What It Means to be a Center City Award Recipient (as Described by Past Winners)
There are a few local staples every December in Downtown, and one of those is the annual Center City Awards.
During the holiday season, Phoenix Community Alliance (PCA) unites over 300 Members to reflect on a year of Member-driven advocacy and celebrate the newest Downtown Phoenix changemakers. The Center City Awards recognize fellow Members who consistently lead the community to achieve quality growth and development that advances Downtown’s renaissance.
“What sets PCA apart is that everyone who comes to our meetings and events really wants to build a world-class city,” said Brian Cassidy, CCBG Architects’ President, and the 2019 Center City Award Recipient. “As an architect who has been doing this for more than forty years, it was the honor of my life to be recognized.”
The award has evolved since Robert L. Matthews was named the first honoree in 1993, even though what it celebrates has stayed the same. In 2020, the Center City Awards split into two categories: Champion and Newcomer. The Champion award honors individuals who have made a lasting impact on Downtown Phoenix, while the Newcomer award recognizes emerging talents aiming for a similar influence.
Over the award’s 32-year history, honorees have included a diverse range of individuals, from politicians and business owners to educators and city leaders. Many prominent Downtown Phoenix community members have received the award, including Charlie Levy, owner of Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar; Kimber Lanning, Roosevelt Row CDC founder and Local First Arizona founder and CEO; and two-time Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher.
In recent years, this prestigious award has also reflected the changing demographics and richness of the Downtown Phoenix core.
Since the creation of the Newcomer award, notable recipients include Kell Duncan, owner of The Churchill, and Heather Lennon, CEO of Imagine General Contracting & Development. For each of these honorees, their backgrounds are different, yet they share the same goal of fostering sustainable growth and robust communities.
Duncan was an early adopter in Downtown’s revitalization and was inspired to create The Churchill, an outdoor community gathering space that hosts ten small businesses and eateries. Lennon draws on over 25 years of contracting experience to transform Downtown's architectural history into distinctive adaptive reuse projects.
“The awards are great because they recognize leadership and the passion of change-agents who are making Downtown a better place,” said Rick Naimark, ASU’s Associate Vice President for Program Development Planning, and 2017 Center City Award Recipient. “Whenever you recognize those qualities, it inspires others to step up and get involved [in that renaissance].”
On December 11, Chase Field will host PCA’s Annual Member Meeting, where the latest Center City Award Recipients will be honored. The Downtown meeting location itself holds significance:
Over the summer, our organization participated in a coordinated advocacy effort by stakeholders to support HB2704, legislation that secured the Arizona Diamondbacks' future at Chase Field for another 30 years through renovations of the County-owned stadium.
The renovations ensure the venue’s future for baseball games, concerts, and other major events, including Hondo Rodeo Fest, which last weekend brought over 90,000 attendees for three days of professional rodeo competitions, top-caliber live music, and a free street festival. The Diamondbacks have been a key part of Downtown for 27 years—generating $5.4 billion in GDP, supporting local businesses, and making a lasting community impact.
Those recognized at this year’s annual meeting will not only highlight individual achievements from the past and present but also point to a future direction for where Downtown (and PCA) can go.
“It’s worth nominating someone because sometimes it feels like you’re working really hard and you’re not sure who’s seeing the work,” said Kell Duncan, PCA’s 2021 Center City Newcomer Recipient. “To have that feedback and validation meant a lot to me at the time, and it can mean a lot to someone else, too.”
Want to recognize a fellow PCA Member? Nominations for Phoenix Community Alliance’s signature Center City Awards are open through Friday, November 21.
Join us for our Annual Member Meeting as PCA reflects on another year of activating, advocating, and building a stronger Downtown for a better Phoenix. Follow the link to RSVP.