City and Downtown Salem Partnership officials along with local business owners Friday presented Dustin Bates with the DSP Downtown Doer Award. Best known for his musical career, Bates has been committed to promoting growth in Salem’s downtown and is the owner of Courtyard Square. Pictured from left is Jessie’s Closet Boutique owner Jessica Dinisio and her 3-month-old son Liam, DSP Treasurer and owner of LiB’s Market Ben Ratner, City Councilwoman and Downtown Committee Chair Sara Baer, Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello, Bates, DSP President William Dawes, previous Downtown Doer Award Recipient and owner of State Street Tattoo and State Street Salon Brandon Mohr, DSP Vice President and Kast Iron Soda Works Co-owner Wil Kline, and Salem Alumni Association Executive Director Audrey Null. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

SALEM — A local celebrity was presented with the Downtown Doer Award by the Downtown Salem Partnership.

The Downtown Doer Award is presented to individuals that make significant contributions to promote and develop Salem’s historic downtown. Dustin Bates, a 1999 Salem alum is best known as singer/songwriter for the band Starset, was presented with an etching of the patent for a Gibson electric guitar.

“Through his efforts and commitment to enhancing our downtown, he has exemplified what it means to be a true champion of our community, a ‘Downtown Doer,'” said Downtown Salem Partnership President William Dawes.

Dawes described Bates as “an individual whose dedication and vision have significantly impacted Salem’s downtown community. Dawes compared Bates’ commitment to promoting development within Salem to NBA player Lebron James’ famed connection to the city of Akron.

“In a remarkable parallel to Lebron James’ commitment to Akron, our recipient is leveraging his fame to enrich Salem. Just as Lebron uses his celebrity status to uplift his hometown, our recipient is returning to his roots and using his platform to invest in and rejuvenate our community,” said Dawes.

Chief among Bates’ achievements within the city is Courtyard Square, which has not only fostered, but houses a blooming community of small businesses, many of which are owned by residents of Salem and its surrounding communities. Dawes cited this as one of the reasons Bates was chosen for the award, describing it as “a culture of entrepreneurship and growth within our historic downtown.'”

For his part Bates described the award as “an incredible honor,” noting that his work within the community was a passion project for him.

“This project [Courtyard Square], and my others in the area, have been done entirely in passion. I kind of forget that people can see them from outside, so to be recognized and honored like this is really incredible,” said Bates.

Bates said that he wanted to see Salem “continue to grow and thrive,” and that he was eager to “play his part” in that process. Bates also said that he intended to continue investing in and promoting growth within the community.

“I love seeing Salem, and the community grow, and I can’t wait to continue making investments into this town and see it flourish; and I’m excited to continue doing my part in making that happen,” said Bates.