Rich Northup Retires from SID Ambassador Team

Maybe the third time will be the one that sticks. This month, Rich Northup retired from his position as a Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement District (SID) ambassador for the second time.

Rich started in the field of building security after a 30-year career in educational publishing. He met a few SID ambassadors and was inspired to join the organization.

“I saw these mad do-gooders, out on their bikes, making a real difference,” Rich said They made an impression on me, and I thought that it would be a really cool thing to do.”

With two stints at the SID's under his belt, broken up by the need for a knee replacement, Rich reflected on his time as an ambassador in downtown Columbus.

"The highlight was being part of such a unique team, that takes pride in its job and works together to make downtown better," Rich said.

He also complimented the leadership of Lisa Defendiefer, Deputy Director of Operations, and Ben Barker, Operations Manager for the SIDs.

Rich mostly remembers the people he’s been able to help. Each morning, he headed out on a “the morning wake-up call” to check on homeless folks to make sure they were safe and healthy.

“I’d ask them what they needed today. Are they ready to get into a shelter? Do they need water or food? You do the best you can do to take care of a need at the moment.”

One day, he found a new person on the streets who had been recently evicted. Northup connected him with the SID’s Outreach Team, Bill Cobun and Ryan Jefferson. They helped place him in a room at the YMCA. “We were able to help him before he got into a bad place,” Rich shared.

During his last week, another SID ambassador found a person suffering from a drug overdose. They called the police, who performed CPR, administered Narcan, and saved a life. That is a striking bookend on his ambassador career, one that emphasizes all the reasons he joined the SID ambassador team in the first place.