HOW IT ALL BEGAN
We started by caring for what was right in front of us.
Joe Barantovich set out to plant flowers — a simple act to make the town feel cared for again. He approached landscape architect Laura Patterson for help, and together they began with stewardship.
Neighbors joined in. Participation built trust and momentum.
The first investment wasn’t money — it was people.
What began with planting days grew into something larger. The community rallied, new energy took hold, and early efforts helped spark local initiatives, new businesses, and successful grant support.
What started as a small act of care became a shared commitment to preserve heritage and shape a future rooted in pride, opportunity, and possibility.
WHO WE ARE
Joe Barantovich - President
Patty Columbia - Vice President
John McCune - Treasurer
Delaney Harvey - Secretary
Angel Albright
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADVISORY BOARD
Mark Deitrick
Laura Patterson
OUR APPROACH
A community-rooted approach to renewal, preservation, and opportunity.
The Perennial Model
The Perennial Project brings together cultural preservation, community-driven design, education, and emerging technology to support long-term renewal. The Portals Project demonstrates this approach in action.
Rooted in local participation and built through hands-on work, this model connects placemaking, youth workforce pathways, digital documentation, and heritage tourism to strengthen identity and expand opportunity.
Together, these efforts build skills and catalyze locally rooted economic renewal — in Brownsville and in communities facing similar challenges.
WHY BROWNSVILLE?
Once a gateway to westward expansion and a force in the industries that powered a nation, Brownsville was built on movement, ingenuity, and reinvention.
Because this is home. Because resilience is not a slogan here — it is lived experience, forged through generations.
Like thousands of communities across the country, Brownsville faces structural challenges. But it also holds the assets that built America in the first place: identity, place, and people willing to lead.
Renewal here is not theoretical. It is being tested, refined, and built in real time.
If it can work here, it can work anywhere.