In an era where some leaders play bully ball, Jason Ilstrup prefers to keep it cordial, a trait that has and will continue to pay dividends in the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Madison.
For his ability to get things done with a little Midwestern nice, Ilstrup, president of Downtown Madison Inc., has been selected as the 40 Under 40 alum of the year.
Inclusive downtown
Ilstrup’s background includes a law degree from the University of Minnesota, serving in the Peace Corps in Niger, and stints in the hospitality industry.
The Minneapolis native lives in Madison with his wife, Rachel Sattler, and their young son. The couple shares a passion for community service, as Rachel is senior managing attorney with Lotus Legal Clinic, which provides legal services to survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence, and founder of DaneMAC, a nonprofit that supports victims of sexual violence.
How DMI can serve the community was certainly on Ilstrup’s mind when he succeeded Susan Schmitz as president of DMI in early 2018. As the new president, he wanted to focus on issues such as economic development and transportation inclusiveness by making downtown more welcoming to outsiders.
Bus rapid transit, which he supported, has helped in that regard, but the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis tested his collaborative style of leadership in 2020.
Former DMI board chair Nathan Wautier, an attorney and shareholder with the Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren law firm, recalls walking with Ilstrup during a 50-mile walk event (from Monona Terrace to Mount Horeb and back) when Ilstrup received a call from Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on the way back to Madison. According to Wautier, she was giving Ilstrup a heads up about likely demonstrations, including the possibility of some violence with property damage to downtown businesses.
Fortunately, he had wasted no time doing what he does best — making connections that last. “This is when windows were getting smashed,” Wautier said. “Before that happened, Jason was the person the mayor called to spread the word to the downtown business organizations, and people that had any connection to downtown, to help prepare and to minimize the damage of what was coming, and that spoke to just how embedded Jason is in our community.”
Given his personal qualities, Wautier considers Ilstrup to be the right person to lead DMI amid the downtown’s current redevelopment surge. From the pending redevelopment of three former state office buildings — GEF-2 and 3 on South Webster Street and the historic 1 W. Wilson St. building, the likely site of an Amtrak station — to the Madison LakeWay project, the unfolding makeover is a source of excitement for Madison residents and public officials.
This and subsequent redevelopment will be guided by Envision Downtown Madison, a new strategic plan developed in partnership by DMI and the city of Madison.
The plan, which will be finalized later this year, is one of Ilstrup’s proudest accomplishments as president of DMI because in guiding future growth and public investments, it advances his goal of inclusivity.
“It’s going to be really important now, as downtown continues to grow, that we understand how we’re going to plan, what our big moves are and what our vision is,” Ilstrup said. “What we should be shooting for is to make this downtown a place where everyone feels welcome, where everyone feels like they have something for them, whether that’s work, live or play.”
Ellie Westman Chin, president and CEO of Destination Madison, works with DMI on many of the activities and events that make downtown Madison a tourist attraction. She said the Envision Downtown Madison strategy is well aligned with Destination Madison’s own strategic plan.
“It’s really fun because there’s actually quite a few organizations that have at least one to three pillars in each of our plans that align really well,” Westman Chin said. “I hope that sends a great message to Madisonians that these community organizations are working together to build up the greater good, and Jason is definitely a leader in that movement.”
That DMI worked well with the city on the Envision Downtown plan is a testimony to Ilstrup’s collegial nature. He maintained a good working relationship with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway even after their well-publicized disagreement over the bus rapid transit route on State Street.
Developing a grudge is not his style. “I’m able to move on very quickly and I’m just trying to be in the position of positivity,” Ilstrup said. “Now, can that mean that some people think I’m naïve at times or pollyannish or whatever word you want to use? Yes, but I would rather be positive in what I believe in and try to use that positivity to accomplish whatever we’re trying to accomplish.”
Ultimately, they agreed BRT would be good for downtown Madison and the city as a whole. “We are both full supporters of bus rapid transit,” Ilstrup said. “We just didn’t agree with 1% of the route, but you know what? BRT has been fantastic for downtown and it’s been fantastic for the community, and we need to make sure that it’s a success, whether or not it runs on the route I wanted.”
Another point of pride is his ability to connect people, which is something Ilstrup does naturally. “It’s something that I’m wired to do and I like doing,” Ilstrup said. “I love making connections between different organizations — for profit and nonprofit, government, public-private, small and large — to try to help make downtown Madison an economically strong, equitable, inclusive and vibrant place to live, work and visit, and also just to see where it leads for companies and for people.
“Sometimes it’s just because they might become friends,” Ilstrup said. “Connections are a really important part of successful economic development but I also think it’s an important part of what civil society needs more of now.”
