After 10 Years Leading the Union Square Alliance, Karin Flood Takes over the Reins of Landmark Flood Building
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After 10 Years Leading the Union Square Alliance, Karin Flood Takes over the Reins of Landmark Flood Building
27 September 2021, San Francisco, CA: Karin Flood, Executive Director of the Union Square Alliance (formerly known as the Union Square Business Improvement District) has announced that she is leaving her role at the end of October. As Executive Director, she represented the interests of property owners and merchants in the Union Square area who fund the organization through property assessments to provide clean, safe, marketing and advocacy services. The board and members of the Union Square Alliance thank Karin for her almost 10 years of distinguished service to Union Square and the City of San Francisco.
“The Union Square Alliance is extremely grateful for the esteemed service of Karin Flood. She is a champion and steward for our community and will forever have left her mark on Union Square,” says Mark Purdy, President of the Union Square Alliance Board of Directors and SVP Investment & General Manager, San Francisco at Grosvenor Americas.
Ms. Flood represented member interests through the ten-year SFMTA Central Subway construction project which will open for revenue service in the Spring 2022. To mitigate the effects of the construction during the holidays, the Union Square Alliance created the “Winter Walk” activation on Stockton Street– a pedestrian pop-up plaza with greenspace, food and entertainment for the public to enjoy. Most recently, Ms. Flood led the district through the Covid-19 pandemic and has set up the Union Square district on a path toward recovery.
Highlights of her leadership include hosting the International Downtown Association Annual Convention in 2015 and the ten-year renewal of the Union Square Business Improvement District in 2019, which increased the annual budget by 60% and enabled the district to provide additional services. Under Ms. Flood’s leadership, Union Square Alliance developed a district-wide security camera network with 430 cameras and raised over $12 million in private funding to further supplement the efforts of the Alliance.
During her tenure, Ms. Flood worked with 3 Mayors, 3 San Francisco Police Department Chiefs, 5 Central Station Police Captains, 3 Public Works Directors, 2 District Attorneys and many District Supervisors. In her role, it was always her goal to work collaboratively with San Francisco city leadership to solve problems and improve the safety, cleanliness and vibrancy of the Union Square area – the heart of our City.
In addition to her work ensuring Union Square continues to be a desirable destination for visitors and an economic engine for the City, Ms. Flood also recently served as the President of the California Downtown Association, an organization that advocates collectively for business improvement districts. She is also a member of the San Francisco Benefit District Alliance, the Co- Chair for the Central Station Police Advisory Committee and recently joined the San Francisco Police Foundation.
Prior to leading the Alliance, Ms. Flood was the Director of Business Development and Marketing for MJM Management Group, a property management firm specializing in the management and activation of public spaces including Yerba Buena Gardens, Union Square Park and several Mission Bay Parks. Ms. Flood also worked for San Francisco Public Works as the Coordinator of the Adopt-A-Street Program under Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. Ms. Flood is a fifth generation San Franciscan and resides in the City where she is raising her two children Anna-Liisa (20) and James (17).
Ms. Flood has announced she has become the President of Flood Corporation, overseeing the management and operations of 870 Market Street a role most previously held by her late father James C. Flood, who passed away in February 2020. 870 Market Street is a historic landmark also known as the Flood Building. The building was built by her Great Grandfather James L. Flood in 1904 as a tribute to his father and was then the largest building in San Francisco. It is now home to over 300 diverse office and retail tenants and sits at an important crossroad – the Powell Street Turnaround of the Cable Car – then and now. She is proud to be the first woman in the family to have to honor to be a steward for this magnificent building, in partnership
with property manager Wilson Meany, that in many ways serves tenants who represent and reflect the diversity and richness that is San Francisco.
The Union Square Alliance will announce a new Executive Director in the upcoming weeks.
About the Union Square Alliance:
The Union Square Alliance serves members and creates a high-quality visitor experience by managing and activating public spaces, attracting new investment, and advocating for the District’s future success. Union Square is the vibrant heart of San Francisco and an international destination where visitors come to enjoy exceptional retail experiences, luxury hotels, world-class cultural institutions, and great public spaces found only in the City by the Bay. A lively 27-block community surrounding Union Square Park in the heart of San Francisco makes up the Union Square Alliance. It is generally bordered on the north by Bush Street, on the east by Kearny Street, on the south by Market Street and on the west Taylor Street. For more information on the Alliance, go to www.visitunionsquaresf.com.
