do not have much to choose from in affordable housing in the County.

The Selling Hartsville initiative that is underway, which is going under the slogan/logo of “Hartsville, The Art of Good Living,” is one initiative aimed at building on the strengths of our unique community so that we can entice more people here to live, to shop, to play so that the vision that leads the updated 20/20 comprehensive plan is a reality in the next 12 years.

Selling Hartsville Task Force Talks Launch

The combined Selling Hartsville Task Force met at the Hartsville Library on Wednesday, August 6 and talked a lot about the coming public launch of "Hartsville, The Art of Good Living." The launch is set for Thursday, October 2 and will be centered in downtown Hartsville.

October 2 is the first Thursday of October. That date is when the Hartsville Downtown Development Association has their regular late night opening, "Alive after Five." Why this date? It turns out the first weekend of October is one of those times, that are generally quite common in Hartsville, where there is a great deal going on. What?
1 -- Alive after Five
2 -- Coker College Homecoming
3 -- Jazzfest
4 -- Battle of the Bands
5 -- Black Creek Arts has an event

And, without question I have probably left off some other major things that are happening that weekend. One reason the logo/slogan "Hartsville, The Art of Good Living," made so much sense was that something is going on all the time. The somethings may not be for everyone but in a month or two you find that there is something happening for almost everyone's taste. Lots of these events are often discussed in THE HARTSVILLE MESSENGER but sometimes people miss the stories.


That brings up the major reason for the launch, which is to get the word out to Hartsvillians that Hartsville is often more than most of us know. The agency that has been working with the Hartsville Task Forces noted early in their report that this city has a wealth of community resources that they initially called an "embarrassment of riches." They noted that communities throughout both Carolinas would be in envy for the wide variety of visitors who come to and through our Hartsville on a daily basis. They kept being amazed at the variety of events and happenings that just seemed to be on the schedule. Much of the time, those of us living here just take it so much for granted that we forget things are happening. So, the first major objective for Selling Hartsville is SELLING HARTSVILLE TO HARTSVILLIANS. If all of pay more attention to what is here, look here for what we want to buy before automatically leaving town, and look here for interesting things we will understand what the agency consultants mean when they use ad copy to say -- "Expect pleasant surprises."

To try keeping this in blog format instead of book-length, I will end this note.

It takes a lot of people to nurture a community

There was a block party in Hartsville last night with a Rhythm and Blues theme. The Hartsville Downtown Development Association sponsored the event. The city provided the mobile stage for the event. Lots of people were on hand helping with selling the refreshments that were being used to help cover the expenses of the event. That was really great of these people to volunteer their time to things as unglamorous as pour drinks. But, if they did not do it, it would not have gotten done. There were a number of businesses on hand to sell food, refreshments, etc and they also had to call on volunteers to staff their booths. When I passed the Downtown Development awning I also saw several board members laughing, talking and staffing the information area. It may sound pretty obvious, but events like downtown block parties don't happen by themselves -- they happen because people are willing to invest of their time and talent and creative energies to make this community unique among small towns -- not only in South Carolina, but in the U.S. In Hartsville, we have a lot of people who give of their time to help nurture our community.

And, right now it is Sunday afternoon and as I passed the Center Theater, an 800+ seat community venue in downtown Hartsville, the lights were shining and the marquee boasted of the Butler Heritage Foundation Gospel Fest that is kicking off a week of activities for the Butler Heritage Foundation.

Have you looked around lately? There is a lot going on in this town.