209 - Trent Sells A Neighborhood
Trent was drawn to Franklinton while working for a local bank. Franklinton had fallen on hard times due to a series of natural disasters, an exodus of industry, a rise in poverty, and an influx of drugs and crime. Over time, Trent became a passionate advocate for the area, leading first to a job with the neighborhood's board of trade, and eventually to Trent becoming a resident. Trent shares the how the area is now becoming a desirable up-and-coming neighborhood, and he shares a vision of a future where Franklinton is a thriving community that attracts new residents and businesses, but also lifts up the lives of the long term residents of the area. Trent Smith has been the Executive Director of the Franklinton Board of Trade (FBOT) since January of 2010. FBOT serves as the chamber of commerce for the Franklinton neighborhood, but unlike a traditional chamber it is a 501c3 non-profit. This status gives FBOT the latitude to do important community work based on three pillars of focus: Advocate, Beautify, Connect. In addition to business development, Trent organizes networking events, clean-up / beautification projects and socializing hours for FBOT members and guests. He works to create strong connections and relationships between the business community, non-profit community, and the residents of Franklinton. Franklinton Board of Trade (https://www.franklintonbot.org/) also serves to manage the Franklinton Special Improvement District of Columbus, Inc., which is designed to provide full time safety and cleaning services to a defined area of the Franklinton community. Prior to 2010 Trent spent 18 years in banking, most recently as the Branch Manager/AVP for WesBanco Bank’s Gahanna, OH office. Part of his role there was to serve as the community development outreach director, which is what brought him to Franklinton in the first place. Trent has had the opportunity to serve as a director on a variety of boards through his career, including the Neighborhood Design Center, the East Franklinton Review Board, Community Crime Patrol, Habitat for Humanity, Gahanna Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Shares, Lower Lights, Inc., Franklinton Development Association and Franklinton Area Commission. He is a resident of Franklinton, where he lives with his wife, Joanna and his son, Quinn. Trent can be reached at trent@franklintonbot.org or (614) 398-2435. His standing invitation, to you the listener, is to contact him, then come down and hang out with him, where he will be happy to meet you at The Patio Bar for an Italian Sub and an introduction to the salt of the earth citizens of Franklinton. Then show you around some of the highlights of the neighborhood, including: Tommy's Diner - http://www.tommysdiner.com/ Bottoms Up Coffee - https://www.bottomsupcoffee.com/ Land Grant Brewing Company - https://landgrantbrewing.com/ 400 West Rich arts community - https://400westrich.com/ Trent also asks that you take a moment to become familiar with these incredible service organizations and support them if you are able: Lower Lights Ministries - https://www.lowerlights.org/ Gladden Community House - https://www.gladdenhouse.org/ Music used under standard license (https://filmmusic.io/standard-license) Acid Trumpet by Kevin MacLeod - Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3340-acid-trumpet Roll The Intro by Alexander Nakarada - Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4793-roll-the-intro Loopster by Kevin MacLeod - Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4991-loopster Total Happy Up And Sunny by Sascha Ende® - Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/555-total-happy-up-and-sunny Summer by Liron - Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6907-summer Find out more about Hear It Share It by stopping by www.hearitshareit.com. Share your feedback or your story at hearitshareit@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/HearItShareIt --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hearitshareit/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hearitshareit/support
