ABOUT US

KIRSTEN + JOE

The principals of Place + Main Advisors, LLC are a dynamic duo with a combined 40 years of experience in economic and downtown development, real estate development, promotions and marketing, public relations, nonprofit and project management experience.

 

They are recognized experts in the field of economic development strategy and community marketing and are instructors in these areas for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Redevelopment Ready Communities program and have been featured speakers at the White House Placemaking Summit and National Main Street Conference.

 

They also happen to be husband and wife.

 

Our Team

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Joe Borgstrom, Principal
(517) 614-2733  joe@placeandmain.com

Joe Borgstrom is an accomplished professional in the fields of Downtown Redevelopment, Community and Economic Development, Main Street and Placemaking. His 20 year career includes executive management, project financial structuring and evaluation, fund development, foreign direct investment recruitment, program management, public speaking and consulting. He and his teams have used state and local incentives to leverage more than $2.2 billion in private investment into communities.

 

Borgstrom is a principal in the consulting firm, Place + Main Advisors, LLC, which he co-founded with his wife, Kirsten Borgstrom. Place & Main Advisors specializes in downtown and traditional commercial district revitalization using Placemaking techniques and Main Street strategies. Their firm offers services to developers, statewide associations, Main Street Coordinating programs, and local downtowns and commercial districts. Their services include training and equipping developers, downtowns and commercial districts with the knowledge, skills and strategies they need to be successful.

 

He has been a featured keynote speaker at statewide downtown conferences in Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina and Delaware and was a featured speaker at the White House Placemaking Summit.

 

Joe was formerly the Director of Downtown & Community Services at MSHDA, which included the national award winning Michigan Main Street program. He was a founding member of the Community Assistance Team (CATeam) and served as its director at MSHDA and at the MEDC. He rounds out his resume with previous positions that include President and CEO of the Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership and as an Account Manager for the Flint-Genesee Economic Growth Alliance (now part of the Flint-Genesee Chamber of Commerce.)

 

 

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Kirsten Borgstrom, Principal
(517) 331-3433  kirsten@placeandmain.com

In addition to being a principal with Place + Main Advisors, Kirsten Borgstrom also owns her own successful public relations firm, PubHound Public Relations, LLC. With more than 20 years of experience in the public relations and marketing fields, she has performed all aspects of these industry activities. Her diverse background includes marketing and media efforts in travel and tourism, economic development, real estate development, and sports marketing. Her varied expertise includes success at the local, regional and national levels.

 

Prior to launching PubHound Public Relations, Kirsten was the Media Relations Manager for Travel Michigan. Her responsibilities included development and implementation of local, regional and national media relations programs to support the Pure Michigan campaign. Under her direction, Travel Michigan realized a more than tenfold increase in total media placements and generated positive media in national outlets such as USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, The Today Show, Good Morning America and CNBC, in addition to numerous in-state and regional placements.

 

During her time at Travel Michigan Kirsten worked with several Destination Marketing Organizations and statewide associations including the many Michigan Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds, the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association, Great Lakes Winter Trails Ski Council and the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. Prior to moving back to Michigan, Kirsten was responsible for marketing, public relations and special events for Chicago’s Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. From planning to implementation, Kirsten successfully led a team of volunteers to execute The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, an annual holiday event attracting more than 500,000 visitors to the area for the one-day celebration. She also worked as a marketing coordinator for The John Buck & Company, a large, Chicago-based real estate development firm, and worked with major national tenants like DisneyQuest, ESPNZone and Homewood Suites by Hilton.