By Benjamin Nicholls

After the excitement (and eating) of the holiday season, it’s almost a relief to see the new year arrive. The start of the year is a time for new resolutions and new ideas. For businesses and the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA), it’s time to bring out new resolutions for how we can all work together to improve our business district.

This new year, the HBA is undertaking several changes to further tailor our programs. In order to focus our efforts, we need the input of business members throughout Hillcrest. We’ve created several ways for members to contribute.

First, we have created an online survey for our members. The survey has 17 short questions that seek feedback and ideas about how we’re doing and what we should be doing. Business members are welcome to visit hillcrestbia.org to complete the survey.

Second, the HBA has re-organized how we manage our committees. We have restructured our committees around projects that people want to work on rather than having monthly committees. Rather than having monthly standing “catch-all” marketing or beautification committees, we have created committees that meet, complete a project and then disband (sounds simple, right?).

If you have an idea for a project, all you need to do is come to our Quarterly Open House and make a pitch. You could pitch ideas like a joint Hillcrest gift card, building a parking garage or a concierge tour of the neighborhood. There are no limits to what we could do! If there are enough interested people who want to work on your committee, then we create it.

At the quarterly meeting, we’ll also give feedback from the existing committees. There are a number of existing committees that are currently working on ideas that business people have had. We have the Video Committee that is working on promotional video that will play in hotels, a Homeless Outreach Committee that is working on how to address our homeless problem, and a MAD Expansion Committee that is working to expand resources for cleaning and beautification. We also have a committee that is working to produce the Taste of Hillcrest. And, finally, we have a committee that is working on addressing concerns about the proposed SANDAG bike lanes.

You can be part of any of these projects or create your own ideas too. You can find out more about our committee structure at hillcrestbia.org/what-we-do/committees.

This new year, I encourage business people to make a resolution to get more involved in the Hillcrest business district. Keep an eye on your mailbox to find our when and where the next Quarterly Open House is. Join the dozens of volunteers that are already working to make our business district better. And bring your ideas too.

—Benjamin Nicholls is executive director of Hillcrest Business Association.