For Shannon Keil, downtown Plant City is more than a collection of historic buildings, storefronts and familiar streets. It’s part of her family’s story, one that stretches back five generations.
Now, Keil has a chance to help shape what comes next.
The new executive director of Historic Plant City Main Street is bringing a background in hospitality, business development, events and nonprofit leadership to the job. She’s also bringing a personal stake in seeing downtown succeed.
“My family’s roots here go back five generations, so the chance to help shape its future means a great deal,” she said.
Keil spent nearly seven years leading The Regent, where she focused on growing revenue, building partnerships and finding ways to bring people together. Her professional background also includes Universal Studios Creative Development, Young Presidents’ Organization and Mary Kay Corporate. She holds an MBA and is a certified coach.
That mix of experience should come in handy as she takes on the challenge of helping downtown businesses attract customers, building community partnerships and giving people more reasons to spend time downtown.
Her vision is to make downtown a thriving destination where shopping, dining, history, arts and community life come together.
Keil isn’t arriving with a long list of changes she expects to make overnight. Her first priority is getting to know the people behind the storefronts and learning what they need.
She plans to spend her first six months listening to merchants, property owners, residents and community partners while reviewing Main Street’s events, communications and sponsorship opportunities.
“I want to understand what’s working, what needs attention and where Main Street can be most helpful,” she said.
She already has some ideas. Coordinated shopping and dining promotions, business education opportunities and more ways to connect special events with downtown merchants are among the possibilities she’d like to explore.
She also sees room to grow popular seasonal traditions such as the Jingle Jangle Market and Strawberry Drop. The goal is to create a festive atmosphere that encourages families to make an afternoon or evening of visiting downtown, rather than simply stopping by for one event.
But Keil’s vision extends beyond holiday crowds and festivals. She wants downtown to become a regular stop for residents, whether they’re meeting a friend for lunch, browsing shops or staying for dinner.
Events, she said, are a good way to introduce people to downtown, but the real payoff comes when those visitors return and become regular customers. “Events bring people together, create memories and give someone who hasn’t visited in a while a reason to come back,” she said.
Keil would also welcome businesses that complement what’s already downtown, including specialty retail shops, restaurants, creative businesses and family-oriented attractions. Before pursuing particular additions, however, she wants to understand available spaces, customer demand and what existing merchants need.
She knows revitalizing downtown takes more than good ideas. It requires cooperation among the city, business owners, property owners and community organizations, along with the funding, staffing and volunteers to make plans happen.
Her goal is to build on the work of previous Main Street leaders while bringing fresh ideas that benefit the businesses the organization represents.
Outside of work, Keil enjoys spending time with her husband, John, their children and grandchildren. She hopes downtown will be a place where grandparents, parents and children all find reasons to spend time together.
For Keil, success won’t simply be measured by how many people show up for an event. She wants business owners to see more customers walking through their doors and feel that Main Street is working alongside them.
“I lead with heart, and I take follow-through seriously,” she said. “I care about the people behind the storefronts, the families who gather here and the future we’re helping to create.”
With five generations of family history in Plant City, Keil has plenty of reasons to care about what happens downtown. Now she’s ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
