Glendale’s Office of Economic Development announced Daniel Sabillon as the city’s first downtown manager.

In his role, Sabillon will lead development and redevelopment activities in Historic Downtown Glendale. A significant portion of the role will be focused on continuing to develop and maintain relationships with merchants, landowners, residents, regional stakeholders, developers and other partners to help facilitate development and business attraction.

He has also been tasked with marketing and establishing an online presence for downtown Glendale through local events and campaigns that will help regularly bring visitors to the area, a city news release states.

The city conducted a nationwide search for candidates.

The addition of the position comes as the city has begun revitalization efforts downtown, including a major reinvestment in the downtown campus.

“Excited doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling of embarking on this journey with the city of Glendale,” Sabillon shared in a statement. “I hold the downtown area in high regard because of its rich history and strong potential for economic growth. It was one of many reasons I chose to be a part of this community as a local business owner.”

Sabillon holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from Grand Canyon University where he served as operations manager for over a decade.

Sabillon will join the city on Monday, Aug. 1.