An important person behind many of your favorite aspects of living, working, and playing in Sturgeon Bay is retiring on Friday after over two decades on the job.

Sturgeon Bay Community Development Director Marty Olejniczak announced his retirement earlier this spring after holding down the position since May 2002. Olejniczak oversaw and managed many functions of surrounding planning and zoning in the city, as well as other economic development activities. He saw the city transform over the years, including helping some manufacturing businesses consolidate within the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park and create new spaces for residents and visitors to congregate downtown.

With all the success Olejniczak had bringing new businesses into the city or finding different spaces for existing businesses, he still wishes he had been able to lure a grocery store to the west side and a housing development to the former Door County Co-op site.

Olejniczak thanks the community for its volunteerism on city boards and commissions and his co-workers for their support over the years. The city is still in the process of hiring Olejniczak’s replacement, who is slated to take over in August.

Picture courtesy of City of Sturgeon Bay