On January 1, 2025, Tom Downard celebrated 25 years in his current position as executive director of the Greater Avon Chamber of Commerce.
It’s not every day that a person who sees potential in a small, unincorporated town eventually comes to a position that allows him to support and promote businesses across Avon full time.
The Town of Avon is fairly young compared to surrounding towns. As of 2025 they have been incorporated for 30 years, and 30 years ago, a young businessman already had his eye on the developing area.
“My business partner and I were involved in commercial real estate development,” Downard said. “We built the first gas station at Dan Jones and U.S. Highway 36, which is now the BP. We built our first retail center just west of there. A couple of years went by and the lot to the east of the gas station was still vacant, so we built that and put another retail center in there.”
His commercial real estate business was one of the first members of the Avon Chamber of Commerce, and while it’s safe to say Downard has always had a love for businesses, promotion and development, he couldn’t have anticipated how he’d soon become involved on a whole new level.
“Avon was really just starting to form when the chamber was started,” he said. “They began with an assistant that handled the day-to-day things on a part-time basis, and as Avon continued to grow, the chamber board approached me.”
They needed someone who lived in Avon, loved the town, and loved development to take the role of executive director, and they didn’t have to look far. He was interested, as long as he could serve as director and work in his real estate development company too. It was a match, and Downard has been watching the town and its businesses grow ever since.
“It sounds cliché but I’ve never felt like I had a job,” he said. “These are all the things I enjoy doing. I’m a people person. I enjoy promoting my community and our local businesses.”
Not many current residents can tell the story of how Avon began with the gas station on the corner, and continues as a bustling town full of retail, residents and entertainment.
Looking back on the past 25 years, Downard remembers a few of the big successes: Lowe’s coming to town, Walmart arriving next, and then Meijer.
In the early days it was clear to Downard that the town was ready to boom. As more people moved in and more retailers began scouting available land, he, along with other leaders at the time, knew what a gem they had.
“You could see the writing on the wall,” he said. “U.S. 36 was quickly becoming a retail corridor for the entire county.”
He said he recalls some “misses” when the town was incorporated. Some residents didn’t want to join Avon, choosing to remain in the township. The map was drawn and Avon lost large areas of Washington Township. Had they been included, many corporations and warehouse facilities sitting just outside the town limits would have resulted in millions of dollars in tax revenue for the Town of Avon.
For the most part, however, good decisions were made, and Downard was there when new parks, trail systems and amenities came along and added to the quality of life for residents.
The chamber exists to assess the needs of local business owners, and to create programs, products and events to deliver strategic solutions for those needs. The members are constantly thinking of new ways to support businesses and advocate for a strong economy in Avon.
Twenty years ago the chamber staff came up with a little community event to promote local businesses and bring neighbors together. Today we know it as the Hendricks County Rib-Fest and BBQ.
“We started that on a whim and held it at Washington Township Park, and brought in some of our local restaurants,” Downard said. “We were amazed to have the 600 to 800 people show up. Each year it’s continued to grow and we changed location to the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. It’s now a county event and we couldn’t be more pleased to take an event from zero to have it magnified to what it is today.”
Barbecue vendors come from multiple states and more than 12,000 people attend on average. It’s an all-day event with a 5K, craft fair, music, fireworks and, of course, delicious food.
What keeps Downard going isn’t always the large events or the booming retail corridor. Despite success, growth and continued development in the town he loves, perhaps he enjoys working with the small businesses most.
“In this position, you get to see small businesses grow and have success,” he said. “You meet the owners and work hand-in-hand with them to promote their business, and to be able to be here and watch that has been very gratifying.”
He’s thankful for those businesses, the town and township leadership, and the staff in the chamber office for their support and collaboration.
“We’re talking about me being here for 25 years, but the chamber has had a great board, some of which have been here from the beginning,” Downard said. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of great people. Without the assistant in my office at the front desk and volunteers, I may not have been here for 25 years. Consistency is key, not only from my position, but from my assistant and the day-to-day operation. They are as much a tribute to our success as anything.”
Downard has no plans to retire anytime soon. After all, he said it doesn’t feel like he has a job to retire from.
For now, he’s focused on continuing to build up the town in the best way he knows how.
“I’m focused on how we continue to grow,” he said. “How do we continue to improve events like the Rib-Fest, and how can we continue to work hand-in-hand together with the town and the township to make our community the best it can be?”
