Recap March 26, 2026 General Meeting

StockBridge Business Association

Meeting Recap Minutes**

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our March SBA meeting! Below is a recap of what was covered for those who were unable to attend.

Welcome

Ryan Waalkes of Bridge Street Ministries & SBA Board Member opened the meeting with a warm welcome.

Introductions & Icebreaker

Attendees introduced themselves and shared their favorite Wesstside Hidden Gem. This sparked great conversation and highlighted many beloved WestSide businesses.

Host Welcome: Arnie’s Bakery

Jimmy Fahlen from Arnie’s Bakery welcomed the group and informed the group that Arnie’s has a brand new cafe! Arnie’s has been in business for 121 years and isn’t slowing down. Thank you to Arnie’s for hosting and being such a community staple!

River North & SILVA

Mark Secchia from SILVA and the Rivver North Business Association shared about the rebrand for the business association along the river on Monroe. Mark informed on the origins of SILVA and how it began, and stressed the importance of working together as business associations to grow and promote community.

UrbanCurry Consulting

Erica Curry from UrbanCurry Consulting discussed the benefits of using AI to assist with work, especially for nonprofits. Erica also helped start the first neighborhood cleanup! This year, the neighborhood cleanup will be 2 days, with an emphasis on corporate cleanups downtown as well. May 1 & 2 are the dates - keep an eye out!

SBA Housekeeping, Neighborhood & Community Updates

Several updates including:

  • Upcoming SBA initiatives and 2026 meeting dates

  • Neighborhood news from the WestSide, including the neighborhood cleanup.

  • Congratulations to Daniela Schrittenlocher, Founder of GR Creator Studio. She won an ADDY award for her work on our social media campaign, which she has been working so hard on!

  • National Small Business week is May 4, and parthers in town are providing events and celebrations throughout the week. go to smallbizweekwm.com for more information and a list of events.

  • We welcomed the new west side police captain!

  • A new DASH route comes in May.

Members were encouraged to stay connected, share resources, and continue building momentum as we head into the new year.

Closing

Ryan thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.

We appreciate all who joined us and look forward to seeing you at our next SBA gathering in May!

Claire Colley