We are ‘Juiced’ to announce Director of Augusta Downtown Alliance

Following the departure of former Augusta Downtown Alliance Executive Director Michael Hall, the alliance has been working behind the scenes to fill the vacant role.

Hall, who led the alliance for eight years according to the Kennebec Journal, left the position to take a job with the city of Waterville with their community development department.

Since then, the Augusta Downtown Alliance has identified and hired a new executive director. According to the Kennebec Journal, it was announced that Jeremy Ashlock, owner of ‘Juiced’ in downtown Hallowell, has taken the stand.

ADA board member Heather Pouliot said in part about Ashlock’s hiring:

“It’s hard to explain how perfect Jeremy is for this position. He has local knowledge and relationships, has a diverse background of owning his own business and working as a consultant, is involved in the downtown and the city as a whole and has a lot of great ideas in the works.”

Board of Directors Chairman Victoria Abbott told the Kennebec Journal in part:

“We conducted an extensive national search to find the best candidate to lead our organization, and Jeremy Ashlock emerged as the ideal choice,” said Victoria Abbott, chair of the alliance’s board. “His passion for community development and proven leadership skills made him the perfect fit to guide us moving forward.”

Jeremy further said about taking the new position in Augusta:

“As my consultancy for the space project is ending soon, I was already looking for my next role. The difficulty we faced in filling the position of Executive Director was a call to action for me. If you want to see something done, sometimes you have to go a step further and walk the walk.”

“A good heart keeps us going – it reaches out to all parts to ensure that the whole body stays healthy. I believe our downtown can play a central and vital role as a unique place around which our city can rally.”

“I would like Augusta to be in a position to look ahead to the future and position ourselves for continued growth, opportunity and placemaking, while carefully preserving the core identities of our rich history. How do we create an intentional, considered vision that works for our city, and then bring it to reality right here in downtown Augusta? My work will revolve around that question.”

Ashlock further told the Kennebec Journal that his business, Juiced, will continue to operate “business as usual” in downtown Hallowell.

Jeremy said the juice bar, which has been in business since 2014, has a great team of people and a general manager who handles the day-to-day operations.

The Kennebec Journal said Ashlock’s new position with the Augusta Downtown Alliance comes with a starting salary of $60,000.