Kent Smith steps down from Fashion District BID

Los Angeles - It looks like the Fashion District Business Improvement District will be needing a new leader. Kent Smith, who served as executive director for 17 years, will be stepping down this year to retire.

Smith will officially step down from his role this summer. As executive director, he helped drastically improve the company’s goals and bring Los Angeles’ BID to success. “We’ve seen the Fashion District become more residential,” he told Los Angeles Downtown News. By seeing how the organization has improved the local community, Smith told the publication that he feels ready to retire. “I think we’ve accomplished a lot, we’ve made the Fashion District into a real neighborhood.”

The Los Angeles Fashion District BID was first formed in 1996 to help improve businesses in Los Angeles. In downtown Los Angeles, there are currently eight BIDs, according to Apparel News. The BID collects approximately 4 million dollars a year in assessments from its members, according to the organization’s website. Currently, BID’s board of directors has not yet chosen a replacement. Smith will stay in his role until the end of July until the BID brings in a successor.