'People Need To Feel Good In Their Cities': Tami Door Leaving Top Spot At Downtown Denver Partnership

DENVER (CBS4) - Another of Denver's most influential business leaders is stepping away. Tami Door announced this week she'd be leaving her top spot at the Downtown Denver Partnership in November after 17 years.

"Every day is your chance to make the city a better place. I put everything into this leadership role from the day that I arrived," Door said.

The transformation of Downtown Denver during Door's tenure is vast. More companies, employees, and residents live within the area thanks to several influential programs Door had a hand in.

"What gives me the greatest amount of pride in the work that I've done here at the organization and in our city is that people are deeply committed, that they feel like they've been pulled in that they've been engaged in, they've been part of building something," she said.

Union Station had been shuttered for months when she took over, but the Partnership played a crucial role in envisioning the Union Station Neighborhood to the transportation hub's west. In 2022, the 16th Street Mall will see a complete remodel. But Door says one of her fondest projects was around the Performing Arts District.

"We work to redevelop 14th Street and really create an environment where it would be a magnet for people as they engage with our theater district," she said.

The development hasn't just been about structures. The Partnership, under Door, created unique business opportunities like Denver Start-Up week and the business incubator The Commons on Champa.

"Which is really focused on making sure that we democratize entrepreneurship and giving opportunities and connections to all who want to build a company," Door said.

The DDP even developed community events like the ice-skating rink at Skyline Park, a site of many other events throughout the year.

"Those are the types of things that give a community an opportunity to just exist and be in the moment with their friends and family," Door said. "People need to feel good in their cities. And these little things add up."

As she reflects on the chapters of the city she's seen pass over the past 17 years, Door says she's most proud of how the city has matured and become a destination others want to emulate.

"When I first arrived in Denver, we were reaching out to cities and throughout the nation and throughout the world to really benchmark their best practices. But what I have seen through the years is a dramatic shift. The volume of calls to us and to our community into our downtown, about how we've created this vibrant in place," she said. "We are getting calls from around the world, asking about projects and programs and initiatives that we've implemented to build Denver and to create this place that people want to be."