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Meet Nikki:
Along with her deep liaisons in the neighborhood, Office Manager Nikki Somers brings organization and order to our team. Nikki manages our data, information, and financial systems. She’s part of our outreach to businesses, assists with events, and generally rolls up her sleeves and pitches in. Have a question? Chances are Nikki will have the answer.
Yesler Way and Alaskan Way
Nikki is pictured at the corner of Yesler Way and Alaskan Way at the site of the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal program work site. At the time that the above photo was taken, the corner is an active demolition site for the removal program. Behind Nikki, heavy machinery scoops up rubble and rebar. Passerby’s are now able to see a clearer picture of the Seattle Waterfront now that the viaduct is removed. When asked about her favorite memories of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Nikki reminisces about the sweeping views driving on the soon-to-be-gone structure provided on her morning commute into Pioneer Square. “You don’t get the same views in the SR-99 tunnel,” Nikki notes before acknowledging that the Alaskan Way Viaduct was also a seismically unstable eyesore.
What is she excited about this week?
Nikki sips a hot chocolate at Caffe D’arte as we dive into what she’s been focusing on recently. Nikki searches for one area of focus to discuss before exclaiming, “I constantly have many long projects that I am moving forward which makes it difficult to identify one that is particularly grabbing my attention this week.” Nikki is pointing to her position as the cornerstone of the Alliance for Pioneer Square, where she manages several systems which keep the organization operating at its most efficient state. Nikki knows systems and that’s what we aim our attention at for this interview.
Nikki manages many of the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s systems, including our Business Improvement Area (BIA) data. Using PBID, Nikki manages the buildings, businesses, and contacts in Pioneer Square. Nikki provides an example of how PBID is used to manage the ever-changing tenants in buildings throughout Pioneer Square after a recent audit of Smith Tower. “It is a big building and they add new tenants regularly. It is important to the Alliance for Pioneer Square that we maintain data integrity- and that’s what these audits are for,” Nikki states.
PBID is a very powerful tool to track the Pioneer Square BIA data. The Alliance for Pioneer Square is a vanguard user of PBID- with our organization often used as a reference for other BIA’s in the United States who are interested in using the platform. “PBID often sends organizations our way who are wondering whether PBID is right for them,” says Nikki. Nikki has spoken with BIA’s in West Hollywood, Detroit, Spokane, Alabama, and more. “I always tell them that PBID is a flexible platform that can be molded into the right shape for any organization,” Nikki explains.