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Longtime Leesburg resident helps shape town’s future
Marantha Edwards, the Town of Leesburg's business development manager, moved to Leesburg in the early 1970s – when Loudoun's population was about 40,000 compared to nearly 300,000 today.
She learned the perils of commuting early in her career. Her first job was in the reservations department for Delta Airlines when the company was located in Arlington. She even made the commute when Delta moved to Rockville, Md.
She eventually switched to Presidential Airlines, which was headquartered at Washington Dulles International Airport, to be closer to her Leesburg home. She then worked as a client manager for Visa Interactive, also located in the Dulles Corridor. In the late 1990s, she applied for a job with Loudoun County’s Department of Economic Development, with the dream of living and working in the same place -- Leesburg.
While she was waiting to hear from the county, she heard that the Town of Leesburg was looking to fill an economic development position. She interviewed and got the job, starting as the tourism and marketing manager for the town in 2000.
Edwards was the town’s acting economic development director for 18 months while the town searched for a new head, eventually hiring current Economic Development Department Director Betsy Fields. This year, Edwards was promoted to business development manager.
Edwards lives in Leesburg with her husband, Leon.
Have you always lived in Loudoun?
No. I actually moved to Ashburn [from Rhode Island] in 1969. [I lived] right at the intersection of routes 7 and 28. ... It was a large piece of property and my parents rented [a house] there. And I started at Broad Run [High School] in 10th grade, when Broad Run sat in the middle of a corn field. … Subsequently my parents moved to Leesburg and I had to get special permission to live in Leesburg and attend Broad Run. … So I graduated from Broad Run in 1973.
How long had Broad Run been open at that point?
My 10th-grade year was the first graduating class.
Where did you go to college?
James Madison University. It was called Madison College then. I graduated in 1977.
What are your primary responsibilities as business development manager for the Town of Leesburg?
We are still advertising for a business retention manager. As soon as that position gets filled and we are at full complement we will sit down and come up with strategies for business development and business retention. ... And then the other element of that … is what [Town Manager] John Wells recently took to the town council, the 10-point strategy to make Leesburg a customer-service friendly environment, to focus on outreach to the developer community.
You must have seen Leesburg really change since you were a teenager, but what has remained the same?
You know it’s funny … sometimes it’s hard to remember what was here …but what is consistent is that the historic district and the historical architectural fabric of the downtown has remained the magnet. We always had good restaurants. We now have Tuskies and Lightfoot and Eiffel Tower. … We have … independent boutique stores. The market has fluctuated, though. Back in the '70s, there used to be a country western store [in the downtown]. … I used to work at Harvest Trading company. I worked at Leesburg Restaurant as a waitress. I worked at the Laurel Brigade as a waitress. … There are plenty of things that have been consistent, certainly in the core of downtown.
What has changed?
The big change in momentum that I see ... and probably not as fast as some would like … is that Leesburg is not the kind of place where you live and have to go somewhere else to work. It’s changing. You know, it’s not as much of a bedroom community as it used to be.
What do you hope Leesburg will be like in 20 years?
In my perfect world, [Leesburg] has a performing arts center. I’ve raised two theater kids, so I feel that is an important part of life … Also, my perfect world includes an arts academy that includes visual and performing arts. ... There would still be a high quality of life … but [the town would be] more pedestrian-oriented, people would be riding more bikes. I would always hope that there would be great creative skilled jobs so that people don’t have to leave here.
What do you think is Leesburg’s biggest challenge moving forward?
One of the challenges in any community … is getting people to care about it and get involved. We just came through an election. Now I’m not sure what the election [turnout] numbers were, but it is never what we hope. So I think that one of our challenges is to get more people involved, whether it is coming to events, whether it is shopping downtown, whether it’s helping to raise money for a performing arts center. … And that’s a challenge in a place like this because people are busy with other elements of their lives. … Instead of quietly sitting in their living room saying, "I wish Leesburg did this, I wish Leesburg had that," I wish people would get up off their seat and say, "You know, let me help work toward that."
You said you have kids?
My daughter [Noel] is a freshman at JMU in theater, and my son [Ethan] is in graduate school at George Mason working toward an MFA in English.
Do you hope that the town will evolve to attract younger residents?
Absolutely. Young people could make a significant creative contribution to the community, but if they can’t afford to live here and/or the magnet isn’t here for them, it is not going to happen.
If you had a day off, what would you do?
I would try hard not to feel compelled to clean house and do laundry. (Laughs) One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing is to wander aimlessly downtown. I love the second-hand stores. That’s probably one of the things that I would do.
Any hobbies?
I like to travel. … I like to read, I like to garden, I like to mess around with flowers.
What was your last trip?
Beyond going to Harrisonburg and staying at a really cool B&B, we went to Charleston, S.C., … I loved that.
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