Rachel Marlin '25 - Partner

Hello! My name is Rachel Marlin and I am a rising senior majoring in Economics with a minor in Spanish. I spent this summer working at Ardmore Initiative, a Business Improvement District (BID) supporting Downtown Ardmore, thanks to the Whitehead Internship Program. Ardmore Initiative is chartered by the Township of Lower Merion with a mission to improve and sustain Downtown Ardmore through actions such as streetscape initiatives, community events, and grants for local businesses. 

My main responsibilities this summer centered around data collection and analysis related to the business mix in Ardmore. My first project this summer was updating the data collected by Daniel Zabezhinsky '24 during his internship last summer. Along with fellow intern Sam Cosma '26, I collected data related to vacancy, business composition, and more information valuable to the Township. Throughout the summer, I completed multiple additional projects which included data collection and analysis which will be useful to the Ardmore Initiative and Lower Merion Township going forward. Some of my work will be included in the Ardmore Initiative’s Annual Report. 

I attended an informational seminar with Main Street America, an organization that supports downtown revitalization efforts throughout the country. Following the seminar, Sam and I applied the data we had collected earlier in the summer to a new tool introduced by Main Street America called the BOOMS (Building Opportunities on Main Streets) Tracker. The BOOMS Tracker provides a visual representation of vacancy rates throughout the district which will be useful to the Ardmore Initiative going forward. It is important to track vacancy rates.

I completed an additional project surrounding business retention rates. The Township of Lower Merion requested that Ardmore Initiative provide data on business retention rates in the next Annual Report. I was tasked with this project and grateful for the opportunity to be trusted with something significant. Business retention data is important because it allows us to understand what is keeping businesses successful in Ardmore, as well as what businesses we are missing. 

Lastly, I worked on the Black Squirrel Discount program, a way that Ardmore Initiative partners with Haverford College to incentivize students to support local businesses. I created an informational pamphlet which will be placed in first-years’ Customs bags detailing the discount program and recognizing how many amazing local businesses are within walking distance of the college. It’s important for students to connect to the community.

Overall, I feel I gained valuable knowledge and experience in local economic development through this experience with Ardmore Initiative, which would not have been possible without the Whitehead Internship Program. Many internship opportunities in economic development or nonprofit work are unpaid, making them inaccessible to many students. Thanks to the CCPA and Whitehead Program, students are able to pursue their interests without being held back by funding.