Sadie Trytten took the reins of Neighborhood Development Corp. on Jan. 1, leading the nonprofit’s mission of revitalizing commercial and multifamily properties in up-and-coming neighborhoods that are underserved by the private sector.

She previously served as NDC’s director of real estate, director of operations and sat on the organization’s board. Trytten also served as executive director for the FuseDSM chamber of commerce after leading the South Des Moines and East Des Moines chambers of commerce before they merged. After graduating from University of Northern Iowa, she worked in the printing industry.

Trytten grew up in a single-parent household in Remsen, in northwest Iowa, after her dad died in a car accident when she was 5 years old. She played volleyball while attending Remsen St. Mary’s High School, and planned to continue playing in college until Westmar College in nearby Le Mars closed, leading her to attend UNI.

It’s the culmination of those life and career experiences, along with her passion for the community, that Trytten said motivates her to continue NDC’s work to redevelop dilapidated properties, which it does with the help of $1 million each year from the city of Des Moines. 

Among NDC projects are Chuck’s Restaurant in the Highland Park neighborhood, and the building that houses Lucky Horse Beer & Burgers, at 2231 University Ave., in the Drake neighborhood.

NDC’s office is on the second floor of that building, and that’s where the Business Record sat down with Trytten to learn more about her vision for NDC.

Her responses have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Where does your passion for redevelopment come from?

I think the key point to me is the community. I’ve always been involved in helping and volunteering my whole life. Growing up with a single mom raising kids. Being in Catholic school it was always giving back: What can you do to help? Being in a small town, it took a village. I was class president all four years. I’ve always had this drive to be organized, get people together, how can we make things happen? Development is certainly important to me, but I think it’s a higher level of just community that matters. When I was with the chamber, I felt like I was helping businesses, helping the community. It has to be where I am feeling like I’m making an impact in the place where I live.

How does your previous work experience prepare you for this role?

I think it’s just being prepared and being organized. If something happens that you don’t expect, figure out how to make it happen and make it work. Not that it can’t be or it won’t. Let’s go. Let’s make the best of whatever the situation is and figure it out. Being open and honest and transparent. 

What are your goals as executive director of NDC?

Our goal is to keep accepting that million dollars from the city and making sure we’re partnering it with any other sources we can apply for and asking the county when it makes sense, so we’re getting the most out of the city’s dollars. Our 28E agreement with the city is up in two years, but with the budget cuts and other factors, I think our goal is really just to prove to elected officials and the community that we are important and showing our return on investment to the city. I think our goal is to prove that we are worth being here.

You mentioned budget cuts, what other challenges does NDC face in the coming year?

Interest rates. The cost of construction. Those are the biggest. Things we can’t control. We used to be able to get two or three projects done a year with the $1 million from the city. Now we can barely get one. So we’ve restructured our goals and we have to align and partner with other investors.

Describe your management style.

I’m very hands off. I’m very detail-oriented. I’m all about tasks and to-do lists. And I’m a very visual person. Agendas and follow-ups. Maybe that’s my right brain, artsy side.

How does that artsy side benefit you or give you advantage in your new role?

I think being creative and looking at projects and seeing what they could be. When I travel, I’m always looking at architecture, the structure, whether it’s a church, commercial space, anything. It’s just seeing it and envisioning what could happen. It’s fun to envision something and see it come to fruition.

How do you measure success?

The bottom line is we do have to look at the numbers. Look at those valuations. What’s the ROI? What’s the city getting back for their investment in us? But also that the neighborhoods are happy. We meet with the neighborhoods anytime we’re doing a project. Our council members. We want to make sure we’re representing their wards where they need us to be. And that we’re an organization you can trust, and I think we’ve proven that with a lot of business owners that maybe came in skeptical.

You have mentioned your faith, what role does your faith play in how you approach your work?

I keep my faith separate, minus the core values of honesty and respect. I don’t ever preach what I’m doing faith-wise. For me, it’s like being stressed or worried about things. It’s like you worry about it once and after that you give it to God. I don’t say, “Oh, I just washed my hands of things.” But on the stress level, you can’t control what you can’t control. So, maybe having reflections and giving it to God. I wouldn’t say that here, but I do in my heart and in my head. 

What’s next for NDC?

Our next big project area is the old cold storage area by Riverview. We try to stay in a certain neighborhood for a while then move along to have our pipeline be where we’re looking to acquire here. We’re stabilizing here. We’re divesting over here and keep things moving. So we’ve been in the Drake neighborhood for about 10 years. We’re going to prepare to sell this building and use funds to keep us moving along. Depending on what the sale looks like and the rent roll and requirements they might say we want you to stay here for two more years when they buy the building. That’s perfect. It’s going to be two to three years by the time space in the cold storage area by Riverview is done and we can move in. If you see the amphitheater by the riverwalk bridge, there’s cold storage stuff there. We bought one building and demolished another. We’re getting ready to design that this summer and start building this fall.

Why is it important for NDC to have offices in neighborhoods where it is working?

It is important for the neighborhood to know us and trust us and make sure the neighbors know we’re investing in them. 

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At a glance

Age: 45

Family: Married, two daughters, one son and two grandchildren

Education: Bachelor’s degree in art with emphasis on graphic design

Activities: Participates in a book club, plays volleyball, bicycling and spends time with family and their activities

Contact: Sadie@ndcdm.org