ALTON – There’s a new face at the RiverBender.com office. Grace Schwarte is excited to build up the community that built her.
Grace is the new Customer Success Manager who handles marketing and sales at RiverBender.com. She can’t wait to get to know the area from a new perspective, and she loves working with her fellow Riverbend residents to create a positive community for all.
“I consider myself a lifelong Alton resident,” Grace said. “I love connecting with people, and I think it can be a great way to just build community.”
Grace started working in downtown Alton at age 15. As a Marquette Catholic High School graduate, she has always enjoyed being in the downtown district, patronizing local businesses, and engaging with the community.
“I love downtown so much, so I was just so happy to be down here,” she said. “I met a bunch of amazing people that kind of really started getting me interested in the community and what kind of camaraderie we could have down here. That was really, really good.”
Grace went on to study communications and political science at Illinois State University, but she missed her hometown. When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, she returned to Alton and worked a series of jobs in Alton, Grafton and Godfrey.
Her father, Pat, taught her the importance of community. She got involved with the RiverBend Growth Association and continued her work with different businesses and organizations, including the Community Hope Center.
But she always wanted to engage with local media. After leaving her last job, Grace took a minute to reflect on her goals. She decided to apply for RiverBender’s Customer Success Manager position, and she was thrilled when RiverBender owner John Hentrich gave her a call.
“I wanted to get into marketing and media for the longest time,” she explained. “I turned down a lot of jobs that were in St. Louis, outside of Alton, in Edwardsville, stuff like that, because I knew I wanted to work here, and I knew I wanted to try and be involved with my community.”
This position will allow Grace to do exactly that. She will spend the majority of her time working with businesses and organizations to find ways that RiverBender can help them grow. She looks forward to getting to know the people who make up the community, and she can’t wait to help them find success.
Grace also expressed her appreciation to Hentrich and the RiverBender team. She is proud to work with a committed group of people who want to see the community thrive.
And Grace is thankful for her loved ones. She spends most of her free time with her fiancé, Brandon, and their puppy, Puddin’. She is proud of the life she is building in her hometown, and she knows firsthand the value of giving back to her community.
“I have a great community,” she said. “I would not be here without the community that I have, and so I’m just really grateful to them for getting me in a position where I can work in marketing and media.”
If you would like to learn more about how RiverBender can support your business or organization, contact Grace at grace@riverbender.com.
