Coming Home
When Joshua Mason accepted the role as the new executive director of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Noblesville Main Street, he felt like he was coming back home again.
“My hands have been in different elements of Noblesville for so long, it’s the reason why it felt like a natural fit for me, because I spend my personal time there,” he says. “I love building communities, it’s what I’ve been doing for years for different organizations, and a lot of my background comes from a 501(c)(3) perspective. When I have the opportunity to actually help a business with my background, I felt like helping Main Street was the next thing I needed to be doing.”
Mason’s background includes more than two decades of experience spanning marketing, community engagement, event development and data-driven brand strategy. His leadership roles include Indy Eleven, Pumpjack Dataworks, Enthuse Marketing and Starbucks Coffee, in addition to volunteer and advisory experience throughout central Indiana.
In 2021, he was named Marketing Executive of the Year by the USL Championship during his tenure with Indy Eleven professional soccer.
As executive director, Mason will supervise Noblesville Main Street programs, events, business support initiatives, volunteer engagement, community partnerships and the organization’s continued Main Street America accreditation efforts. He will also work with the board of directors, city leadership, local businesses and volunteers to advance NMS’ mission of activating and enriching downtown Noblesville.
“My hope is that we come up with some ideas that will help the organization grow, but also in partnership with other nonprofits,” Mason says. “I’m trying to make sure that we’re as inclusive as possible. I’m always looking to see what we can do differently. I very much believe in surprise and delight in terms of everything we do, finding ways to elevate it — and elevate it in such a way where it’s better than it was previously.”
Noblesville’s population growth has increased by nearly 9% over the past five years, with more than 75,000 residents to date. Mason acknowledges the need to include those who reside in the vicinity of the 146th Street corridor, which borders Fishers to the southeast, Carmel to the southwest and Westfield to the west, as they may feel disconnected from the downtown area.
Volunteering is one way those residents can feel more included and engaged, Mason notes.
“I care very much about engagement, like how many more people are engaged with us than they were previously,” he says.
In addition, he welcomes perspectives from younger generations with fresh ideas, as well as older adults.
“As I get older, my kids teach me things all the time, and so there’s kind of an evolution for the board. It’s going to get younger and younger,” he says.
The public can also look forward to an enhanced downtown through infrastructure and pedestrian safety improvements and beautification upgrades, scheduled for completion by November.
The Embrace Downtown project, currently under construction, may pose a short-term challenge for those visiting the area to shop or dine. Mason reassures visitors, however, that they can still enjoy going to their favorite places.
“We’re working with the city to find creative ways to make sure people are still visiting and shopping those locations,” he says.
Mason also notes that he is excited for the completion of the project, which will result in “an environment for a really robust downtown area.”
“It’ll look really sharp and high-end once it’s completed,” he says.
Mason encourages ideas from the community that may help improve the visitor experience at signature events like the farmers market, which draws more than 4,000 residents and visitors downtown each weekend from late spring to early fall, the annual summer street dance, which exceeds 8,000 attendees, the duck race over Memorial Day weekend; and First Fridays.
“What do people think about our farmers market experience, both on the vendor side and on the consumer side?” he asks. “How do we take the experience higher so when you walk away there’s no doubt you want to come back the next year? I want to see more people come than the previous year.”
For more information about Joshua Mason or Noblesville Main Street, visit noblesvillemainstreet.org or call 317-776-0205.
