Chief Executive Officer

POSITION PROFILE

Chief Executive Officer
Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC)
Erie, Pennsylvania

The Opportunity: Chief Executive Officer

The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC) is undertaking a national search to hire a new Chief Executive Officer to advance and expand one of the most successful Downtown revitalization efforts in recent history. Formed only 5 years ago, the EDDC has cultivated hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in Downtown Erie as part of its first phase of projects. As the organization completes this first phase and focuses in on future operations, EDDC will also begin to look down the road towards planning for its second round of investment in Downtown, it seeks a dynamic leader to carry the organization through this transition and continue Erie’s profound transformation.

 

The EDDC has positioned the organization, its approach, and the City of Erie as a model for other communities across the country. The team has preserved and restored several historic buildings, transformed vacant and underutilized spaces into vibrant community assets, created jobs through this work, laid the groundwork for hundreds of new jobs and provided opportunities for local entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. This transformational community development project has also moved forward despite a global pandemic, worldwide supply chain shortages, significant labor challenges and inflationary pressures. EDDC’s progress and strategy has captured the attention of Congress, the White House, urbanists like Bruce Katz, and national media such as the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

 

As we look to transition our inaugural leadership and move to a new phase of development, we are seeking a CEO who will maintain and build the momentum of this critical revitalization.

High-level responsibilities include: 

• Oversee completion of phase 1 EDDC projects 
• Lead operations for Phase 1 developments
• Begin developing plans for phase 2 with input from Board of Directors 
• Lead the staff and evaluate future staff needs based on phase 2 
• Lead and oversee discussions and strategic decision-making regarding project funding and financing

The EDDC is looking for a humble, enthusiastic, and experienced servant leader who can prioritize project oversight and operations and organizational leadership, while keeping an eye on advancing fundraising, leading EDDC between the completion of Phase 1 and the onset of Phase 2. The next CEO will possess experience and knowledge of construction management, asset management, and compelling placemaking, initially focusing on completion and management of Phase 1 projects. They will also have a role, along with the EDDC’s Board of Directors, in developing a vision for Phase 2 investments and serve as the ambassador for Phase 2 planning and capacity building. They will lead a successful organization, overseeing 15 FTE/5 PT staff and managing a $2.3M operating budget, and intentionally developing internal capacities necessary to plan and execute Phase 2.

 

The Role

 

The CEO is expected to:

• Lead the organization’s 20 team members to ensure successful execution of EDDC’s mission to provide a distinct experience in Downtown Erie. In the near term, this will include successful implementation of EDDC’s Phase 1 initiatives, encompassing operation of 126 apartment units, a grocery store, upscale meat market, distillery, and a food hall, and development of a multi-level garage with street-level boutiques as well as other future incoming developments. Contribute to developing a vision for Phase 2 investment in Downtown Erie, supporting efforts to fundraise among EDDC’s corporate and philanthropic partners that will carry forward the organization’s efforts to continue Downtown Erie’s successful revitalization.
• Work in collaboration with governmental entities such as the county’s Redevelopment Authority, the Erie Downtown Partnership and the newly appointed Erie City Planner as well as local neighborhood groups and the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership, to build upon internal organizational capacity to assist in delivering future transactions.
• Ensure that EDDC is regularly engaging with community members and stakeholders throughout all planning efforts and using their input to build a Downtown that attends to community needs.
• Report to the President of the Board of Directors. The Board is comprised of business and community leaders from Erie.

The Candidate

The CEO will:

• Be prepared to play a significant leadership role within the Erie community – one that constantly seeks out community input and energizes a team of stakeholders toward a common goal through a collaborative style of leadership.
• Be a self-starter with the initiative, ability, and social intelligence to put the strategies and tactics in place to achieve the objectives of the EDDC. The ideal candidate must work at the highest levels of integrity, honesty, and openness, and be effective at engaging stakeholders and community members and developing professionals to accelerate project completion.
• Foster inclusive and equitable practices in the workplace and within the Erie community as a leader that celebrates and supports the unique qualities of the diverse residents, communities, and neighborhoods that comprise our city.
• Have experience leading a small team both to design and to implement a big, bold vision for urban transformation. Strong analytical and operational expertise are core competencies for this position, as are an understanding of property management, hospitality, marketing and urban programming principles.
• Consciously steward EDDC’s resources to achieve EDDC’s planning objectives, while serving on behalf of the Erie community
• Ensure that projects reflect Erie resident goals, leveraging community engagement insights and local resources, and partnering with local companies and stakeholders to meet the needs of Erie residents.
• Have a proven track record of assembling capital to support project development and a working understanding of what’s involved in directing the implementation and packaging of multimillion dollar private and public/private development and/or redevelopment projects.
• Possess at a minimum a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or a related field from an accredited college or university (master's degree preferred), and at least 10 years (or equivalent) of senior-level urban development and organizational leadership experience.

Salary range : Low-Mid $200,000s, commensurate with experience. 

 

HR&A Advisors is supporting recruitment of candidates for this position. Send nominations, applications, references, questions and inquiries in confidence to:

 

Mark Kubaczyk, HR&A Advisors

 

Resumes will be accepted until Monday, March 6, 2023.

 

The Erie Downtown Development Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation in order to complete an application or any component of the application process, please call (814) 870-7582.

 

Background

Erie, Pennsylvania is undergoing an urban revitalization unlike any in its 225-year history. The city has strong engagement, a clear vision and the deep financial backing of the city’s key businesses, philanthropic organizations, higher education and public/elected leaders. Since 2017, the downtown revitalization led by the Erie Downtown Development Corporation has moved aggressively from research, fundraising and planning, to activation — discernibly changing the landscape of Erie’s downtown core.

 

Located in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania and on the shores of Lake Erie, the city is the fourth largest in the Commonwealth, behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown. It is conveniently located off Interstates 79, 90 and 86, and is a short drive to three major metropolitan areas. Cleveland, Ohio, is 100 miles to the west; Buffalo, New York, is 95 miles northeast; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is located 125 miles south. The City of Erie is home to nearly 100,000 residents. It serves as the hub of business, arts, culture, and recreation for the 270,000 residents of Erie County. Erie sits along Presque Isle Bay near beaches and waterfront trails on iconic Lake Erie.

Like other northeastern U.S. cities that have been heavily dependent on manufacturing, Erie entered the 21st century facing clear challenges. Major legacy corporations, like Hammermill Paper, Lord Corporation, AMSCO and Bucyrus were acquired by competitors and shifted headquarters and primary operations elsewhere. General Electric moved its Transportation division to Texas and sold its local plant to Wabtec, a transportation solutions company. Wabtec operates the plant at a fraction of GE Transportation’s former capacity. The loss of factory jobs and white-collar professionals fueled a population decline that has persisted through the 2020 census. These factors contributed to a weakened economy due to a declining population and tax base.

In response, political and urban advocates brought forth several plans to stem the economic slide. While the plans were clear in identifying needs and solutions, the collaboration, funding, and traction to bring about long-term changes and address growing economic disparity remained elusive.  The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC), formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in 2017, was established to solve for this gap (more on this below).

Erie’s story is a shared by dozens of America’s rustbelt cities. However, the approach, collaboration, and momentum in Erie today is anything but typical. While Erie is still known for its large industrial base, a more diverse economic mix of business and services is taking hold. Today, Erie is an emerging center for health care, higher education, insurance, and tourism. Among the area’s largest employers are Erie Insurance, UPMC, Wabtec, Saint Vincent Hospital, Allegheny Health Network, Barber National Institute, Gannon University and Plastek Industries.

The Erie Refocused Comprehensive Plan has been adopted by public, private and philanthropic leaders as a shared vision for the Erie community. It has been intentionally built on collaboration and leadership among private sector businesses, health care and academic organizations and the Erie Community Foundation. At the same time, in January 2018, a new Mayor was elected into office with a commitment to this collective way forward and collaboration from the public sector. This included implementation of a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program to help stimulate future investment in the City of Erie.

When the Erie Refocused plan’s author, urban planning expert Charles Buki, was asked where to start with implementing the plan, he stressed the need to start in the city’s core. Buki also recommended Erie look at what the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, did to revitalize its downtown through the work of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC).

EDDC Structure, Funding and Progress —

The  EDDC was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in 2017. Its primary purpose is to fuel economic growth through real estate development, strengthening the assets of the City of Erie. Over the last five years, it has undertaken this mission by coordinating, prioritizing, and obtaining funding for real estate development in Erie's downtown core.  

EDDC and a related entity, the Erie Downtown Equity Fund (EDEF), were formed simultaneously and modeled after Cincinnati’s 3CDC. 

The leaders of this Erie revitalization effort defined the respective roles, structure and governance models for the local development group and its funding arm. These public and private sector leaders also developed plans and goals, identified the capital needed and potential sources of that capital.   

 

EDDC and EDEF have separate boards. The EDDC Board President is Tim NeCastro, president & CEO of Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 company based in downtown Erie, and the largest employer in Erie County. The EDEF Board, which evaluates funding alternatives for EDDC projects with EDDC leadership, is chaired by Doug Ziegler, board member of Marquette Savings Bank, a participating organization in the Fund.

 

The initial focus of the EDDC work was to build awareness and buy-in within the community. Potential funders and community leaders (public officials and non-governmental business) were engaged in understanding the vital nature of this mission and how other communities were addressing similar issues. The primary goal was securing commitments to support the revitalization vision and invest in the foundational capital for planned projects. Funders committed to a certain level of support were entitled to the initial Board seats of EDDC and EDEF.  

 

Through the efforts of the newly formed boards, over $27 million was raised for EDEF in 2017-18, along with nearly $2 million of operating capital for EDDC intended to cover a 3-year period. Erie Insurance made the largest investments, ($5 million in EDEF and $450,000 in EDDC over 3 years).

Leveraging the EDEF, EDDC has been able to raise more than $70 million and has or will complete more than $100 million of development in downtown by early 2024, spanning three blocks in the center of downtown Erie.  

 

During this same time frame, with developments undertaken by Erie Insurance, UPMC Hamot, Gannon University, Scott Enterprises, Griffith Industries, Great Lakes Insurance, Logistics+ and others, more than $600 million of development is completed or underway in downtown Erie and along the waterfront. This unprecedented level of investment has stimulated redevelopment, new construction, new jobs, and opportunities for entrepreneurs. And in the community, it has restored hope in a vibrant future.

 

Phase 1 Development 

Development to date includes purchase of mixed use residential and commercial property, as well as creation of new options for living, retail, and dining. EDDC has developed 42 apartment units, a grocery store, upscale meat market, distillery, and a food hall. Other projects, including a multi-level garage with street-level boutiques, are under construction. This initial targeted area is directly adjacent to a rich arts and entertainment district where people will want to work, live, and play.  

 

As phase 1 work continues, discussions are underway regarding decisions related to future property management, maintenance, hospitality, and programming needs. Development activities for this phase are targeted to be complete by early in 2024. Planning for the next phase of EDDC work is set to begin mid-2024.

In August 2022, EDDC’s inaugural CEO announced plans to step down for family reasons, creating an opportunity for the Board of Directors to begin searching for the organization’s next leader. The current leader will remain in position until the end of Q1, 2023.