Veteran South Carolina Economic Developer Jerry Howard Steps Down; Landmesser Named Successor
May 13, 2013
GREENVILLE, SC – May 13, 2013 – One of South Carolina’s most-tenured economic development executives, Jerry Howard, has stepped down as Greenville Area Development Corporation President & CEO to pursue personal interests. Kevin Landmesser, the GADC’s second-ranked executive who joined the organization in July 2001, will succeed Howard as interim President & CEO.
A graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. degree in Economics, Howard is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. He began his professional career with the Greenville County Planning Commission before joining the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, first as Industrial Manager and later as its Vice President for Economic Development. He joined Anderson County in 1997, before returning to Greenville County and helping to launch the GADC in 2001. He is a member of the South Carolina Economic Developers Association and numerous economic development associations, while also serving on Greenville County’s Workforce Investment Board and on the Greenville Chamber’s Board of Governors. Howard is married with two daughters.
Under Howard’s direction, the GADC has announced in excess of 16,500 new jobs and $2.8 billion in capital investment in the county for projects they have managed. County revenues generated by GADC-assisted companies have produced a 7:1 return on investment for public dollars invested in the organization since the GADC’s inception.
The Greenville Area Development Corporation was created by County Council in 2001 and tasked with promoting and enhancing quality of life in Greenville County by facilitating job growth and investment for the benefit of Greenville County and its citizens. Among the numerous economic development accomplishments during his leadership have been more than 200 announcements across Greenville County, including such notable announcements as TD Bank’s regional hub in Greenville; GE Aviation; Bosch Rexroth; SAATI; Sage Automotive; JTEKT; Magna; Servosity and Scio Diamond.
In addition, Howard and the GADC have played pivotal roles in such critical initiatives as the attraction of Southwest Airlines to service the Greenville-Spartanburg market, the development and launch of Greenville Works and the Greenville Regional Workforce Collaborative program, supporting public policy initiatives with the Upstate Chambers and the South Carolina Economic Development Association, and partnering with the City of Greenville on headquarters development initiatives. In mid-April, the organization announced its third best year ever for job creation and honored South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley with its top economic development award.
Throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Jerry Howard has gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping ensure that positive economic growth – and the thousands of good jobs and billions of dollars in economic contribution and taxes that go with them – are situated right here in Greenville County, said GADC Board Member and former County Council Chairman H.G. Butch Kirven, Jr. Jerry Howard has done an exceptional job of leading this organization to its current position as one of the most respected economic development organizations in America.
Under Howard’s leadership, the GADC has built a diverse, talented and experienced team of economic development veterans, Kirven noted. The caliber of the GADC is recognized coast-to-coast as one of the most experienced and capable economic development groups anywhere. With an average of over 15 years of professional experience each in economic development, Jerry and Kevin have built a team of professionals who ensure that Greenville County will not miss a beat.
The GADC has also obtained record numbers of private sector supporters, counting more than 140 investor organizations whose annual investments go directly to GADC marketing efforts to create better jobs and a brighter future for the community, noted Kirven.
While Howard will continue transitional duties on several projects already in the works, long-standing GADC Vice President Kevin Landmesser, who joined the GADC in 2001 as Howard’s second-in-command, assumes the role of interim President and CEO.
A South Carolina Certified Economic Developer, Landmesser is a past co-chairman and current member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the South Carolina Economic Developers Association, a member of the International Economic Development Council, and member of the Japan America Association of South Carolina.
Following graduation from Clemson University where he earned a B.A. in Economics, Landmesser served in the United States military before going on to earn a Masters in Economic Geography from the University of South Carolina. He then joined Fluor Corporation’s Global Location Strategies site selection team and later served as an economic developer at the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce prior to joining the GADC in 2001.
This transition has been in discussion for some time, and Kevin’s willingness to serve as our top executive ensures that this will be a seamless transition, said Kirven. No individual knows the strengths, strategies and opportunities facing Greenville County from an economic development standpoint better than Kevin, and his abilities and skills will safeguard the interests of Greenville County and prepare us to enter a new and exciting era in economic development in the County.
