About Us

About DFI inc.

Downtown Framingham, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to serving both the residents and local businesses of downtown Framingham. By donating you can support efforts to creating a vibrant and socially engaged area in the MetroWest region.

Meet the Director

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Our Mission

Downtown Framingham is an extraordinary mix of people and businesses, rich with diversity and languages. Downtown Framingham Inc. (DFI) is the vibrant organization that was created to help support the small business entrepreneurs, residents and community members of Downtown Framingham. The mission of Downtown Framingham, Inc. (DFI) is to enhance the economic and cultural vitality of Downtown Framingham by following the tenets of the Main Streets America Model (economic vitality, promotion, design, and organization). Aligned with the Economic Development Department and Planning Board of City government, DFI provides complete comprehensive advice for all interactions with city departments. In addition, DFI works collaboratively with organizations in and around the city to develop inclusive events that support community engagement.

Meet the Director

The Board of Downtown Framingham Inc. (DFI) is pleased to announce that it has hired Reyad Shah as its new Executive Director. DFI’s mission is to help the downtown Framingham business and residential community thrive, and Reyad’s experience will go a long way towards making this happen.

A Framingham native and current resident of South Framingham, Reyad attended Framingham Public Schools and chose to work within FPS in a variety of roles. Most recently, he was the manager of the district’s Secondary Out of School Time Program, which used grant funding and district resources to provide a variety of after school experiences for all students.

With strong people skills, experience in grant writing and fundraising as well as proficiency in Spanish, Reyad is looking forward to hitting the ground running, meeting with small business owners, downtown residents and community leaders. The Executive Committee of the DFI Board is very pleased to welcome Reyad to this role. “We think that Reyad brings the right talents and experience in community work to lead our organization; we are confident he will be a great fit for the whole community.” said DFI Vice President Leslie White Harvey. The Board also wishes to thank Anthony Lucivero, the outgoing Executive Director, for his assistance with the transition.

DFI is known for events like yoga on the downtown common as well as Oktoberfest, and collaborates with other organizations to champion the downtown area. Shah is excited to expand on these offerings in the year to come. “Downtown Framingham has so much to offer, from the variety of fantastic food offerings to the number of locally owned small businesses. We want to highlight what our downtown has to offer and build on the momentum that has been established here over the last several years.” Shah remarked.

Shah begins work this week and noted that he is also looking forward to providing day to day technical assistance to those who would benefit from it. “Many of our downtown businesses are family run and immigrant owned. They might not always have the time or comfort in navigating
the permitting process that is essential for businesses to open and operate. I really want to help the business owners work as smoothly as possible with city departments so that we are all executing on the same vision for downtown.”

Lastly, Reyad noted he wants to make sure that DFI is supporting downtown residents as well as businesses. “I live here, and I want to make sure I’m accessible to everyone. When I’m out walking my dog, I’d love it if people stopped to chat, share an idea, or ask me and DFI for
assistance. Those are the types of interactions that keep me going and that I want to bring to this role.”