Eric Doden ’92 recently approached the Hillsdale County Commissioners with hopes of reviving business across downtown Hillsdale.

According to County Commissioner Doug Ingles, Doden offered to buy the Hillsdale County Courthouse Annex in September.

“Mr. Doden presented a purchase offer to the commissioners, but we have not made a decision on that purchase offer. He did not disclose final plans, so we’ll see how it goes,” Ingles said.  

Ingles said he does not know when or how the County Commissioners will decide on Doden’s proposal. 

Doden was the Head of Economic Development in Indiana, where he is now running for governor as a Republican. He hopes to use his company Pago USA to revitalize rust belt towns like Hillsdale.

“We strongly believe in public and private partnerships that result in the public gaining something they could not otherwise,” Pago USA’s website reads.

According to Pago, once the project is completed, local businesses then own the buildings, which returns capital back to the community.

“Once completed, the revitalized village could be purchased by a downtown trust, community foundation, or not-for-profit that would allow the community to own and operate their village,” the company’s website said. “This would permit the village to pay taxes and be continually improved while giving the entire community a sense of pride and respect.”

The term “pago” comes from the Latin word for village, which reflects Doden’s interest in small town America.

“I’m a kid that grew up in small town Indiana, in Auburn and Butler,” Doden said. “I accepted that things were declining.”

After his time at Hillsdale, however, Doden said he grew from apathetic to proactive. Post-graduation, he became the president of the Indiana Development Corporation, as well as the founding partner of Domo Development LLC and Venture LLC. 

Doden then partnered with Eric Shields, a coworker at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the manager of Cardinal Strategies, an economic development consulting group, to create Pago USA.

“It takes a team effort,” Shields said. “Everyone in the community is going to have a chance to help and build a vibrant place, possibly some of the best small towns in the Midwest.”

Pago USA prides itself in restoring “core buildings” in 24 to 36 months, allowing for a mixed-use business district. Once construction is completed, residents purchase or lease the buildings and create revenue of their own.

“You want to create 10 restaurants, 10 shops, and 10 entertainment venues per town,” Doden said. “Those will then be curated by the owners of the building and the entrepreneurs.”

Funding is obtained through a team of investors, negotiations with current property owners and tenants, and various county, state, and federal grants. These funding sources help pay for construction and consulting fees. In return, ownership of the buildings is given to the community for profit.

Van Wert, Ohio, is the location of one of Doden’s previous projects. Seth Baker, the chairman of the Van Wert County Foundation, partnered with Pago USA with the goal of revitalizing the small town under the project title “Van Wert Forward.”

“We had too big of a project to handle, with legal obstructions,” Baker said. “We looked for other property owners and had a conversation about a full block project. In March of 2019, it was Eric Doden who approached us and pitched the idea of the entire downtown all at once.”

In the beginning of 2019, the two groups worked with Van Wert residents and leaders to approve the plans.

“Pago served as a consultant,” Baker said. “We’re just like any small town. I don’t know where Hillsdale is on its development, but we’ve been in the process for two decades now. The city council, the county board, various foundations have all helped make this happen.”

The project was set to begin in June 2019. Since then, Pago USA has been renovating 35 buildings in downtown Van Wert. While COVID-19 created some setbacks, the groups still expect to finish efficiently.

“I think it’s worth it as a community to have the big conversation,” Baker said. “I remember we’d rolled our eyes initially thinking it was too big to accomplish. You have to have an appetite for change and the unknown. We control our destiny.”

Pago USA and Van Wert Forward both work with impact investments, which both parties describe as “moving investing from Wall Street to Main Street.” Plans for Hillsdale’s downtown are still under development, but Pago USA hopes to deliver profound results.

“There’s no one waiting in the wings to save your community,” Baker said. “Your state won’t, major corporations won’t. You must.”