The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority will embark on its “next chapter” under new leadership that will put inclusion at the forefront of economic strategy, Mayor Bill Peduto and authority officials announced Thursday.
Greg Flisram, 57, of Kansas City, Mo., will be the economic development authority’s new executive director starting in January.
Diamonte Walker, who has been in the position of the URA’s interim executive director, has been named the deputy executive director.
Mayor Bill Peduto said the announcement marked a “historic day” for the authority, while also announcing a new position in his cabinet that will work with the URA.
“From this day forward, the economic development strategy of the city of Pittsburgh is forever changed,” he said. “It is now one that will focus on building a new economy for all and restoring our neighborhoods through housing and entrepreneurship in order to be able to see the whole potential of the people who call Pittsburgh home.”
The “dynamic leadership team” will be tasked with promoting Pittsburgh’s economic growth in a way that “simultaneously keeps Pittsburgh affordable and grows a middle-class wage economy” said URA Board Chairman Sam Williamson.
Mr. Flisram currently works as the interim president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, which is credited with creating 3,500 jobs and managing $1 billion of capital investment per year, according to information issued by the mayor’s office.
Prior to his position in Kansas City, Mr. Flisram was development director for the city of Green Bay, Wis., where he worked with the Packers on the development of a “sports and entertainment-focused ‘Titletown District’ adjacent to Lambeau Field,” according to the mayor’s office.
“Pittsburgh is a city that people in my profession have had their eyes on for a very long time,” Mr. Flisram said. “... It’s really the envy of post-industrial economies throughout the world at this point. So I think this job is to really continue that momentum and write the next chapter of the city’s economic development history but do it in a way that is more inclusive.”
Ms. Walker said Thursday that she is honored to be the first black female deputy director in the authority’s 74-year history.
“The convergence of our forces together further demonstrate a serious commitment to tackling Pittsburgh’s 21st century challenges and the opportunity [for] equitable development for all Pittsburghers, regardless of race, gender, identity, ZIP code or financial circumstance,” she said.
The team’s first undertaking will be to work with the authority’s 96-member staff to implement recommendations developed by the New York-based HR&A Advisors. The city hired the consulting firm — the same one that assisted with the city’s Amazon bid — in late 2018 to aid in steering the URA to “more effectively plan and implement economic development initiatives for the city,” according to the mayor’s office.
The recommendations are not yet public, but a forthcoming report outlining the URA’s new vision is expected after Mr. Flisram takes the helm in January.
The effort to reform the authority is in response to Pittsburgh’s changing needs, both Mr. Peduto and Mr. Williamson said.
“Pittsburgh has experienced tremendous change in recent years. … We see in neighborhoods all across Pittsburgh, the impact of the URA and the URA’s work,” Mr. Williamson said “But we also know that too many Pittsburghers are being left out of that change and that progress.”
Mr. Peduto also announced that his administration will create a new chief economic development officer position that “will coordinate the activities of economic development that are happening within the city presently. Major projects and smaller projects alike need coordination to break down the silos of city government, the URA and other economic development agencies that exist.”
A five-member search committee for the URA’s new leader conducted a months-long nationwide search that screened 143 candidates, Mr. Williamson said. The committee included LaShawn Burton-Faulk, executive director of the Manchester Citizens Corporation; Grant Oliphant, president of the Heinz Endowments; Janera Solomon, the departing executive director of the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater; Mark Thomas, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance; and Dan Gilman, the mayor’s chief of staff.
The Allegheny Conference on Economic Development issued a statement in support of Mr. Flisram’s hiring shortly after the announcement.
“The URA’s vital work – including loans, strategic alliances and other economic development initiatives – enhances the economy and quality of life in the urban core, which is at the heart of southwestern Pennsylvania,” said spokesman Phil Cynar. “We look forward to working with Greg and the entire URA team on investing in the creation of a truly vibrant Pittsburgh – an anchor for a larger, dynamic region that will provide opportunity for all.”
Mr. Flisram said strategies will include neighborhood revitalization and housing, and that he and Ms. Walker have discussed potential for a new economic development strategy plan for the city.
“How do we spread that prosperity to neighborhoods and to populations whose boat hasn’t been lifted by the rising tide,” he said.
The city is also conducting a search for a new planning director.
Ashley Murray: 412-263-1750, amurray@post-gazette.com or @Ashley__Murray
First Published: November 14, 2019, 4:17 p.m.