After serving as Main Street Bath’s director for five years, Jennifer Geiger will serve her last full day with the organization today.

Geiger Thursday confirmed it’s true, she is departing after five years “and I’ve loved it, but I’ve had an opportunity I’m very excited about.”

She will start working at the Maine Office of Tourism in Augusta next week, doing public relations management. Meanwhile Main Street Bath is conducting a director search, aiming at an application deadline of July 25. The organization hopes to hire someone in August.

Geiger read about the job in the state tourism office and only a couple weeks ago had confirmation she’d been selected for the position. She notified the Main Street Bath board president and the board met Wednesday to come up with a job description, which will be posted on Main Street Bath’s website soon.

“It’s a big job,” Geiger said. “It’s a great job, I recommend it.”

Geiger, who lives in Arrowsic and isn’t going anywhere, said, “I love Bath and I love Maine and I think there’s so many wonderful assets in the state,” which are fun to promote.

“I’ve always really enjoyed the destination marketing aspect of my job at Main Street Bath and running the visitors center and interacting with the public,” she said, so the position in the tourism office she thought “looked like a great fit,” and a natural fit. Her job will entail helping to bring more people to Maine to support all those who rely either directly on tourism dollars or benefit on residual dollars of those benefit from tourism dollars.

Whether working in Bath or Augusta, Geiger said there is a common thread connecting to two positions: “I think it’s project and build on your assets and be authentic.”

According to Main Street Bath’s website, Main Street “is a program originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that focuses on revitalization of traditional downtowns to enhance the appearance and economic stability of the commercial district, and to improve community pride and quality of life for residents and visitors.”

In 2001, Bath was chosen as one of four communities to pilot the program. Main Street Bath Inc. is a non-profit corporation, guided by a board of directors comprised of an equal portion of members representing the downtown business community, city government and the community.

“While I’ve been here, the organization I think has become more professional in many different ways,” Geiger said, through work already underway when she arrived.

She also was involved in the application that lead to Bath winning the Great American Main Street Award in 2012 from the National Trust Main Street Center, along with many other recognitions the city has received.

It’s a good time for the transition, Geiger said, now that Main Street Bath’s summer events are in place, the summer brochures are printed and distributed and Bath Heritage Days has been successfully produced and put to bed.

“I feel like I’m leaving Main Street Bath in a position of strength. Things are in good condition,” she said.

The position is now involved with management of the visitors center, the communications through the weekly newsletter, social media, but it’s still a Main Street organization based on four points: Design, promotion, organization and economic development.

Selecting a new director provides an opportunity to bring in new skills, Geiger said, which is good for the organization.

“I hope whoever comes in next continues things I’ve implemented and adds their strengths,” she said. “I’m leaving with very warm feelings,” and relationships she hopes will continue. “It’s been a really good five years.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com

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