SAN JOSE — The San Jose Downtown Affiliation has picked a brand new chief because the Bay Space’s largest metropolis seeks to additional invigorate its city core and put together for a trifecta of main sporting occasions in 2026.
Brian Kurtz was named because the chief govt officer of the San Jose Downtown Affiliation, a task that places Kurtz in a key place to affect the financial improvement of downtown for years to return.
Brian Kurtz, newly appointed chief govt officer of the San Jose Downtown Affiliation. (Brian Kurtz LinkedIn web page)
The appointment happens as town prepares for 3 vital sporting occasions in 2026: the Tremendous Bowl, one of many rounds of the NCAA males’s basketball match, and several other video games of the FIFA World Cup soccer competitors.
“2026 is a huge opportunity for San Jose,” Kurtz mentioned. “All eyes are on this community with the upcoming Super Bowl celebration, March Madness, and the World Cup.”
But as soon as the cheers and jeers for these big-time sporting occasions recede into reminiscence, Kurtz is properly conscious that long-term challenges and alternatives will beckon from downtown San Jose’s financial horizon.
“Longer term, we know that San Jose and other downtowns around the country are still seeing the extreme impact of the pandemic and the economic conditions afterwards,” Kurtz mentioned.
Kurtz can even be in place to deliver long-term stability to the CEO submit on the affiliation.
In 2022, long-time San Jose Downtown Affiliation CEO Scott Knies stepped down after three many years within the prime position. Alex Stettinski took over that very same 12 months, however by April, Stettinski stop unexpectedly and was hurriedly changed by board President Alex “Gumby” Marques on an interim foundation.
That prompted a wide-ranging seek for a brand new CEO that ultimately led San Jose officers to think about three finalists, together with Kurtz.
Kurtz is a downtown improvement and concrete place administration skilled who was CEO of the Downtown Tulsa Affiliation in Oklahoma on the time he was named to the San Jose position. He additionally held key roles within the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership in Pennsylvania and with the Erie County Industrial Improvement Company in New York state.
“I’m excited about this appointment,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan mentioned. “I had an opportunity to sit down with the three finalists. I was really impressed with his vision for downtown and vibrancy downtown.”
Mahan mentioned Marques performed a vital position as interim CEO, pointing to the work underway in San Jose to organize for the upcoming sports activities occasions.
“Gumby Marques stepped up in a big way during this transition,” Mahan mentioned. “Gumby’s leadership is worth noting because we couldn’t afford to slow down in our preparations for 2026.”
Mahan mentioned he was impressed with Kurtz’s consideration to element.
“He has a familiarity with, and a passion for, the basic blocking and tackling that we want the SJDTA to do,” Mahan mentioned. “They do an amazing job of promoting clean and walkable streets. But they have an opportunity to do even more regarding storefront activation, recruitment of small businesses, and investment in placemaking.”
Kurtz believes San Jose State College can proceed to play an enormous position in making a extra vibrant downtown.
“When you look at major and active downtowns, it’s not every day that you have a top-tier institution like San Jose State University,” Kurtz mentioned. “I am extremely excited about the opportunities to collaborate with the university as a whole as well as the students who are taking classes and living downtown.”
Kurtz can also be properly conscious of the dynamic of very full of life sections of downtown San Jose corresponding to San Pedro Sq., the SoFA district, and the Fountain Alley space – and the stretches of vacant retail and restaurant fronts that hold these vibrant hubs disconnected from one another.
“These are wonderful nodes of activity in downtown San Jose,” Kurtz mentioned. “There is potential to better connect these nodes. We want to create more active storefronts. We must ensure that the walk from one of these to the other is enjoyable.”
In some ways, the 2026 sporting occasions merely signify the beginning of the work wanted in downtown San Jose.
“I want to keep building a foundation for a long-term great future for the downtown,” Kurtz mentioned.
