BERLIN – Members of the town staff, merchants and residents met on Wednesday, Oct. 1 to extend their best wishes to retiring Economic and Community Development Director Michael Day, who nevertheless was surprised by the fanfare.
“It’s very nice, it’s embarrassing, but I’m glad people wanted to do it,” said Day, who announced his retirement in April. “There was nothing like this when I first came here – I just came to work and started the job.”
Since Day became the full-time economic development director in 2009, the town experienced a major resurgence, capped by its being named “America’s Coolest Small Town” earlier this year.
“It’s been very positive,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have been a part of it. Everybody congratulates me for what’s happened, but it’s really not me – it’s me getting a lot of folks on the same page. We had to figure out our goal and we went for it together. There’s a lot people who helped this town change in a positive direction.”
Even though he will be officially retired, Day plans to continue his involvement in Berlin.
“I’m going to see what else I can come up with … and keep on moving forward,” he said. “I plan on volunteering in Berlin, even though some people say I probably won’t. They have a lot better events here than they do in Salisbury, so I’ll probably be over here following Mike Wiley around.”
Wiley, who works with the Church Mouse thrift shop in downtown Berlin, said Day would be missed.
“He’s done an excellent job,” he said. “It’s a tough role to follow. I enjoyed working with him. I’ve helped him with different projects and it was nice to have someone almost my age to hang with.”
“I think very highly of Mr. Day,” said Human Resources Director Jeffrey Fleetwood. “He’s got an attribute that I like – when he tells you something, he means it, and when he means it, he does it.”
Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen agreed that Day brought more than just a good work ethic to Town Hall.
“The transformation of the town since he’s been here is remarkable,” she said. “It’s going to be difficult to replace him. Luckily he’ll be around for a little while to help us out.”
“He’s put us on the map,” added Town Administrator Laura Allen. “He helped us win America’s Coolest Small Town, which was no small feat. He has garnered the town thousands of dollars in free advertising and significantly changed our summer experience. Our merchants are earning, they’re seeing substantially more sales, we’re seeing a lot more people. It has really made a difference in the energy that you feel when you come to the town. We don’t know how far it’s going to go, but our expectation is that it’s going to extend through the fall.
“Michael’s also given us sort of a rich perspective on how we do business and has really encouraged the businesses to work together in a way that I think has benefited everybody,” Allen continued. “You see a lot more cooperation and collaboration – rather than competition – which has made our downtown very strong.”
“It’s very nice, it’s embarrassing, but I’m glad people wanted to do it,” said Day, who announced his retirement in April. “There was nothing like this when I first came here – I just came to work and started the job.”
Since Day became the full-time economic development director in 2009, the town experienced a major resurgence, capped by its being named “America’s Coolest Small Town” earlier this year.
“It’s been very positive,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have been a part of it. Everybody congratulates me for what’s happened, but it’s really not me – it’s me getting a lot of folks on the same page. We had to figure out our goal and we went for it together. There’s a lot people who helped this town change in a positive direction.”
Even though he will be officially retired, Day plans to continue his involvement in Berlin.
“I’m going to see what else I can come up with … and keep on moving forward,” he said. “I plan on volunteering in Berlin, even though some people say I probably won’t. They have a lot better events here than they do in Salisbury, so I’ll probably be over here following Mike Wiley around.”
Wiley, who works with the Church Mouse thrift shop in downtown Berlin, said Day would be missed.
“He’s done an excellent job,” he said. “It’s a tough role to follow. I enjoyed working with him. I’ve helped him with different projects and it was nice to have someone almost my age to hang with.”
“I think very highly of Mr. Day,” said Human Resources Director Jeffrey Fleetwood. “He’s got an attribute that I like – when he tells you something, he means it, and when he means it, he does it.”
Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen agreed that Day brought more than just a good work ethic to Town Hall.
“The transformation of the town since he’s been here is remarkable,” she said. “It’s going to be difficult to replace him. Luckily he’ll be around for a little while to help us out.”
“He’s put us on the map,” added Town Administrator Laura Allen. “He helped us win America’s Coolest Small Town, which was no small feat. He has garnered the town thousands of dollars in free advertising and significantly changed our summer experience. Our merchants are earning, they’re seeing substantially more sales, we’re seeing a lot more people. It has really made a difference in the energy that you feel when you come to the town. We don’t know how far it’s going to go, but our expectation is that it’s going to extend through the fall.
“Michael’s also given us sort of a rich perspective on how we do business and has really encouraged the businesses to work together in a way that I think has benefited everybody,” Allen continued. “You see a lot more cooperation and collaboration – rather than competition – which has made our downtown very strong.”