Meet Our Staff: Joseph Timpone

Joseph Timpone is no stranger to Business Improvement Districts. His work with them began at the New York City Department of Sanitation before he joined the Downtown Alliance in March of 1995.

“I had the opportunity to work with the first BIDs in the city,” Timpone explained. “I worked with representatives of the BIDs to advise them on how their guidelines should be formulated.”

After assisting the successful launch of other BIDs, Timpone heard about the newest kid on the block, the Downtown Alliance, and signed on as Vice President of Operations.

Timpone — who is now Senior Vice President for Operations — has watched the Alliance grow and evolve. His department, for instance, expanded from offering supplemental sanitation and security services to providing transportation services and landscaping at several small parks.

He also watched Lower Manhattan grow and expand. “When I began with the Alliance this area was strictly a 9-to-5 business center,” he said. “I have enjoyed seeing the change to include more residential occupancy. Lower Manhattan is now a neighborhood and thus much more vibrant.”

For Timpone, the best part of the job is providing a service to the people of New York City.

“I make sure that when workers and residents hit the streets of Lower Manhattan our workers will be out and servicing them by providing sanitation, public safety and transportation services,” Timpone said.

And after 15 years with the Downtown Alliance, Timpone — a Flushing, Queens resident — is still thrilled to be here and helping Lower Manhattan.

“Many people ask when I plan on retiring,” he said. “My answer is, I can’t imagine what I could do in retirement that would give me the satisfaction that I feel every day working for the Alliance. Solving problems that affect the working and living conditions of so many people is the most compelling reason to continue to come to work every day.”

This interview appears in the Winter 2011 edition of Destination Downtown, the Downtown Alliance’s seasonal newsletter. Other articles spotlight Lower Manhattan businesses, examine new ways to enjoy Downtown’s incomparable amenities and discuss the mission of the Downtown Alliance.