Our story

As the founder of Spark Towns, I help communities turn overlooked assets into identity-driven destinations—places where people want to visit, invest, and stay. My work blends public art, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and economic development to create real momentum, not just plans.

In Princeton, my partner Matt and I are building that approach ourselves. Together with our collaborator Alex, we’re growing a small-town-as-resort strategy that uses hospitality, arts, and entrepreneurship to energize the local economy and make Princeton a destination for creatives and travelers.

I helped launch The PARC Department, a nonprofit using public art, artist residencies, and cultural programming to position Princeton as an arts destination. We also operate The Parlor Hotel and work alongside Horseradish Kitchen + Market to create a connected hospitality ecosystem where art, business, and place strengthen each other.

That same approach has shaped projects across the country—from leading riverfront placemaking and Wisconsin’s largest mural in Oshkosh to helping communities align arts, business development, and public space investment into strategies that actually get built.

My work has been recognized by the Association of University Research Parks, International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation, and University Economic Development Association, and I’ve been named an Arts Innovator to Watch, with projects earning recognition including Economic Development Initiative of the Year.

Because the best placemaking work doesn’t happen in a conference room—it happens when you choose to build your life there.