Jarrod Dillon, President of Business Operations for Orlando City SC, Orlando Pride, and Inter&Co Stadium, won Downtowner of the Year at the Golden Brick Awards on Wednesday for his contributions to downtown’s growth.
The Golden Brick Awards, an annual ceremony hosted by the Downtown Orlando Partnership, highlights the people, projects, and initiatives that contribute to the success and growth of downtown Orlando through the selection of 15 award winners from various categories. The ceremony, which highlighted contributions from 2024, took place in Steinmetz Hall within the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Dillon won Downtowner of the Year partially due to the success of Orlando Pride and Orlando City SC. The Orlando Pride gave Orlando its first major league sports championship last year after winning the NWSL Championship, and Orlando City SC earned its way to the MLS Eastern Conference Finals. Dillon also had an instrumental role in organizing over 230 events at Inter&Co Stadium in 2024, including soccer games and events for business organizations and nonprofits. These events collectively attracted about 750,000 people to the stadium.
“I think that number surprises some people, even our staff,” he said.
The Orlando Pride also won the Award of Excellence for winning the NWSL Championship and for holding a victory parade along Orange Avenue with more than 5,000 fans in attendance. Additionally, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials won the sporting events category for its role in attracting 350 elite athletes, 1,500 volunteers, and 100,000 spectators to downtown.
“As we continue to reinvent and reimagine downtown, one of the ways that we attract people and have funding in downtown is through sporting events,” Dyer said. “There is nothing that unites our community and nothing that activates downtown like sports.”
The 2024 EDC Orlando, a music festival near Camping World Stadium, was also recognized. The festival won the entertainment & special events category for attracting daily crowds with over 100,000 people and generating a more than $110 million economic impact.
Society Orlando, which opened last year on Orange Avenue, won the commercial and residential development category. The 27-story, 462-unit apartment tower from Property Markets Group and Raven Capital Management is known for its expansive amenity deck with a pool and spa, grilling areas, an activity lawn, and an entertainment stage.
Other amenities include a gym, a coworking area, an indoor social lounge, and a ground-floor lobby with a central bar and a dining and cocktail concept from Thriving Hospitality. Blue Coast Burrito and Just Love Coffee Cafe also plan to open in the ground floor of the tower.
The 4Roots Farm Campus Education Center near the Packing District won an award for sustainability & resiliency. It is the first building in Florida to achieve the Petal certification of the Living Building Challenge due to its negative carbon footprint, regenerative design, fully recyclable materials, and self-sufficiency. The building reduces portable water usage by 80% by using a rainwater catchment system, and generates power through a solar canopy.
The 18-acre 4Roots Farm, which harvests pesticide-free vegetables and distributes, uses the education center for community engagement and to host classes on growing and cooking healthy foods.
J. Henry’s Barber Shop, a neighborhood favorite in Parramore since the 90s, was recognized as the best redesign and renovation project. The business was forced to temporarily shut down in 2021 after a fire badly damaged its building. Owner John Henry reopened the barber shop last year after the building underwent extensive renovations that were funded in part by the City of Orlando’s CRA Facade Improvement Program.
FORDify the Arts Courtyard, which opened at the Rogers Kiene Building on Pine Street in December, won the public works & placemaking category for its role in transforming an unused alley into a public space for community gatherings and the arts. Dr. Paul Skomsky of Interstruct Design + Build and the Downtown Arts District partnered on the project, which incorporated materials salvaged from the former Church Street Ballroom.
CI Group was also recognized for the best new office design for the company’s new downtown Orlando office and showroom at 201 S. Orange Ave.
Bob Snow was also honored during Wednesday’s ceremony. While he didn’t receive a formal award, he was commemorated for his contributions to downtown as an entrepreneur and as the founder of Church Street Station. Snow died in January at the age of 82.
Winners from the remaining categories included the following:
Arts & Culture: Judson’s Live at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Community: Page 15, Inc.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: “Know Your Place” Documentary Film
Hospitality & Dining: The Drake Kitchen + Bar
Innovation & Technology: UCF & Orlando Health’s Epic Advantage
Game Changer: DTO Live!
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