MACON, Ga. — NewTown Macon CEO Josh Rogers was a rising star when it came to developing the downtown industry scene - heading up Historic Macon for several years before moving over to NewTown Macon in 2014.
Rogers died Sunday of an apparent heart attack. He was 42 years old.
Karen Lambert, CEO and President of The Peyton Anderson Foundation says Rogers was a visionary who wanted to see downtown Macon thrive.
Jessica Walden with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce says in 2023, Rogers won the 2023 Citizen of the Year award. She says the agency's business vision wouldn't be the same without Rogers.
"When I can think about his quality of life, the vision he had for our community - it's one that we're living today and it leads back to his work," she said. "You can't have a successful chamber without having a successful community, without having this vibrancy, without having this quality of life and Josh was so key to making that happen for us."
13WMAZ reached out to Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller. He sent us a statement saying:
"Our hearts are with the Rogers family today, as well as with our Newtown Macon and Downtown community, as we grieve the loss of Josh Rogers. He was a true champion for our community, always pushing to make life better for all people. His leadership and his love of Macon was at the center of our city’s rejuvenation and growth, and he was an inspiration to all who knew him."
Lambert told 13WMAZ she helped move Rogers into the leadership role at NewTown Macon.
"He was so well suited for NewTown Macon and the work of redevelopment," Lambert said.
Lambert says Rogers had a vision for what it meant to be a Maconite. He helped turn downtown Macon into a vibrant place - from the Christmas lights to the Great American Main Street Award and Second Sundays.
Bert Maxwell, owner of Bert Maxwell Furniture Macon, says Rogers made this quiet city a place with a lot of hustle and bustle.
"All the parking spaces are full downtown every day. That's what's important," Maxwell said. "You go to other cities our size and the buildings, the parking spaces are empty, and he really put together a complete plan from the beginning."
Alex Morrison with the county's Urban Development Authority says he went to Mercer University at the same time as Rogers. He says they had a saying, 'Maconites first, second and always' because they thrived on having locals win.
"We knew that if we built a community that was great for the people who lived here, it'd be a great community for people who lived here, a great community to move here, and if we could get people to dip their toe in the water we could get them to love this place too," Morrison said.
Gary Wheat, CEO and President of Visit Macon says Rogers was all about Macon and understood that he wanted to make Macon a place for people to visit and then live.
Nathon Lott with Historic Macon says people should be proud of Rogers's legacy.
"He was executive director here at a pivotal time here for the organization. We raised more than $2 million to put into communities like Beall's Hill and Create Housing," Lott said. "And he took that passion to NewTown and bring revitalization to downtown."
Stephen Adams with the Industrial Authority says Rogers' success is a part of their agency's success. He says this loss is hard and Rogers' legacy will always be a part of the heart of Macon.
"We're thinking of the NewTown family, his direct family, all the partners of economic development. This something that's going to be felt for a long time," Adams said.