Lise Sundrla, Executive Director of the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, will be the speaker at Buy Local Savannah Quarterly Luncheon

SAVANNAH, GA Buy Local Savannah is proud to welcome Lise Sundrla, Savannah Development and Renewal Authority (SDRA) Executive Director, to speak at the next quarterly luncheon being held at noon on Thursday, April 26th aboard the Savannah River Queen. Sundrla will update guests on the development of the Savannah Riverwalk Project.

The Riverwalk Expansion Project, the largest of its kind in Savannah in over 150 years, is being developed by Ambling Companies. The project, which will run along the eastern end of the historic district along President Street, is slated to include office and retail space, street-level shops and restaurants, hotels and approximately 850 residential units. Savannah River Landing, as it will be called, will be a true expansion of Savannah’s famous Historic District complete with the picturesque common-area squares General Oglethorpe used in his original Savannah city layout.

Lise R. Sundrla joined the staff of the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority as Executive Director in September 1999. Prior to assuming this position, Sundrla served as Executive Director of the downtown revitalization programs in Winchester, Virginia; Beaufort, South Carolina; Statesville, North Carolina; and Gaffney, South Carolina. Ms. Sundrla has 20 years of work experience in the field of downtown revitalization and management. As Executive Director of the Old Town Development Board in Winchester, VA, Ms. Sundrla also co-developed and administered the State’s first Technology Zone.

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Ms. Sundrla received a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She received a Master of Arts in History, with an emphasis in Historic Preservation, from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Ms. Sundrla’s articles on downtown revitalization and management have been featured in publications of the South Carolina Historical Society, the National Main Street Center, Virginia Review magazine, and the Virginia Main Street Monitor. She is a member of Sunrise Rotary, has served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Downtown Development Association, and serves currently on the Georgia Urban Main Street Task Force, Georgia Cities Foundation Board of Advisors, and as Immediate Past President of the Georgia Downtown Association.

The cost of the lunch is $20 for members and $30 for non-members and RSVP’s are required. To RSVP or for more information please contact Madeleine Warren, President of Buy Local Savannah, at Madeleine@buylocalsavannah.com or go online at www.buylocalsavannah.com

The Savannah Area Buy Local group supports the community, as a vibrant and growing networking of more than a 150 locally owned and operated businesses. The organization offers advertising discounts, networking, buying opportunities, local identity support, employee development, community action, enhanced company imaging, group advertising, and educational business seminars. Part of the Buy Local Mission Statement expresses the association's goal to enable local businesses to compete with the economies of scale used by franchise companies in the areas such as advertising and purchasing. For more information about Buy Local Savannah see www.buylocalsavannah.com