By Dee Longfellow
During the presentation of his development plans to the Zoning & Planning Commission on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Tony Gambino praised Willis Johnson, noting what a fine businessman he was and how he inspired Gambino’s project.
Gambino talked about constructing the York Building nine years ago and how he has tried to emulate Johnson and his business practices. Several of the commissioners offered appreciation of his comments about Johnson.
Gambino said the following:
“Our actions were inspired by years of watching the way our neighbor Willis Johnson at the York Theatre conducted his business. Mr. Johnson always did more than was required to make his buildings look good and add to the overall look and feel of our downtown.
“He did not accept tenants that he felt did not add value to the area and he always kept his buildings impeccably maintained. The streetscape he created on the Schiller walkway is an example of going above and beyond to create something special. Rather than seeing the side of a building, you see what appears to be multiple storefronts. This inspired us to create actual storefronts on our portion of the Schiller walkway.
“Willis showed us that you could do what is in the best interest of your business and also in the best interest of the community.”
