The Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District (PADBID) will double its efforts after adding not one but two new executive directors.

The PADBID board announced Perry and Rhonda Trusty as their new executive director team in a press release on Friday. The duo said they’re eager to continue the good work accomplished by outgoing executive director Carolyn Carleton.

“For myself, I feel like I have very big shoes to fill,” Rhonda said. “Carolyn was very good at her job, and she’s done very well.”

The Trusty’s come to the role with nearly 20 combined years of experience in the TV world. The pair also have experience in marketing, economic development, and tourism.

They’re hoping to use those skills to showcase Prince Albert’s downtown businesses, something that’s become even more important since the rise of COVID-19.

“Our marketing goals may tend towards promoting more businesses or interviews ourselves with the business community, trying to promote them,” Rhonda explained. “COVID has hit them very hard, and we want to try and get those stories out about our local businesses.

COVID has hit PADBID hard too, forcing the organization to hold scaled down versions of popular events like the annual Downtown Street Fair, or cancel them altogether.

Despite the challenges, both Rhonda and Perry are confident the downtown can recover from the virus thanks to other more positive deployments, like the creation of a new University of Saskatchewan campus in the area.

“The university campus is a huge addition to our community,” Perry said. “(It’s) COVID impacted, for sure, but once that begins to roll, that’s going to have a positive impact.”

“We’re excited about the U of S campus being downtown,” Rhonda added. “We are looking forward to working with the U of S, seeing what their needs are, and how we can help with that.”

The Trusty’s have a lot of history in Prince Albert, with fond memories of supporting and working in the downtown area. That’s one of the biggest things that spurred them into applying for the PADBID executive director position in the first place.

“We’re passionate about the community,” Perry said. “We’ve both enjoyed shopping downtown through the years and being a part of the community down here. We saw the advertisement and we thought, with our combined skills, we can bring something to the table.

The PADBID office is now open at 1109 Central Avenue on the second floor. Mandatory masking is required for those wishing to visit.