One Acadiana hires one of nation’s top urban development professionals

One Acadiana has hired one of the nation’s top urban development professionals to spearhead an urban revitalization initiative to transform the core of Acadiana.
Harry Weiss, currently Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority & Business Improvement District (DDA & BID) in Grand Junction, Colorado, will serve as Vice President of Urban Revitalization and Development for One Acadiana. Weiss will be the first person to serve in this new role for the regional business organization. The position will be funded by The Campaign for One Acadiana, a five-year regional economic development program that began its implementation phase in 2015. In his new role, Weiss will be responsible for leading all urban development initiatives for One Acadiana, working in close partnership with business leaders, property owners, government officials, and other partners.
Weiss has served the Grand Junction DDA & BID since 2011, where he was responsible for advocacy, budgeting, district planning, policy development, media relations, implementation of public capital improvements and public-private partnerships, and management of a public art program. During his tenure, he played a key role in improving downtown Grand Junction through the adoption of a new Downtown Master Plan, a new housing strategy, and the fulfillment of a 30-year old dream of a new performing arts facility on Main Street.
Prior to his tenure Grand Junction, Weiss worked for nearly 20 years in Asheville, North Carolina, where he helped transform a declining downtown into a nationally acclaimed example of revitalization, admired for its rich historical context, thriving contemporary cultural life, and social and economic diversity. During this time, he first served as Executive Director of the local preservation non-profit, providing leadership in community education and advocacy for downtown. Weiss then joined Public Interest Projects, Inc. (PIP), the leading for-profit real estate and small business development company focusing on Asheville’s downtown through investments in real estate, business ventures, and public-private partnerships. These efforts addressed chronic parking deficiencies and injected a large amount of residential development, creating extraordinarily positive results. His previous roles also include Professor and Department Chair of Historic Preservation at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) and Survey Coordinator and Lead Researcher for Santa Fe National Register Historic District.
Weiss commented, “I am excited and truly honored to join One Acadiana. It is an exceptional opportunity to be invited into a community that has undertaken the serious and hard work of thinking about its future from a regional perspective, fashioning an ambitious urban vision for its core, and mobilizing the leadership and resources necessary for a strategic program of improvement.”
Weiss will be charged with identifying and catalyzing initiatives and projects that will help revitalize the urban core of Acadiana, including major gateways and areas around downtown Lafayette and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He will work closely with community stakeholders to strategically direct public and private investments to initiatives such as gateway improvements, recruitment and sale of land for development of business sites, parking infrastructure, streetscape improvements, and targeted neighborhood revitalization activities.
Weiss’ selection concludes a targeted search effort by some of Acadiana’s key urban revitalization and development partners including Pat Trahan, Vice Chairman of IBERIABANK and Chairman of Lafayette’s Downtown Development Authority; Flo Meadows, Realtor at Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate; Nathan Norris, CEO of Lafayette’s Downtown Development Authority; and Kevin Blanchard, Chief Development Officer of Lafayette Consolidated Government. Carrie Templeton, CEO of Lafayette Surgical Hospital, chaired the committee.
“We are extremely excited about Harry joining One Acadiana. With his incredible experience and past successes, he’ll bring Lafayette and the Acadiana region to a national-level playing field in terms of capitalizing on our opportunity to provide the infrastructure and urban revitalization and development that our region is in significant need of,” said Templeton.
Flo Meadows, Realtor at Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate, commented, “Harry Weiss will bless our communities with his collaborative spirit and his passionate love for the built environment and unique cultures.  We shall benefit greatly from his extensive successes with broad community real estate strategies and execution of multi-stakeholder catalytic real estate projects. Bienvenue a Lafayette, Harry!”
Pat Trahan, Vice Chairman of IBERIABANK and Chairman of the Downtown Development Authority, shared his excitement about bringing another strong leader into the region, “We’re seeing real growth in civic leadership throughout Lafayette and Acadiana. We have a solid nucleus that makes us attractive to professionals like Harry who bring real experience from markets that have seen extraordinary growth and are doing things we aspire accomplish.”
Kevin Blanchard, Chief Development Officer of LCG noted, “There’s a great deal of momentum in Acadiana right now and a lot of important work to do to recognize the community’s vision in the comprehensive plan and downtown action plan. Harry’s experience and talent makes him a key member of the team. I am excited about all the great work ahead that Harry’s hire makes possible.”
“I’m thrilled to welcome Harry to the One Acadiana team. He has a unique blend of experience in the academic, non-profit, public, and private sectors. I have spoken with half a dozen of his colleagues over the past 20 years, and they all describe Harry as a passionate visionary who has the background, experience, and expertise to get things accomplished,” said Jason El Koubi, President & CEO of One Acadiana. “Harry will play an instrumental role in delivering results on one of the three core strategies of The Campaign for One Acadiana, working with key community partners to take our urban revitalization efforts to the next level.”
Weiss holds a BA in History & Art History from University of Wisconsin and MS in Historic Preservation from University of Oregon. He will assume his new role beginning in early June 2015.

About One Acadiana
One Acadiana is the leading economic development organization for the nine-parish Acadiana region located in south Louisiana. With more than 1,200 investors, members, and partners, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community. The organization is located in the city of Lafayette and serves a region of roughly 700,000 people with a vibrant culture and unique entrepreneurial spirit.