Please join us for lunch!

For our meeting Monday, March 17th, 2025, we welcome 
Matt Kennell, President & CEO of the Main Street District. 

Matt Kennell has worked in urban development and management for over three decades in a variety of roles including City Planner, Main Street Manager, Community Development Manager, and Business Improvement District (BID) management in Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina. He is a graduate of Christopher Newport University in Virginia and of Florida Atlantic University where he earned his MPA degree in Environmental Growth Management.

Matt is the founding President and CEO of the Main Street District, which provides public space management, economic development, retail recruitment, outreach services, public advocacy, and planning for the district. Since the organization was formed in late 2001, three new office towers have been constructed, office and residential occupancy has increased to record levels, five new hotels have been developed, a comprehensive homeless services facility has opened its doors, and retailers are returning to South Carolina’s Main Street. This represents almost one billion dollars in private, taxable investment in the area.

Matt has served two terms on the International Downtown Association (IDA) Board of Directors, is a former President of the Virginia Downtown Development Association, was a founding member of the Urban Land institute (ULI) South Carolina Center for Sustainable Leadership, a past chair of the ULI Midlands Executive Committee, a member of the ULI National Product Council on Sustainable Development and is a Riley Institute Fellow. He is a founding board member of the Midlands Housing Alliance (Transitions) and serves on the boards of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Trustus Theatre, and the Columbia Rotary Club. Matt has been married for 35 years to Kim Durham Kennell, and they have two grown daughters who live nearby in South Carolina.