Downtown Investment Authority CEO Resumes

[Metro Jacksonville]

Downtown Investment Authority CEO Resumes



The Downtown Investment Authority's search for a CEO is down to four finalist.  Here is a look at each candidate's resume and past achievements. Who stands out to you?

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-may-downtown-investment-authority-ceo-resumes

[Noone]

Thanks for posting the info.
Wasn't there a recent huge firing at JTA? Is that posted on another thread?
Is there a DIA meeting today? Might be a sub committee meeting.
I'll check. Stay positive.

[fieldafm]

The gentleman from WV is really intriguing to me.  He has gotten a lot of the basics right and creates environmnents that encourages private investment. 

[Noone]

There is a subcommittee meeting this morning at 10am first floor city hall.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I like downtown Charleston, WV a lot.

[CityLife]

Pretty darn impressive group. Hanna intrigues me quite a bit as well. Seems to be well versed in finance, CRA's/TIF's, and housing. Can anyone with knowledge of Atlanta share anything about his role there?

[thelakelander]

I still need to review through the other three candidates but I'm pretty familiar with the past of the WV guy.  I grew up 15 miles from the downtown he oversaw from 1987-2000. 

I personally remember the now restored upscale Lakeland Terrace Hotel being like the Laura Trio is today and being threatened with demolition.  I remember Munn Park being worse than what people think Hemming Plaza is now.  I remember all the downtown roads being one-way. Like our Main Street, if you hit one green light, you increased your speed to gun through all of them.  I also remember going to Mass Brothers/Burdines and JCPenney to shop.  I remember when they both closed their downtown stores to head to Lakeland Square in 1988.  I also remember the LDDA hiring Cy Paumier to come in and create a master plan for downtown's revitalization.


A part of that old master plan I scanned years ago.

Since my parents still live down there, I've also had the opportunity to see that place do a complete 180, since those dark days.  All the little things we struggle with today...

- Successfully creating a CRA plan,
- Finding creative solutions to turn surplus city owned buildings into economic generators
- Converting one-way streets (even FDOT streets) into two-way corridors lined with retail/dining
- Turning something worse than Hemming into a pristine urban square
- Successfully using CRA funds to improve the streetscape/lighting of every DT street
- Brining back the Lake Mirror Promenade (ex. think Hogans Creek promenade)
- Bringing Amtrak back downtown, etc.

Those things have been accomplished. Looking at Jax, if the only thing we achieve are the things mentioned above, our downtown environment would be vastly different than it is today.  Anyway, here are a few images of the things I just mentioned above:

Lake Mirror Promenade (before)



Lake Mirror Promenade (a couple of years ago)



This used to be a one way street (Bus US 92).  They took over control of it from FDOT, shut it down and converted it back into the original promenade it used to be.




Munn Park (like Hemming but green, maintained and surrounded by restaurants and retail)


infill on Munn Park


Streetscape has grown up now


Lemon Street Promenade - was a one-way FDOT arterial. Road diet converted it into a linear greenway, stretching the length of downtown.


New downtown Amtrak Station at Lake Mirror Park


This long abandoned narrow highrise (think Laura Trio) was restored into a boutique hotel.


http://www.terracehotel.com/

He then left and went to Hollywood (2000-2005).  I stopped in Hollywood and took pictures in 2011.  Here is what the results of 2000-2005 looked like then:

Hollywood Boulevard is basically a restaurant row (evidently, they found a way to get outdoor seating on both sides of the sidewalk)






Also noticed some new infill residential




There was a pretty clean restored and maintained urban park as well.







So, from my view, the WV guy definitely has some success in resolving many of the issues that downtown Jax struggles with.  It also helps, he's done CRAs in Florida and worked with entities like Amtrak to get them back downtown.

I've probably visited most of the places these finalist have been employed in.  As I go through each guy's past later today, I'll post images of the environments they oversaw.

[Cheshire Cat]

Wow, thanks for the hard work you put into this post Ennis.   What you have shared above looks very encouraging.  Looking forward to seeing what the other candidates communities looked like. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Great Job Ennis!

This city is so lucky to have such a tremendous resource like yourself.

I think I speak for most of us in saying that we are proud to have you and work with you daily here on (and at) metrojacksonville.

Its these little moments where you suddenly display a four dimensional familiarity with multiple projects in such a way that all of us can share in your research and documents that most of us realize that you are actually a giant.

I don't mean to interrupt the flow of this thread, but I did want to give you some much deserved thanks for doing the things you do.

Hear hear Stephen.  Well said and I completely agree! 

[thelakelander]

Thanks.  I guess scanning all those old planning documents and archiving images from various communities over the years, pays off at some point.

[Cheshire Cat]

Thanks.  I guess scanning all those old planning documents and archiving images from various communities over the years, pays off at some point.

Indeed it has and we are all glad you had the insight to do so.   

[Gators312]

Ennis you really are an asset to Jacksonville, and I hope the negatives of the city (NIMBYs, COJ, GOB network of developers and politicians) never convince you to move away. 

[CityLife]

Agreed with everything said about Ennis^. I wish the Times Union had done such a thorough job detailing the candidates experience. I mean this is kind of a big hiring for Jax....

Not that anyone expects anything better than trash from the TU comments section....but look at how poorly informed the posters are after the blurb about the position. Hopefully they will give more detailed profiles on the candidates in the near future.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-05-02/story/hunt-jacksonville-downtown-chief-narrows-four-candidates

[tufsu1]

I'm most impressed by the first two on the list....the third seems least impressive (even his resume format is bad)

[urbanlibertarian]

I spent a week in Charleston WV downtown about 2 years ago.  Very nice, but didn't he have the built-in advantages of a university campus and geography that discourages if not prevents sprawl?