23-Dec-17 – Previously tasked with promoting downtown Columbia, South Carolina, the new executive director of River North Business Association will do the same with businesses north of the Loop.

Heather Spires has been named executive director of River North Business Association, the nonprofit announced on Thursday.

As vice president of retail recruitment for City Center Partnership for four years, Spires (left) helped bring new businesses to Columbia’s historic Main Street district. More recently, she was a consultant for Chicago Loop Alliance, working on a Loop economic impact study.

“Heather will bring strong leadership and a new level of visibility to our rapidly growing and evolving organization,” says RNBA board president Tara Fedorko. “She comes to us with a strong background in nonprofit and business development.”

Spires replaces Sharon Romack, who is now executive director at Valhalla Tahoe, a nonprofit in South Tahoe, California, that is preserving that area’s heritage through art, music, and theater. Romack had been president and CEO of River North Business Association since 2008.