by Amanda Jarratt

FRANKLIN
The 4th Annual Partners in Progress breakfast event will be held on March 14, at 8 o’clock in the Paul D. Camp Workforce Development Center. The keynote address will be provided by Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, of which both the City of Franklin and Southampton County are members.

Weddle joined the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance as president and CEO in April 2016. In his role, he leads the operations of a regional marketing organization with a nine-person staff that represents 11 municipalities and over 75 private sector investors in the Hampton Roads region.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Weddle spent five years as president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Development Commission. Over the course of his tenure, Weddle created more than 17,000 jobs with an annual payroll of $800 million, more than $1 billion in capital investment and 5.3 million square feet of space absorbed.

Before leading Orlando’s ED Commission, Weddle spent seven years as president and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, owner and developer of The Research Triangle Park. Under his leadership, the Research Triangle Park has generated successful development projects with projected capital investment of over $800 million and the projected creation of over 6,300 new, high-quality jobs. During his tenure, the Foundation assisted in recruiting 18 new firms and facilitating four expansions to the Park, compared to the historical average of one to two locates per year.

A complete biography of Weddle can be found at http://www.hreda.com/media/48083/weddle-rick.pdf.

AMANDA C. JARRATT is president and CEO, Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc. For details, call 562-1958 or email ajarratt@franklinsouthamptonva.com.