College Station picks development director

[dazed2010]

College Station picks development director

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/090806/local_20060908013.php

A Carrollton man was selected Thursday as College Station's new economic development director, touted by the city manager as the man who will lead efforts to recruit new businesses and retain old ones.

David Gwin, community development manager in Carrollton, will start his new job Oct. 2. His salary will be $102,000.

"I think he's going to be a really good fit for the organization and the community," said City Manager Glenn Brown, who selected Gwin from a pool of more than 30 applicants. "His enthusiasm is really contagious."

Gwin, 41, replaces Kim Foutz, who resigned in February to take a job as assistant city manager in Temple.

Gwin has been in Carrollton since 2001, but previously worked as a planner in Arlington and Garland. Brown said that type of experience could be useful in College Station. Gwin has degrees in political science and geography from Oklahoma State University.

"When I looked at what I wanted to accomplish with our economic development department, he was, by far, the best fit," Brown said.

The city manager said Gwin's application stood out from the others because of his experience in community development, a department he'll oversee in College Station. Gwin, a certified planner, also has experience working with business retention programs and attracting retail projects, Brown said.

Gwin designed and implemented a "proactive and aggressive business retention and expansion program" in Carrollton, according to his resume. He also implemented a $2.5 million grant-funded plan to renovate and expand an aging publicly-owned facility into a community service complex, his resume states.

In College Station, the new economic development director will be the lead staff liaison on the city's hotel-convention center project. College Station has tried for almost a decade to partner with a developer to build a hotel-convention center.

Two deals have fallen through over the years, but negotiations are ongoing between the city, hotel developer Drake Leddy and landowner Jack Culpepper. A facility is tentatively planned for a site near University Drive and College Avenue.

"The hotel-convention center will be a new challenge for [Gwin], and he's very excited about it," Brown said. "That's going to be one of his priorities."

Another priority will be hiring an assistant director to replace Charles Wood, who recently accepted a position with the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce in Florida.

Gwin, reached for comment in Carrollton on Thursday, said he believes his experience in economic and community development, urban planning and neighborhood reinvestment will be beneficial to College Station.

Gwin has spent about 14 years in the Dallas metroplex, and said he said he believes there are similarities between Carrollton, which has a population of about 118,000, and College Station, which has about 82,000 residents.

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "I think this is a great opportunity and a great community."