Downtown Albany BID to Hold 14th Annual Meeting June 24

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Craig Hatkoff

ALBANY, NY (06/21/2010)(readMedia)-- The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) will hold its 14th Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 24, 2010 from 11:30am – 1:30pm, at the 11 North Pearl Event Centre in downtown Albany. The event is sponsored by Legacy Banks. The two-hour event will mark the organization's progress toward its strategic priorities and outline its plans for future initiatives. The luncheon will feature a keynote address by Albany native Craig Hatkoff, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, and the presentation of the organization's 2010 Compass Award to Robert Kivort, President of Kivort Steel. Tickets for the event can be purchased at downtownalbany.org or by calling (518) 465-2143 x10.

"The BID's Annual Meeting is always highly anticipated as it brings our stakeholders together to hear about the progress that has been made toward our shared priorities surrounding strong economic development in New York's Capital City," stated Georgette Steffens, Downtown Albany BID Executive Director. "We are also very excited about our keynote speaker, Craig Hatkoff, who has such strong credentials when discussing the creative economy which represents so much potential for Downtown Albany."

The meeting of BID members, key stakeholders and corporate partners will include an address by Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings. Outgoing Board Chair Tracy Metzger, Senior Director of Hunt Commercial, will formally welcome newly elected board members and recognize outgoing members. Nearly 200 people are expected to be in attendance.

A graduate of The Albany Academy, Craig Hatkoff is a co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival (www.tribecafilm.com/festival/) which he started along with his wife, Jane Rosenthal, and Robert De Niro immediately following the events of September 11th to help revitalize lower Manhattan. Now going into its tenth year, the festival attracts 400,000 attendees annually and generates $100 million in economic activity for NYC. He also created the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, an annual event that recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of innovation theory and application.

Craig is Chairman of Turtle Pond Publications LLC, a private entertainment and media based company in New York. In addition to the Tribeca Film Festival, Turtle Pond's investments include Fillpoint SVG, a leading distributor and publisher of video games based in Malta, NY and Cinemuse, which provides educational high definition content to museums and zoos throughout North America. Over the last decade he has launched nearly a dozen new companies and ventures. He has a background in real estate finance and economic development and was actively involved in the redevelopment of Times Square. Along with his daughters, Isabella and Juliana, Craig has authored a popular series of children's books published by Scholastic, known as the Turtle Pond Collection, which includes the New York Times #1 best-seller, Owen & Mzee.

The Downtown Albany BID Compass Award recognizes individuals and/or foundations which have demonstrated a strong commitment to partnering with the Downtown Albany BID to improve the quality of life in downtown Albany. Kivort Steel has been the lead sponsor of Sculpture in the Streets, one of the Downtown Albany BID's signature programs, for three consecutive years since its inception in 2007. Without Robert Kivort's leadership commitment and his personal dedication to ensuring the success of the program on many levels, Sculpture in the Streets would not have received the recognition it has enjoyed. This public art initiative adds visual appeal to downtown streets, sidewalks and pocket parks, and reveals the unique identity of the Capital City. Further, this initiative energizes downtown Albany public spaces and transforms the places where people live, work, and play into welcoming, beautiful environments that invite interaction, enhancing the quality of life in our urban community.

The BID's 2010 Annual Meeting luncheon sponsor is the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Media sponsors include WNYT NewsChannel 13 and The Times Union.

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About the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District

The Downtown Albany BID, incorporated in 1996, is a private, not-for profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to restore, promote and maintain the character and viability of downtown Albany and to improve the quality of life and overall image of downtown for all those who work in, live in and visit the Capital City. For information about the Downtown Albany BID, call (518) 465.2143 or visit www.downtownalbany.org.